The Cook County boys’ basketball team played two tough teams on the road last week and lost both games. The Vikings traveled to Esko on Friday, Feb. 9 and Cromwell on Monday, Feb.12.
First up was a trip to Esko to face the Adam Trapp led Eskimos. Standing 7’3”, Adam is one of the tallest high school basketball players in the nation. He is also a prodigious shot blocker when teams try to score on the inside. That said, Esko also has a talented group surrounding Mr. Trapp, so it’s not always easy to get inside and face the behemoth guarding the basket.
At halftime, the Vikings trailed 43-8, and the Vikings lost 80-22.
“In Esko, we really struggled against a very good team,” said head coach Mitch Dorr.
Will Ramberg led the team in scoring with 8 points, 16 points below his scoring average. Pete Sutton had 6 points, Dyami Blackwell 4, and Jordan Porter 4 points.
Vikings lose to Cromwell
The first time these two teams met Cromwell shredded the Vikings’ defense and went on a lay-up fest, winning 72 to 43 on the Vikings’ home floor. But this game was vastly different. Mitch Dorr’s young team has been improving its defensive play, and the Vikings were in this contest the whole way.
Down 28-22 at the half, coach Dorr said, “In the first half, we played our most intense defense of the season. We trailed by just six 22-28 at the half but were outscored 27-18 in the second half to lose 55-40.”
Pete Sutton, the team’s best 3-point shooter, led the team in scoring with 18 points. Dyami Blackwell netted 7, Jordan Porter 6, Will Ramberg 5, Adam Dorr 2, and Trusen Gordon had 2 points in the game.
“We are in a tough stretch right now against some very, very good teams,” said coach Dorr. “We just need to stay the course and work on improving.”
The Vikings play at home this Friday night against Moose Lake-Willow River at 4:45 p.m. They travel to Floodwood on Feb. 20 and then play Nashwauk- Keewatin at home for the final regular season game at 6:30 p.m. Come out and cheer for your Vikings!
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