Lily Gruber-Schulz has been one of the Vikings’ top players all season. The sophomore guard/forward averages about 15 points and 10 rebounds a game and gives the Vikings a solid inside presence on defense.
Back in the day, as the kids like to say, Esko and Cook County High School (CCHS) graduated about the same amount of kids and a natural rivalry sprung up in the late 1940s. As young athletes we were told by our coaches to just beat Esko, which usually happened, but not anymore.
Today Esko graduates twice as many students as CCHS, and the playing field is no longer level.
With that said, a young Viking girls’ team traveled to Esko on February 18 and lost to a much bigger, stronger team 68-30.
“We really struggled against Esko,” said Head Coach Mitch Dorr.
“Their guards pressured us full-court and their physicality really wore us down. We instantly found ourselves down 20-4 just minutes into the game. We trailed 42-19 at the half,” said Dorr, adding, “We had way too many turnovers caused by Esko’s great man-to-man defense.”
Coach Dorr said, “I was very disappointed in our half court defense. Both in our zone and man-to-man defenses, we lacked the toughness and intensity to stay with a quicker and more talented Esko team.
“This game was a great reminder to our younger girls about the importance of the weight room in the off-season. We kind of got pushed around,” he added.
Lily Gruber-Schulz led the team in scoring with 9 points. Essance Haines scored 7 points while Suzy Burton and Breana Peterson each scored 5 points. Trace McQuatters and Emily Jacobsen each tallied 2 points to end the Vikings’ scoring.
The Vikings have one road game and two home games left before playoffs. They face Floodwood on the road on February 21 and then come home to play Lakeview Christian Academy on Tuesday, February 25 and Nashwauk Keewatin at home on February 27. Both games start at 6:30 p.m.
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