Head basketball coach Kelly Hawsen gave a nice send off for senior starting guard Maya McHugh to the audience attending the Carlton game. The game against Carlton was McHugh’s last as a Viking. She graduated early and is already in Spain where she is working.
Up 13 to 5 after eight minutes of play, it looked like the CCHS Vikings were going to take care of business on the basketball court last Friday, January 19, and secure a conference win.
But it wasn’t to be as the Carlton Bulldogs fought back and took a 22-19 lead over the Vikings at halftime and would hold on to win 51-46.
Still, the Vikings were not only in the game but led 44-42 with less than three minutes on the clock. However, Carlton reeled off the next eight straight points and with 45 seconds left not even a time-out by Viking coach Kelly Hawsen was enough to settle her team down; the Vikings couldn’t generate any more offense.
Both squads played tight man-to-man defense, and points were hard to come by for each team. It wasn’t for lack of trying, however. The Vikings did have a good 8-10 chance to score on lay-ups in the second half, but the ball wouldn’t fall, rolling around the rim and out or just clanking off of the backboard. Plus, the Vikings didn’t shoot well from the foul line, making 13 out of 30 free throw attempts, which didn’t help matters.
“The girls played a tough, hard fought game against a very physical team,” said coach Hawsen. “We are still learning how to compose ourselves in close games, and that takes time and practice.”
Sophia Eliasen’s 16 points led the Vikings in scoring. Paisley Smith and Ariana Poyirier each had 9 points; Abbie Crawford and Maya McHugh both had 5 points; and Alyssa Spry had two points for the Vikings.
Abby Mickle led Carlton’s balanced scoring with 11 points.
On a sad note, this was senior starting guard Maya McHugh’s last game. Maya graduated early and will be taking a three-month trip to Spain before coming back home to attend college.
The back page of the team brochure given out to fans was dedicated to Maya. In it, coach Hawsen said, “Watching Maya on the court, you will see a fierce and competitive athlete. She exemplifies what it means to work hard, and her positive attitude is unshakable. She has been a joy to coach, and I consider it an honor to have been given the opportunity to know her.”
Vikings fall to Mesabi East
On Tuesday, Jan. 23, Mesabi East rolled into town to play the Vikings and the taller Mesabi East Giants won 70-52.
The Vikings were down 12 points, 36-24 at the half, but could never bring the score closer despite giving it their all on defense.
Junior guard Sophia Eliasen had an outstanding game, scoring 19 points, battling for rebounds and loose balls, and playing hard on defense throughout the game.
“The girls had a tough time boxing out making it hard to compete with Mesabi East,” said head coach Kelly Hawsen. “The focus of pre game was boxing out and the girls really struggled with giving up second chance shots.
“It seemed like during time outs we would set goals, like we need to drive to the basket, then on the court the opposite would occur. We need to focus on execution and getting tougher.
“We are looking for some girls to step up as supportive and positive leaders who can consistently bring their leadership each night.”
Sophomore forward Abbie Crawford found her shooting touch, scoring 11 points, and cat-quick freshman guard Ariana Poyirier also had a nice night, scoring 11 points while doing a good job of distributing the ball.
Other Vikings to score were Morgan Starkey, 2 points, Emma Gesch 2 points, and Alyssa Spry had one point in the game.
The Vikings’ next home game is Feb. 5 against Chisholm at 6:30 p.m. Come out and cheer for your Vikings!
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