The Lady Vikes pulled a second win from their hats against the Darrington Loggers this Saturday, thanks to incredible determination on defense and a hot 23-point 4th quarter. The Viking girls, always competitive, responded to end-of-season stakes by kicking the intensity up even further.
“You can really tell this is an important game,” commented observer Sandi Harris.
The game began with a walk on the wild side as the girls went toe-to-toe trying to seize the lead. Darrington got into foul trouble early on. The teams chipped away at each other bit by bit, breaking for halftime with the Vikes slightly behind, at 18 to 21. The Orcas girls just barely kept pace through the third quarter, heading into 4th quarter at 32 to 35.
But the Lady Vikings had more up their sleeves, and went on a scoring run two minutes into the 4th quarter, pulling ahead at 40 to 35. Darrington struck back, desperate to regain the lead, and the Loggers pulled a few rough, hard-hitting fouls, sending Stefanie Shaw flying more than once. But the Vikings gave them no slack, dominating the court with their trademark full-court press. “Defensity,” coach Terry Moran-Hodge called it: “defense with intensity”. Intensity was certainly the word of the day: fans were tense and on their feet, erupting into cheers at each foul call and score. The stakes got even higher as team fouls went into bonus, turning every foul into a shooting opportunity. The Vikings put some of these to use, and Shaw finished off the game with one last free throw point, bringing the final score to 55 – 45.
The Orcas girls had squeaked out a five-point win (42-37) against Darrington earlier this year, on Jan. 12. This time, the Loggers did their best to shut down Padbury and Shaw, normally the Vikings’ top scorers.
“They were running a triangle and two; it was man-to-man on Lanie and I, and zone on the rest of the team,” explained Shaw, adding, “Other players had to rise to the occasion. And Alison O’Toole did. She had her most phenomenal game of the season. She did amazing,” said Shaw. O’Toole not only scored 16 points, but led the team with 10 rebounds, snagged multiple steals, and played a key role on defense as the “bulldog” leading the Vikings’ full-court press. Padbury and Shaw both managed to sink 16 points as well, despite Logger pressure. Makenna Thomas led in steals. Moran-Hodge said the senior girls scored 49 of the Vikings’ 55 game points.
Come support the Lady Vikings as they host the first round of Tri-District playoffs on Thursday, Feb. 18. They will play their last regular league game at La Conner on Feb. 9 to determine their exact playoff entry ranking.
