Staff photos/Laurie Johnson The Vikings had three wins in a row last week, defeating Moose Lake, Albrook and Carlton. Left: Senior Essa Jacobsen got the action going at the tip-off versus Carlton on Friday, January 8. The Vikings defeated the Carlton Bulldogs, 76-35.
TheCook County girls’ basketball team improved its overall season record to 10-1 with three straight wins over Moose Lake, Albrook, and Carlton. The Vikings are now ranked tenth in the state for Class A girls’ basketball.
Following a few days off after the Christmas tournament appearance in Walker, Minnesota, the Vikings had one day of practice and then traveled to Moose Lake-Willow River to take on the class AA Rebels.
After a sluggish start following the three-hour bus ride, the Vikings’ defense came alive, which led to numerous transition points for Cook County. The speed and athleticism of Ashley Deschampe and juniors Brea Boomer and Ailee Larson jump-started the full court pressing defense of the Vikings.
While Cook County struggled a bit in their half court offense, the Vikings went into the locker room with a comfortable 38-23 lead. Cook County missed only six shot attempts in the first half, making 18 of 24 shots. Theonly thing keeping this game from becoming a complete blowout was the Vikings’ 14 first half turnovers.
Above: Senior Christina Nelson taking it to the hoop at the Carlton game. Nelson finished with 23 points in the game that put the Vikings’ record at 10-1 overall.
In the second half, Cook County outscored the Rebels 34-22 to take home a 70-45 victory. Boomer led all scorers with 19 points while adding six steals on defense. Deschampe added 18 points for the Vikings while senior center Essa Jacobsen dominated the paint, scoring 17 points and grabbing 20 rebounds. Christina Nelson continued her great all-around play, scoring 12 points for the Vikings.
On Thursday, January 7, the Vikings hosted the Albrook Falcons. TheFalcons could not match the faster and stronger Vikings. Cook County’s full court pressure and transition offense was just too much for Albrook to handle. TheVikings jumped out to a quick 48-17 halftime lead as Deschampe made three three-point shots and finished the first half with 13 points. The trio of Larson, Boomer, and Nelson scored 24 first-half points, as Cook County looked sharp on both sides of the court.
In the second half, the Falcons stayed in their 2-3 zone defense and sharp-shooting guard Ashley Deschampe continued her great outside shooting, making two more shots from beyond the arc to finish the game with 19 points as Cook County routed the Falcons, 77-28. Larson added 13 points and Boomer and Jacobsen each added 11 points to the tally.
In the final 14 minutes of play, the young bench of Cook County got extended playing time. Sophomore Molly Zafft looked especially good, scoring seven points as the young Vikings showed no letup coming off the bench.
The very next night Cook County played at home again against the Carlton Bulldogs in a rare back-to-back home stretch. The Vikings jumped out to an early ten-point lead, but foul trouble quickly put both Boomer and Jacobsen on the bench with two fouls each. While the Viking offense sputtered for a few minutes, Larson quickly ignited the Vikings, scoring seven straight points on a three-point shot and two brilliant moves to the basket.
Larson’s 17 first-half points helped Cook County take a 41-20 lead into halftime. Nelson was also effective on offense in the first 18 minutes of play, as she scored eight points, making four of five free throw attempts.
In the second half, the Bulldogs were leery to even let Larson touch the ball. With the added defensive shift Larson’s way, Nelson exploded on the offensive end with 15 secondhalf points. In addition to her scoring, Nelson had numerous assists, rebounds, and steals, as she had a great all-around game. Nelson finished with 23 points and the Vikings ran away with a 76-35 victory, their third straight game scoring over 70 points. In addition to Nelson’s 23 points, Larson finished with 19 and Jacobsen scored 10. TheVikings are now 10-1 on the season and are currently ranked tenth in the state. The Vikings played in Silver Bay after this edition went to press. They play at home this Thursday against Mesabi East. Look in next week’s edition for all the scores and highlights.
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