Ailee Larson has had a tremendous senior year for the Vikings. She ranks in the top 15 in scoring in the conference and plays tenacious defense. Ailee, a guard, is also a great passer, ball handler and rebounds well. She is one of the big reasons the Vikings are 18-2 on the year.
A large contingency of Cook County fans was on hand to see the Vikings notch their 17th win of the season in their final home game played against the McGregor Mercuries.
Two seniors, Ailee Larson and Brea Boomer were honored before the game began. Once the action started, each senior did her part in helping the Vikings take a 34-26 halftime lead. Larson, with her tough defense and crisp passing and Boomer, with her aggressive inside play and scoring as she tallied 16 first-half points.
As Head Coach T.J. Super noted, “Much like all season the Vikings ran the court well, spreading the ball around with quick passes and nice cuts, but time and time we were unable to convert the easy bunnies. What could have easily been a 20-point game at halftime was just an eight-point lead.”
Coming out of the locker room, the Mercs cut the Vikings’ lead to four points and trailed 34-30 before the Vikings caught fire and built up a 16-point lead. Leading the Vikings on the run were Ashley Deschampe and Boomer, who scored 17 of the Vikings 19 points in that run.
But just as the Vikings threatened to run away with the contest, the pesky Mercs would hit a 3-point shot or rebound a Viking miss and pass it up the floor for an easy two points. Although the win was never in doubt, the Mercs kept it somewhat close, and the Vikings won 62-54.
Brea Boomer scored 26 points to lead the Vikes and Ashley Deschampe added 16, Theresa Morrin hit for 7, Bekah Laky chipped in 6, Taylor Ryden had 4 and Larson finished with 3 points. Abby Hawkinson led the Mercs with 20 points.
Super praised Larson and Boomer, “Not enough can be said about the strong leadership that Ailee and Brea bring to our team and to this school. They are three-sport athletes that excel on the basketball court, their other sports, and in the classroom. These girls are great kids. They have such strong character and have put in a lot of work to get where they are today. They should definitely be recognized for their accomplishments on a daily basis.”
The Vikings now sport a 17-2 record and are the number one seed in Section 7A with only two road games remaining.
On to 18th win
What’s better than flowers and chocolates and heart shaped Valentines? Okay, nothing. But an 89-30 win over the Wrenshall Wrens on the hardwood floor made up a little bit for what the Cook County girls might have missed on Valentine’s Day.
The Cook County Vikings traveled to Wrenshall and notched their 18th win of the season against two losses.
Once again the team got off to a quick start, taking an early 20-point lead before, as Coach Super said, “the play got a little ragged after that, with the Vikings throwing sloppy passes and playing lackluster defense.”
However, when the Vikings did get their game together, Super said, “The overall ragged play was put on hold for short spurts of time when the Vikings burst out for a nice run and added to their lead.”
That lead would stretch to a comfy 50-19 advantage at halftime.
During the second half the girls came out with more intensity. Super said, “They played more inspired ball.”
The bench players also saw lots of minutes in the second half, said Super.
Brea Boomer led all scorers with 26 points, while fellow senior Ailee Larson added 18. Junior Ashley Deschampe was a little under her 16.4 scoring average with 15 points and sophomore Theresa Morrin added 12 points. Other Vikings to score points included Molly Zafft with 6, Taylor Ryden with 3, Kaitlynn Linnell, 3, and Leah Utities, Ali Iverson and Breana Peterson all had 2 points.
The Vikings’ last game of the season should be a barn-burner in Barnum. The two teams meet on February 25 and Barnum sports a 21-1 record. Go Vikes!
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