When Head Coach T.J. Super recorded his 100th win against the Duluth Marshall Hilltoppers at home on February 9, his team was ready with big smiles and a sign that says it all. (L-R, front) Lily Gruber-Schulz, Ashley Deschampe, Bekah Laky, Theresa Morrin, Breana Peterson, Shelby Sjogren, Leah Utities, Molly Zaft, Kaitlyn Linnell, Jessica Berg-Collman, Deedra Mongen, Jordan Deschampe. (L-R, back) Kim Linnell, Rachel Seim, T.J. Super, Kelly Roberts and John Jacobsen. Right: Going up, up and away for two points against the Marshall Hilltoppers was the Vikings’ outstanding young center Lily Gruber-Schulz.
Much-loved Viking girls’ basketball Head Coach Thomas “T.J.” Super received his 100th win when his team defeated the Duluth Marshall Hilltoppers 74-27 on Thursday, February 9 at home.
Super has been coaching the Vikings the last six seasons and has averaged about 17 wins per season.
Once again senior guard Ashley Deschampe led the Vikings with 28 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals.
“We came out smoking hot, notching steal after steal and converting on the offensive end with great cutting and passing,” said Super, adding “Ashley drove like a machine on a mission, getting fouled and making all 10 of her free throw attempts. She didn’t miss a shot until about a minute left in the half, totaling 23 points in the first half to lead us into the break up 52-14.”
Super also said the Vikings’ fast break was reminiscent of his past teams. “In what has been a staple of past years’ teams at Cook County, the Vikings have struggled to get their running game going a bit this year, but the girls were firing on all cylinders tonight.”
With the game well in hand, the Vikings slowed the action down in the second half, but still played solid defense. Super praised the play of two other Vikings. “Theresa Morrin played very aggressive, taking it to the basket and creating contact. Leah Utities, just back from a week of illness, also sucked it up and played with great intensity all night,” he said.
Besides Deschampe’s 28 points, Theresa Morrin and Breana Peterson scored 10 points, Bekah Laky hit for 9, Leah Utities netted 8, Jessica Berg-Collman 6, and Jordyn Deschampe had 2 points.
As far as recording his 100th win, a great milestone for any head coach, Super said, “On a personal note, I need to send out a big thank you to the Cook County fans for celebrating my 100th win as a head coach. In my six years here, I’ve had a lot of people offer a lot of support to the girls, the program, and to me.
When all else fails sometimes it comes down to simple prayer. T.J. Super’s prayer was answered as his team played super-duper to record its 13th win of the season and notch T. J.’s 100th win of his six-year career. The win came against Duluth Marshall.
“I do need to really thank the rest of the coaching staff in John Jacobsen, Kim Linnell, Kelly Roberts, and Rachel Seim. Those guys are the ones that get a lot of stuff done in the background and it doesn’t get noticed, but I can’t state how much I appreciate it and how much of an impact it has on the program. If you see them around, make sure you congratulate them, too, because without them, this wouldn’t have been possible.”
Vikings push record to 14-8 with Floodwood win
One night after recording his 100th win, T.J. Super and his team traveled to Floodwood to take on the 4th ranked team in the conference on its home court.
For the season the Polar Bears are 7-5 in the conference and 11-12 overall. The third place Vikings are 8-3 in the conference and sport a 14-7 overall record.
Once again the Vikings came out and played aggressively on defense, forcing turnovers and converting them into easy baskets.
At the half the Vikings were up 30-16, and while the Polar Bears gained a little ground in the second half, the Vikings continued to dominate 31-24 to win 61-40.
Behind the rebounding efforts of Bekah Laky and Lily Gruber-Schulz the Vikings dominated the boards. The duo also did a nice job defensively in the paint, largely shutting down Floodwood’s inside game.
Because the Polar Bears were focusing on stopping Deschampe, often doubling up on her, someone else was open, and on this night it was Bekah Laky, who scored 18 points and Leah Utities, who recorded a career best with 13 points. As for Deschampe, the Polar League’s conferencescoring leader at 23 points per game, she was held to 19 points. Other Viking scorers included Gruber-Schulz, who netted 6 points, Theresa Morrin with 3, and Jessica Berg-Collman, who had 2 points.
The Vikings play Wrenshall tonight (Friday, Feb. 17) at home at 6:30 p.m. Their last game of the season is also at home when they face the Two Harbors Agates on Friday, February 24. The game starts at 4:45 p.m.
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