The girls basketball team started off the week with strong performances against conference rivals, defeating the Walter Johnson Wildcats 65-41 Monday and the Churchill Bulldogs 49-26 Tuesday. These two wins bring the team’s record to a still undefeated 14-0 on the season and 5-0 in conference play.

Monday brought little expected snow, but a lot of fire, when the Vikings destroyed the tough 13-3 Wildcats, showing their absolute dominance over most opponents.

Guard Hannah Niles led the team with 15 points, while forward Marie Hatch and guard Abby Meyers scored 14 and nine points, respectively.

The Vikes started the game firing on all cylinders, outscoring the Wildcats 20-4 in the first quarter alone. The end of the first half resulted in a 34-14 lead for the Vikings.

The Wildcats managed to storm back in the third quarter, putting up 19 points compared to only nine for the Vikings, cutting the Lady Vikes’ lead to 10. Despite the hiccup during the third, the scoring frenzy continued in the fourth, with the Vikings outscoring their opponents by 14 points and ended the game in a dominant fashion.

“We knew that they love to play with a ton of energy and all we had to do was control the pace of the game and play our game and we would be fine,” Niles said. “That’s exactly what we did and we played great defense throughout the game and prevented their better players from making an impact.”

Less than 24 hours later, the Vikings’ next game ended with the same result. The 10-3 Bulldogs were no match for the Vikes Tuesday night, with the girls outplaying their opponents on both sides of the ball.

Led by Hatch with a game-high 13 points, the Vikings had seven players who put points up on the board. Meyers scored 11 points, followed by forward Alison Poffley with 10.

The Vikes outscored the Bulldogs 11-5 in both the first and second quarters, extending their dominant lead to 12 at the half. The girls continued to dominate their opponents in the fourth quarter, out shooting them 17-8, sealing the team’s fourteenth victory.

“We played solid defense against Churchill and held them to only 10 points in the first half,” Hatch said. “Offensively, we could have done better, but it was a great road win for us.”

The girls will look to keep gaining momentum when they face the Wildcats again Friday at home, their second match up of the week.

“[Monday’s game] was such a great win for us, but we also know that they are going to come after us on Friday when we play them again,” Niles said. “We look to start off stronger in the second half and we are ready for the challenge.”