The boys basketball team snapped their 7-game losing streak by defeating the Richard Montgomery Rockets, 62-52, improving the team’s record to 5-8 on Jan. 21.

Both teams started the game slow with neither squad scoring a point in the first minute and a half of play. Center Ian Ross was fouled while going up for a shot and made 1 of his free throws to give the Vikings an early 1-0 lead. The Rockets quickly responded with a two-point shot for an early lead of their own. The teams battled back and forth and remained tied for the majority of the quarter. Small forward Daniel Voigt and guard Jake Harrison hit back to back three-pointers and to give then Vikings a 17-15 lead at the end of one quarter of play.

The Rockets started the second quarter off with a 3-point shot to gain the lead, but guard Bryan Joel hit two free-throws to put the Vikings back on top. Joel hit another free-throw with just over 6 minutes to go in the half to tie the game at 20. However, the Rockets put together a 9-1 run to give them a 29-21 lead. Harrison and Joel hit two 3-pointers to try to get the Vikings back in the game. Power forward Daniel Lowet, who came up from the JV team with the foot injury to Nick Yockey, added 3 points late in the quarter and grabbed 5 rebounds. The Vikings entered halftime down 35-30.

Joel hit another 3-pointer to start the second half off and pulled the team within 2 points. Voigt followed up with a 3-pointer of his own to give the Viking a 1-point lead and force the Rockets to call a timeout with 5:50 left in the quarter. Joel and Voigt hit two more 3-pointers before the quarter ended. The Vikings entered the final quarter of play up 42-40.

The Rockets hit a 3-pointer that gave the Rockets the lead. However, Harrison would make a 3-pointer to tie the game at 45 with 6:50 remaining in the game. The shot sparked a 14-0 run that to give the Vikings an 11-point lead late in the game. The Rockets would pull within 8 points but the Vikings proved too much offensively for them to handle.

“It feels good to finally break that streak,” Voigt said. “Now we can look forward and focus on winning some division games going into the playoffs.”

Joel led the team in scoring with a season high 21 points. Harrison added 15 points while Voigt came off the bench with 13 and a team leading 7 rebounds.

The Vikings look to put together a winning streak when they take on the Walter Johnson Wildcats at home on Jan. 24. The Wildcats victory over the Vikings earlier in the year, 58-49, started the 7-game losing streak.