Brea Boomer scored two points on this lay-up in the game versus Cromwell. Boomer, like the rest of her team mates, have had a great bunch of games lately, losing only to Esko while beating teams like top ranked Mountain Iron-Buhl. The Viking girls play with a lot of skill, heart, and tenacity. Because of that, they are one of the favorites from Section 7 and have a chance to go to state this year.
Once the color came back into their faces, once the agony left their sore, achy muscles, and once they wiped the remaining sweat from their brows—and only then—could the fans finally get up from their seats and go home.
Tired? You betcha. The fans left everything in the stands, just like the players from both teams left everything out on the court. Such was the excitement last Monday night at the gym as the Vikings defeated Mountain Iron- Buhl 65-57.
The game was closer than the score indicates. Both teams traded punches throughout the first half, going into their locker rooms tied 31 all.
At one point midway through the first half it looked like MIB was going to pull away for good. They took a 19-15 lead and extended it to 25-15. But, noted Head Coach T.J. Super, after two of his starters, Brea Boomer and Ashley Deschampe, had to sit with foul trouble, “That’s when we went on a run.”
Bekah Laky scored on a baseline jumper and Taylor Ryden hit a deep three. Next Molly Zafft hit a lay-up and followed that up with a 3-point basket, pulling the Vikings to within two. The Vikings tied the score at 31 all on a nice pass from Leah Utities to Taylor Ryden.
Coming out of the locker room Ashley Deschampe, who led all Viking scorers with 20 points, hit three straight baskets to give the Vikings a 37-35 lead.
However, as many points as the Viking girls could score, it was apparent that MIB’s 5’8” senior guard Charlote Overbye was ready to counter punch. She scored 18 straight points for her team to start out the second half.
The hot-shooting senior came into the season with more than 2,000 career points and is the most prolific scorer in the Northland.
With 12 minutes to play, the Vikings trailed 42-41. But Brea Boomer pulled down a rebound and kicked it out to Ailee Larson who fed it to Deschampe who connected for another 3-pointer. Deschampe’s basket was followed by a steal and a lay-up for Larson. All of a sudden the Vikings were up 46-42, and, as MIB’s coach, Jeff Buffetta said after the game, “Your girls were getting to every loose ball. Grabbing every rebound.”
But the game was hardly over. MIB came back to tie the score 47-47 with 9 minutes 17 seconds left to play. Super called a timeout and got his team back into the swing of things. Deschampe hit another 3-point basket and Boomer hit for 2 points and Larson hit for 2 more points giving the Vikings a 55-49 lead.
Just when it looked like the Vikings might put the game away, back came MIB behind the shooting of Overbye. They closed to within a basket, down 55-53. That’s when the Vikings found the foul line. MIB had 10 fouls while the Vikings had 3 fouls. Because the Vikings were in the bonus, they went to the line a half-dozen times in the last three minutes, scoring on half of their free throws and converting a basket here and there. Up 61-55 with 1:46 to go, MIB’s coach implored his players to dig in. “It’s just a two-possession game,” he told his kids. But his players were tired, and they would foul and put the Viking girls back on the free throw line. At the end, the Vikings inched out to a 65-57 win.
The game was a wide open, free-wheeling affair that saw players from both teams hitting the floor more times than one could count. Both teams played as hard as they could and both coaches appreciated their players and the kids they played against.
While T.J. Super singled out each and every one of his kids and gave them kudos for their great play, it was notable to this reporter that time after time Brea Boomer grabbed a big rebound, often fighting players 3 to 4 inches taller.. In fact, Boomer had so many rebounds in the second half that she seemed to dominate the flow of the game. MIB’s coach said as much, “Yeah, Boomer played a heck of a game. But my big kids are sophomores and she’s a senior. She played like it tonight. But my kids will get better as the year progresses.”
Super said, “I expect that out of Brea. She’s fearless. She’s a warior out there. We need her to play like that. But yeah, she played a heck of a game, didn’t she?”
Boomer grabbed 17 rebounds on the night and because of her aggressiveness around the basket, took 13 second-half free throws.
“It was definitely a gutsy win, with young girls stepping up in big situations,” said Super.
While Boomer led the Vikings on the glass, Super said, “Ryden, Morrin and Zafft all cleared the boards with her. And the player of the game just might have been Bekah Laky, who never sat out once, playing 36 minutes, grabbed tons of rebounds and was a steadying influence for the Vikings.”
Mountain Iron-Buhl came to Grand Marais on Monday night with the number 1 ranked girls’ team in Section 7. They were unbeaten, 6-0, untested, and they played like a championship team.
Cook County came into the game with only one loss, and that was to Esko, a rival that, because of the size of their school, plays in a larger-school class. Both coaches said they would like to play each other again. And they might get their wish. These two teams, along with Floodwood, appear to be the cream of the crop in Section 7. That game, if it occurs, will be a couple of months away. Time enough for the Vikings’ fans to recover from the great game played by two great teams.
Girls beat Cromwell 70-38
With the girls’ team playing their third game in five days, it was no wonder they showed some fatigue.
Thegame started out with the flurry of points by the Vikings that fans have come to expect. Their pell-mell high-octane style put Cromwell firmly back on their heels as our girls raced to a big lead.
But there was a lull, of sorts.
For about three minutes late in the first half the girls let down and Cromwell crept to within 11 points. No need to worry, however, as the kids caught their second wind and ramped up their defensive pressure, storming away from Cromwell on a barrage of lay-ups, and, at times, some nifty three-point shooting.
Point guards Ailee Larson, 19 points, and Ashley Deschampe, with 18 points, led the Vikings in scoring. Brea Boomer netted 14, followed by Bekah Laky, 7, Taylor Ryden, 6, and Molly Zafft, Ali Iverson and Kaitlyn Linnell, all scoring 2 points.
No player for Cromwell scored more than 9 points.
Coach T.J. Super had his kids working the fast break all night, mostly off of steals as the Vikings applied constant pressure to the ball.
When the Vikings did set up in offense, they worked it around the perimeter with quick passes until they found someone open underneath or started a drive and kicked it out for a three-point attempt. Both Deschampe, who had three three-point baskets, and Larson, who hit two twopoint shots, took advantage of Cromwell when they attempted to shut down the Vikings low post play.
Although the Vikings aren’t big—their tallest starter is Brea Boomer, who is 5’9″—they all rebound well. The whole team goes after rebounds and loose balls with great intensity, usually winning the race to the ball, finding the open player for a quick pass and making the game fast-paced, even if the other team doesn’t want to play that way.
The Vikings played Monday and Tuesday this week and face Moose Lake/Willow River January 4 at home. Game time is 6:30.
Go Vikes!
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