David Bergstrom (above) looks to drive around the Ely defender last Friday night. Jonny Jacobsen (right) puts up a shot against the outstretched arm of an Ely defender and Kale Boomer (far right), who had a couple of baskets taken away from him on charging calls, stayed positive and took the ball to the basket on drive and drive against Ely.
The Vikings boys’ basketball team traveled to Moose Lake- Willow River on Thursday, January 19 to face the alwaystough Rebels on their home court.
“We played great defense from start to finish and absolutely dominated the boards against a team much bigger than us,” said Head Coach Mitch Dorr.
The two teams traded baskets much of the first half until Colin Everson “hit two big 3-point shots at the end of the first half to give us a 27-20 lead,” Dorr said.
Once again the Vikings used their quickness to create mismatches on offense, often driving to the basket where they were fouled. All told, the Vikings shot 42 free throws.
“We were fouled every time we touched the ball in the final three minutes as Moose Lake attempted a comeback. I was very proud of our play…. the guys were terrific,” said Dorr, who added, “It’s the first time I can remember winning in Moose Lake. It was by far our best performance of the season.”
The win was also notable for one other reason. Two of the Vikings best players, Dylan Quaife and David Bergstrom, played with foul trouble. Dorr said, “Jonny Jacobsen and Justin Goldstein played great off the bench,” when the other two had to sit.
The Vikings won 57-48.
Moose Lake/Willow River’s record fell to 8-6 while the Vikings sport a 10-1 record, their only loss coming against 3A school Esko.
According to Minnesota- Scores.Net, the Vikings rank 1st in Section 7A, just ahead of Lakeview Christian.
In the conference the Vikings are 5-1 and rank 4th out of 11 teams. They trail Esko, Barnum and Moose-Lake/ Willow River in the standings, although Esko and MLWR are larger schools and the Vikings won’t face them in the playoffs, and other than an upcoming conference game, the only way they will play Barnum again is if both teams make the state tournament.
Boys beat Ely in overtime
Coming off a long road trip from Moose Lake didn’t give the boys’ basketball team much time to rest before facing a slick Ely Timberwolves basketball team at home on Friday night.
Prior to the boys taking the floor, an afternoon of sports drama had already unfolded with the junior varsity winning in overtime and the girls’ varsity coming off a double overtime win. It was the boys’ turn to keep the fans in the stands long past the normal time to go home. They didn’t disappoint.
As one fan later said, “You can’t get an afternoon of better entertainment for $5 anywhere than we got today.”
Ely started three sophomores and two juniors and every one of them could handle the ball. They made quick, accurate passes, working the ball inside and out with precision, and weren’t afraid to shoot the 3. In fact, they played a lot like the Vikings, so it was going to be good game.
“Considering we had played our toughest opponent to date against Moose Lake the night before, I was really happy with the determination of our guys against Ely,” said Coach Dorr.
“We were down by as many as 9 points in the first half. But our guys kept chipping away slowly but surely, and at the end of the regulation tied the game and had a chance to win,” said Dorr.
Both teams worked hard to get good shots, but both teams had trouble scoring in the second half. The Vikings missed a half dozen 2-footers and Ely had as many balls roll in and out of the hoop. It came down to who wanted it more, and the Vikings had just enough in the tank to win.
To get to overtime, senior forward Dylan Quaife made two great inside moves using head fakes and quick feet to get around his defenders. His two baskets tied the score.
In overtime Quaife, senior guard David Bergstrom, and junior guard Kale Boomer hit free throws to give the Vikings a 3-point lead. Ely fought hard, scoring 2 points in the last few seconds.
With two ticks on the clock and Ely mounting a wall of frantic players in front of him, Bergstrom took the ball from out of bounds and threw a long pass to Quaife, who caught it and held onto it as time ran out. The Vikings earning a hard -fought win 63-62.
“In overtime we were riding the momentum of the second half and our guys stepped up and made some crucial free throws. Our bench once again played some crucial minutes for us,” said Dorr.
The boys’ next home game is February 3 at 6:30 p.m. against Barnum.
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