Left: Even though she was being held, Abbie Crawford dribbled around the Cromwell defender on her way to the basket. Above middle: Paisley Smith put the shot up just in time to avoid it being blocked. Above right: Blowing by the defender, Sophie Eliasen (31) took the ball to the basket for a lay-up.
Viking coach Kelly Senty took her young team to Babbitt to play the Northeast Range Nighthawks on Thursday, December 14 and the Vikings came away with a lopsided 68-28 victory.
The win followed a tough loss to Two Harbors, but it pushed the Vikings’ record to 2-1.
“The girls focused on their transition offense. It was good to see the ball get pushed up the court,” said coach Senty.
Junior guard Sophie Eliasen was tasked with guarding Northeast Range’s best offensive threat. “Sophie played solid defense against her,” Senty said.
Abbie Crawford led the team in scoring with 22 points. Eliasen netted 17, Ariana Poyirier 11, Paisley Smith 8, Maya McHugh 6, Morgan Starkey 4, and Emma Gesch scored two points.
Helping the Vikings against the Nighthawks was the addition of speedy guard Ariana Poyirier’s return to the line-up. Another player who has been missing from the Viking line-up is Alyssa Spry. Spry returned to practice on Monday, Dec. 18.
Because the team started the season with just a few reserves, coach Senty has had to develop a bench that includes girls from the junior varsity. The move is already paying dividends.
“We had a solid bench that allowed girls to get rests and some of the 8th-grade girls played some solid minutes,” Senty said.
Vikings lose to Cromwell
The high flying 3-0 Cromwell- Wright Cardinal team visited Cook County on Monday, Dec. 18 and much to the Cardinals’ surprise, the Vikings took the early lead in the game. Last season the Cardinals finished with a 27-5 mark and a third place in Class A.
Over the first five to seven minutes the Vikings used good defense to slow down the Cardinal offense. Meanwhile, inside baskets by Viking center Paisley Smith and baskets by Abbie Crawford, Sophie Eliasen, and Ariana Poyirier put the Vikings up by six points.
Cromwell, led by senior guard Teana Hakamaki, came back to tie the score.
With the score knotted 10-10, Cromwell started to get an advantage, slowly pulling away to a 32-23 halftime lead. Still, the Vikings had to feel good about the way they played through the first half. Some missed lay-ups were the most significant reason they trailed at all.
But Cromwell scored the first 11 points after the break, pulling away to a 43-23 lead, and from there on out, the Vikings couldn’t generate enough offense to get back into the contest.
Viking head coach Kelly Senty frequently substituted to give her team some fresh legs, but the majority of substitutes for the Vikings are in eighth grade, and at this point in the season, they lack experience.
Paisley Smith had her best game as a varsity player, leading the team in scoring with 15 points. Smith also rebounded and defended well in the middle. Ariana Poyirier ended her night with 10 points, making two threepoint shots, and Sophie Eliasen finished with eight points. Abbie Crawford ended with four points, and Alyssa Spry had one point.
Teana Hakamaki led Cromwell with 26 points.
The Vikings lost 62-38.
Next up is a holiday tournament Dec. 28-29 in Two Harbors. The Vikings again face the Two harbors Agates at home on Jan. 5 at 6:30 p.m.
Come out and cheer for your Vikings!
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