The boys basketball team improved its record to 9-2, picking up its ninth straight win in a shutdown of the Richard Montgomery Rockets, 49-24.

The Vikings started off with their strong defense early, only allowing three points in first quarter and jumping out to an early 10-3 lead after the first quarter.

It took the number 10 ranked Rockets until the last minute of the first quarter to finally record a field goal, one of only nine they had all game.

After taking a 21-11 lead into the half, the Vikes came out and put the game away for good with guard Riley Shaver scoring 11 of his 17 points in the third quarter. The boys then held the Rockets to only two free throws in the fourth quarter, outscoring them 11-2 in the quarter and finishing the blowout by winning by 25 points.

Shaver led all scorers with his 17 points and big man Scott Adkins added another 10 points and seven rebounds.

Over their last nine wins, the Vikes have won by an average of 20 points per game and have held their opponents to only 41 points over the same stretch.

“We have been able to win by such big margins because of our defense,” center Ryan Hannegan said. “We may not be a team that will blow people away because of how many points we score, but by playing such great defense, scoring 60-65 points a night is enough to blow a team out.”

The Vikes defense has been a strength throughout the season and their ability to pressure the ball has been a big part of their success so far.

“Our biggest strength on defense is how active and aggressive we are,” Hannegan said. “By constantly pressuring the ball we make other teams feel uncomfortable and we can dictate our style of game.”

The boys next take on the Blair Blazers away on Fri. Jan. 10 in a matchup against the southern division leaders with the winner taking over sole possession of first place.