Last year, the boys’ basketball team managed to earn themselves a berth in the Class 1-A state tournament in Casper. I went to the games and although the kids didn’t come home with a …
This item is available in full to subscribers.
Attention subscribers
To continue reading, you will need to either log in to your subscriber account, below, or purchase a new subscription.
Please log in to continue
Need an account?
Print and web subscribers
If you're a print and web subscriber, but do not yet have an online account, click here to create one.
Non-subscribers
Click here to see your options for becoming a subscriber.
Fishing in the Dark
Posted
One thing that was immediately evident to me was that this Viking team has a lot of talent, and a bench full of players that could easily be underestimated”
Vicki Hood
Last year, the boys’ basketball team managed to earn themselves a berth in the Class 1-A state tournament in Casper. I went to the games and although the kids didn’t come home with a trophy, they did come home with the experiences of having played with some top-level teams under pressure and some younger players getting some exposure to varsity minutes that can make a difference in seasons to come.
Fast forward to our new basketball season that began just a month ago with a loss to Lusk, 53-16 followed by a string of games at the Lingle Classic tournament.
The Vikings picked up a win over Rock River 40-39, but lost to Encampment, 69-39; Kaycee, 31-24 and Hanna-Elk Mountain, 59-36.
I didn’t see any of those games myself so with just the scores to go by, it seemed to be a bit of a dismal start to their season, leaving me to wonder just how much losing some key senior players was going matter this year.
But this week, the Vikings hosted a pair of home games and on Tuesday night, they took on Banner County (Harrisburg, Nebraska) in their first home game and it was clear that those earlier losses might not actually be the best representation of this year’s team.
With a decent crowd in the house, the Vikings gave their fans a great game, soundly defeating the Wildcats 50-26.
On Friday night, they got a rematch with the Hanna-
Elk Mountain Miners and I honestly have to say I was pretty worried about the outcome based on the fact that they had already lost to Hanna by 23 points in their meeting at the Lingle tournament just a month earlier.
But that concern soon dissipated as the Vikings came on to the court with some clear improvements and confidence that made this matchup a different story.
The Vikes came out firing and by halftime, they had built themselves a 34-26 lead that left a lot of shaking heads in the Hanna crowd.
Hanna made a small push back in the third quarter but were never able to get the Viking lead cut to less than six and the Vikings outscored the Miners in both the third and fourth quarters, finishing the night with a 58-44 win.
One thing that was immediately evident to me was that this Viking team has a lot of talent, and a bench full of players that could easily be underestimated, primarily because they don’t have a lot of varsity experience. The majority of this team’s roster are not returning starters from last season but based on what I saw this past week, that may not be as much of a factor as we might expect.
At this point, this team also doesn’t seem to have one or two “star” players and that’s perfectly ok too, because I’ve watched a lot of junior and senior high basketball over the years, and I can say with certainty that the teams who fare the best overall are teams that share the spotlight among their players. I’ve watched teams that relied on specific players so much that they ended up in a bind because those “star” players get hurt or sick and the kids who have ridden the bench most of the season are thrown into pressure situations they have no idea how to handle.
It’s a recipe for disaster and nobody comes out better for it.
In this Hanna game, we had eight players that scored points and every single one of our players got time on the floor.
So, I think I see a coach that understands that “Together Everyone Achieves More” concept and I think I also see a team that respects their coaches. Sports can give kids so many lessons that you don’t learn in a classroom but only if they’re managed in a way that promotes a strong team spirit and ethic.
It’s early in the season to be sure, but I think what I watched this week was a team that is young but willing to work and to learn and follow the path their coach is laying out and if that is indeed the case, this team could be very successful this year. We already know they won’t be undefeated and there are some very good teams on our schedule this year so this team will have to earn everything they get. Most championship teams do not win every game on their schedule…in any sport.
And that should make this a team that’s fun to watch and support. Ever heard of the “sixth man”? Having a crowd behind you in any game, but especially a close game can make all the difference to those players on the floor.
I hope you will join the parents and staff this season and support both our boys’ and our girls’ teams.
Go Vikings!