The boys basketball team defeated the Paint Branch Panthers, 71-66 on Dec. 10, advancing its record 2-0.
The Vikings came out shooting the ball well, and pulled away to an 8-0 lead in the first four minutes of the game. The boys refused to relinquish the lead for the remainder of the game.
The Vikes led by as much as 12 points in the first quarter, but the Panthers closed out the period with a 5-0 run to pull within seven points.
Power forward Nick Yockey started off the second quarter with a two-point shot that sparked another 8-0 run for the Vikings. Guard Jake Harrison hit two free throws to put the team up 33-20 to close out the first half of play.
The boys started the second half with sloppy ball movement and struggleed to grab rebounds. The Panthers put together a 3-0 and 4-0 run that narrowed the gap to six points entering the final quarter of play.
The Panthers came within one point of the Vikings early in the fourth quarter and remained close behind throughout. However, guard James Dionne scored his only four points in the last minute of the game, including two free throws that sealed the victory.
“I think we came out strong to start the game,” head coach Chris Lun said. “We moved the ball well, played with energy and made shots early.”
Small forward Daniel Voigt led the team with 20 points, 13 of which came in the second half, and also grabbed five rebounds. Center Ian Ross and power forward Nick Yockey each had seven points and combined for 13 rebounds. Small forward Andrew Castagnetti supplied seven points off the bench, five of which came in the fourth quarter.
“Winning our first two games is definitely huge,” Lun said. “We have a long way to go to get to where we want to be. It’s great to be able to pick up a couple of wins while learning from our mistakes.”
The boys will take on the Bullis Bulldogs and the Einstein Titans in back-to-back road games on Dec. 14 and 15.
“Bullis will be a huge test for us,” Lun said. “We know they are a very good team. We need to bring our best effort.”
