Junior guard Leah Utities blew by the Wrenshall guard on this play and scored on a lay-up. Utities has been coming on strong late in the season for the Vikings.
Senior guard Ashley Deschampe led the Vikings with 31 points, 9 rebounds and 8 steals in a game that saw the team shorthanded but still more than capable of beating a young Wrenshall team.
The teams met in Grand Marais on Friday, February 17. Senior forward Bekah Laky was in Chicago for her grandmother’s birthday and three other players, senior Molly Zafft and juniors Kaitlynn Linnell and Taylor Ryden, are out for the season.
Before the game started, the team gave Head Coach T. J. Super a basketball commemorating his 100th win as a head coach. The win came the previous week against the Duluth Marshall Hilltoppers.
Longtime Viking supporters Ken and Molly Hoffman were also recognized as Cook County Booster Club “Fans of the Year” before the girls’ game.
As far as action on the floor, the Vikings employed strong defense and stole the ball repeatedly from the Wrens, taking a 32-9 lead at the nine-minute mark before giving up a couple of baskets, then went on another tear, pushing their lead to 42-13 and turning on the jets once again to go into the locker room up 58-20 at the halftime break.
Head Coach T.J. Super praised the play of Leah Utities: “Leah played a great floor game, finishing with 13 points, 6 assists, and 5 steals in just her second start of the season.
“Theresa Morrin chipped in a double-double, with 14 points and 10 rebounds, while eighthgrader Lily Gruber-Schulz notched another game in double figures by getting 15 rebounds, 6 coming on the offensive end.”
Breana Peterson also had a great game, scoring 13 points and playing tough defense all night.
“We played some aggressive play in the first half, going 13-15 from the free throw line, as well as doing a great job of driving and dumping the ball off,” said Super.
For the year the Vikings are 15-8, winning 12 of their last 15 games. They are ranked third in the conference and Ashley Deschampe leads the conference in scoring with a 23.1 average.
Besides Deschampe’s 31 points, Morrin finished with 15, Peterson, 13, Utities, 13, Gruber- Schulz, 8, Jessica Berg-Collman, 5, and Jordyn Deschampe netted 3.
The Vikings last home game is on Friday, February 24 against the Two Harbors Agates. The game starts at 4:45 p.m.
Leave a Reply