The JV girls basketball team defeated the 1-8 BCC Barons, 40-22, Jan. 27. The win was the girls’ 13th straight victory this season, but more impressively it was the 50th consecutive win for coach Larry Jodrie.

Since February 2009, the JV girls have not lost a single game, going undefeated over the span of three seasons.

“It was amazing being apart of such a special event,” forward Sarina Weiss said. “I’m really happy for Coach Jodrie.”

The Vikes came out strong from the opening tip off, with forward Lilly Silver- Alford hitting a three on the team’s first possession.

With shut-down defense, the Vikes forced two quick turnovers on the Barons offensive drives. The Vikes then capitalized on these opportunities with exceptional transition play.

Guard Madison Cannon forced hard drives and got to the free throw line twice in the first quarter, hitting three out of four shots. However, the Barons’ impressive three point shooting kept the game close, with the score 11-6 in favor of the Vikes at the end of the first quarter.

The team started the second quarter with an impressive showcase of its half-court defense. Guard Marissa Cannon stole the ball on the Barons’ first possession and took it coast-to-coast for an easy lay-up.

Both teams exchanged shots throughout the quarter, but had trouble hitting consistently.

Guard Annabelle Scully rejuvenated the Viking spirit going into halftime. With five seconds left, Scully stole a Baron pass and pushed transition, ultimately scoring a contested layup in between two Baron defenders, bringing the score to 17-10.

With the help of centers Ally Markel and Rebecca Ford, the Vikes dominated the offensive boards and got many second chance points.

Forward Annabelle Leahy added four points and one steal in the third quarter to the team’s unstoppable offensive surge. The team’s shutdown interior defense limited the Barons to just one three-pointer and one free throw in the quarter, with the score 31-14 heading into the fourth.

The Barons had no response for the Vikes defense in the beginning of the fourth, committing four turnovers in the backcourt on their first four possessions.

Again, both teams traded points, with Silver-Alford contributing two baskets.

With a minute left in the game, the crowd picked up its excitement. The players sitting on the bench ran into the stands and picked up their already-made posters, celebrating the monumental 50th win for Jodrie.

“For the whole game I was pretty calm, it wasn’t till the end that I realized it was actually over,” Jodire said. “I didn’t really worry about whether we would win or not, I just cared about us playing better.”

Parents and students gave the team a standing ovation until the players went into the locker room after the game. The fans also held up blue pieces of paper labeled with the number 50 that were handed out before the game.

After the game, Jodrie was awarded numerous balloons and flowers from players and parents, and the team stopped to take pictures to document the special occasion.  Before leaving the school, the Vikes and coach Jodrie all enjoyed their 50th win cake outside the gym.

For Jodrie, however, the 50th win isn’t the end of his aspirations.

“My next goal is just to get to 52,” he said.