Ryan Martinson, pictured here under the basket versus Carlton, had a terrific game against Babbitt last week, leading the Vikings with 19 points and 12 rebounds.
The Cook County boys’ basketball team played arguably its best basketball of the season last week to improve its overall season record to 6-6. The Vikings beat Babbitt on the road 69-32 before taking on Wrenshall the next night, winning in that contest, 63-56. After starting the season with a 1-4 record, the Vikings have won five of their last seven games and look to get over .500 for the first time against Two Harbors this week.
On Thursday, January 28, the Vikings traveled to Babbitt. After six minutes of rather poorly played basketball by both teams, the Vikings settled in on the defensive end of the court. Leading 15-13, Cook County closed out the half with a 26-9 run. Ryan Martinson played well for Cook County, scoring 11 first half points and grabbing nine rebounds in the first 18 minutes of play.
Brock Hommerding added 10 points and strong defense as the Vikings took a 41-22 lead at halftime. Even with a 19-point lead at halftime, the Vikings were not overly happy with their defensive positioning and focus.
Following an animated halftime talk in the locker room and some defensive adjustments, Cook County played its best defensive half of the season against the Knights in the final 18 minutes of play. TheVikings forced 38 Babbitt turnovers and Cook County out-rebounded the Knights 48 to 23.
In addition, the Vikings played smart on defense as Babbitt only got to the free throw line four times in the game, compared to the Vikings’ 17 attempts. In the second half, the Vikings only allowed six points until the final minute of play, where Babbitt scored two baskets for a total of just 10 second half points.
Cook County finished with 28 second-half points as they went on to win, 69-32. Martinson led the Vikings, scoring 19 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. Mike Austin added 13 points and eight rebounds in just 25 minutes of play while Hommerding rounded out the Vikings in double figures, as he scored 12 points and pulled down eight rebounds.
The next night the Vikings played host to the Wrenshall Wrens, a team that is slowly becoming a rival of Cook County’s with many closely contested games in the past four seasons. While Wrenshall entered the game with a 0-11 record, it would be one of the first times all season where everyone in the lineup was cleared to play.
To make matters tougher for Cook County, the Vikings had to play without their leading scorer and rebounder Mike Austin. Early in the second half against Babbitt the night before, Austin collided with a Babbitt player at full speed and hurt his shoulder. Martinson would be looked on to take his place in the starting lineup.
After six minutes of play, the Vikings trailed the Wrens 14-15. Behind the three-point shooting barrage of James Groth, Cook County outscored the Wrens 20-12 in the final 12 minutes of the half to take a 34-27 halftime lead. Groth made five of his seven first-half attempts from behind the arc on his way to scoring 19 first-half points.
The Vikings kept up the solid play in the second half, pushing their lead to 19 points, 59-40, with just under three minutes to play in the game. The Wrens attempted a furious rally, outscoring the Vikings 16 – 4 in the final three minutes of play. The Wrenshall rally was aided by Cook County’s futility at the free throw line where they made just nine of 25 attempts.
Cook County held on down the stretch, however, to win 63-56 in a game where the score didn’t indicate the margin of victory. Groth led all scorers with 29 points, while Martinson added 11 points for the Vikings. David Bergstrom had a great all-around game, scoring nine points, grabbing 14 rebounds, dishing out four assists, and collecting three steals in the game. Kale Boomer played well off the bench for Cook County with steady play from the freshman point guard.
The Vikings now play in back-to-back home games. On Friday evening, February 5, the Vikings play Two Harbors and then on Saturday afternoon Cook County hosts Ely. Look in next week’s edition for all the scores and highlights.
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