The boys basketball team lost to cross-town rival the B-CC Barons, 57-45, dropping their record to 8-9 on the season and 5-6 in the division on Feb. 7.

Although the Vikings started off the game by winning the tip, the team quickly turned the ball over to the Barons. However, center Ian Ross made a 2-point lay-up that sparked an 8-0 run for the Vikings to start the game.

“Ian getting in foul trouble really hurt us,” Coach Chris Lun said.  “We are a different team when he is in the game.”

Despite the strong offensive start by the Vikings, the Barons countered with a 6-0 run of their own to pull within 2 points. The rivals battled back and forth and remained tied at 13. Small forward Daniel Voigt nailed a 3-pointer to break the tie and start an 8-3 run to close the quarter out and give the Vikings a 21-15 lead.

However, despite the offensive showing the Vikings had in the first quarter, it did not transfer over to the second. The Vikings struggled to make shots and only got 2 points in the entire quarter when forward Nate Cannon hit a jump shot. The Barons put together an 8-0 run including a buzzer beating lay-up by a Baron forward to break the tie and put the Barons up 25-23 entering halftime.

Despite the Vikings giving up a quick 2 points to start off the second half, the team was able to regain the lead with a 3-point play by guard Bryan Joel and a 2-point shot by Ross with just over 7 minutes remaining in the quarter. The Vikings built a 4 point lead half way through the quarter, but the Barons countered with a 5-0 run to claim the lead with 3:20 left in the third.

The Vikings maintained tough defense on the Barons and forced a few turnovers as well as a back-court violation. Although the Barons tied the game at 39 with 5 seconds left in the quarter, guard Jake Harrison charged down the court and was fouled with .2 seconds remaining. Harrison hit both free-throws to put the Vikings up 41-39 entering the final quarter of play.

The Vikings struggled to move the ball and turned it over twice within the first 2 minutes of the fourth quarter. The Barons took advantage of the Vikings poor ball movement and knocked down a 3-pointer to claim the lead once again. The Viking offense once again sputtered and the team was only able to score 4 points in the quarter.

Although the Vikings were able to close within 3 points when Ross made 2 foul shots late in the game, the Barons ended the game on a 9-0 run to seal the fourth Baron victory, and second against the Vikings.

Joel led the team with 12 points while Ross and Voigt provided 10 points of their own.

“We didn’t play well offensively in the second and fourth quarter,” Lun said.  “We let the crowd noise speed us up.  It was a great environment to play in, but I think we got a but rattled.”

The Vikings look to bounce back against cross-town rival and division-leading Churchill Bulldogs at home on Feb. 8. The Vikings lost the Bulldogs 49-30 earlier in the season on Jan. 14 at Churchill. The Bulldogs are 15-2 and undefeated in the division so far this season.

“We can’t sit around and pout about losing the game at B-CC,” Lun said.  “Churchill comes in tonight and they are a great team.  We need to come out with energy and really take care of the ball.  Hopefully we can get back on the right track.”