The boys basketball team lost to the Sherwood Warriors, 52-46, on Feb. 11. dropping the team’s record to 9-10 on the season.
Both teams struggled to score early on in the game, but center Ian Ross made a 2-point lay-up after a minute of play to give the Vikings an early lead. The Vikings earned several points from the free-throw line and built a 4-point lead, but the Warriors quickly came back and tied the game at 7 with 2 minutes left in the first quarter.
The Warriors put together a 10-0 run that gave them their first lead of the game. However, guard Bryan Joel nailed a 3-pointer and made a buzzer beating lay-up to pull the Vikings back within 1 point at the end of the first quarter of play.
Small forward Daniel Voigt hit a 3-pointer to begin the second quarter and gave the Vikings a 15-13 advantage. However, just 2 minutes after Voigt’s 3-pointer, the Warriors tied the game at 15 as a part of an 8-0 run to reclaim a 21-15 lead. The Vikings then went on an 8-0 run of their own, including a buzzer beating 3-pointer by guard James Dionne that put the Vikings up 23-21 heading into the locker room.
Although the Warriors started the second half with several key buckets, Ross continued to grab rebounds and keep the offensive possession alive. Dionne hit back-to-back 3-pointers to break the tie. The Vikings maintained a 4-point lead but turned the ball over numerous times and gave up a 6-0 Warrior run to close the third quarter. They entered the final quarter of play down 35-33.
The Vikings gave up a quick 4 points to begin the fourth quarter, but regained them when Joel and guard Jake Harrison hit a pair of free-throws to pull back within 2 points. The Vikings again struggled to move the ball and the Warriors took advantage of the poor Viking ball movement. The Warriors converted the turnovers into 5 points within a minute long span.
Despite the 7-point deficit the Vikings built for themselves, the boys were able to close back within 2 points when Harrison made a 2-point reverse lay-up with just over a minute to play. The Vikings forced the Warriors to turn the ball over twice within the final minute of play.
However, the Vikings were unable to convert the Warrior turnovers into points because they too turned the ball over with errant passes that sailed out of bounds. The Warriors sank their final 2 free-throws to seal the victory.
Dionne led the team with 13 points, 12 of which came via the 3-point shot, while Joel added 11. Voigt scored a double-double by tallying 12 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.
The boys look to rebound when they travel to Springbrook to take on the Blue Devils on Feb. 15. The Blue Devils are 18-2 and are ranked 10th in the area by the Washington Post.
