Photo courtesy of the school The 2009 – 2010 Vikings boys’ basketball team. (L-R, front) Managers Katie VanderHeiden and Whitney Wahlers, Alex Senty, James Groth, Kale Boomer, Will Petty, Mike Sjogren, Managers Alexis Eliasen and Kayla Bronikowski. (L-R, back) Assistant Coach Pat Eliasen, Brock Hommerding, Dylan Quaife, Mike Austin, David Bergstrom, Colin Everson, Head Coach Mitch Dorr. (Missing – Ryan Martinson).
The Cook County boys’ basketball team finished off the month of December with tough back-to-back games before the Christmas break. On Monday, December 21, the Vikings came up short in a tightly contested game that was closer than the 44-61 score indicated. The very next night, the Vikings won at home, outscoring the Silver Bay Mariners 57-45 for Cook County’s first win of the season.
Cook County jumped out to an early 9-3 lead in Mountain Iron. The Vikings continued their good shooting, extending their lead to 18-9 with nine minutes left in the half. The Rangers then switched to a zone defense that really slowed down the Vikings’ offensive attack. In addition, both Mike Austin and Ryan Martinson found themselves with two quick fouls and on the bench. The Rangers finished the half with a 22-6 run that capitalized on the Vikings’ lack of rebounding and numerous turnovers. Despite the Mt. Iron run, the Vikings still only trailed by seven points after a poorly played nine-minute stretch to finish the half. At the break, senior shooting guard James Groth led the Vikings with nine points, all on three-point shots.
In the second half after trailing by more than 15 points, the Vikings climbed their way back into the game and cut the Ranger lead to 42-47 with just over four minutes left to play. Cook County then made four consecutive turnovers and let the game get out of their grasp. The Vikings were forced to press and foul and the Rangers made their free throws to win 61-44.
TheVikings made only nine of 23 attempts from the free throw line for a miserable 39 percent. That would be a low percentage from the field, let alone the free throw line! Groth led the Vikings in scoring, with 16 points, while Brock Hommerding added 11 points and Mike Austin chipped in 10.
After getting home at around midnight the night before from Mt. Iron, the Vikings had the early game the next day at 4:45 p.m. against the Silver Bay Mariners. The Mariners were short-handed without their best player, Luke Thun, but the scrappy Silver Bay team made the Vikings work despite only playing with seven players.
Cook County shot the ball fairly well in the first half behind the four three-point shots by Colin Everson and Groth. Despite shooting well, turnovers and missed free throws continued to plague the Vikings on offense. Their defense held tough, however, as the Vikings held a 25-20 lead at halftime. Martinson and Austin were once again in foul trouble and the Vikings were going with a small lineup and getting away with it.
The Vikings opened up a 38-24 lead early in the second half, only to see it disappear after some rushed offensive possessions and numerous turnovers. Leading by four, 38-34, freshman Kale Boomer scored a big basket followed by three straight points from sophomore David Bergstrom as the Vikings extended their lead to 43-34.
Boomer and Bergstrom both played excellent games on both ends of the court for the Vikings. With Martinson and Austin both on the bench for extended minutes with four fouls each, the 5’7” Boomer grabbed key rebound after rebound and Groth continued his steady play, scoring eight of his 16 points in the final five minutes to give the Vikings a 57-45 win.
Groth led the Vikings with 16 points while Ryan Martinson added nine points for Cook County. The Vikings are now 1-3 on the season. Their next game is in Moose Lake on Tuesday, January 5. Look in next week’s edition for all the scores and highlights.
Leave a Reply