Boys basketball
On Dec. 21, Viking boys (3-7) shot the lights out in a tough fought win 85-63 against Shoreline Christian (5-10) on home court.
The game was tight with the first quarter ending 20-20 as both teams searched for weakness in their opponent. The Vikings adjusted to the fast paced Hurricanes while Jack Gates hit six 3 pointers, ending the half ahead 39-32.
As the Vikings shut down Hurricane scoring in the paint, the Orcas offense exploded in the third quarter scoring 34 points as Gates continued his 3 point adventure with four more. Full court pressure and team hustle distanced the Vikings 73-51 at the start of the fourth with Aidan Kruze taking control with nine points in the last quarter.
“We had our best shooting night of the year, we were hitting our shots” said Viking Coach Josh Mayson, “but we are still allowing too many points.”
Orcas scoring was lead by Jack Gates with 46, Aidan Kruze 22, Wayne Foster 6, Jordan Randolph 6, Pasha Bullock 5 and Miles Harlow 3.
On Dec. 24 the Viking boys found themselves fighting to score in a 72-47 loss to a strong Mt. Vernon Hurricane team (7-9).
The Vikings faced a challenge from the start short on players due to illness, but kept the game close 22-15 after the first quarter. Hurricane full court pressure challenged the Vikings, but Orcas freshmen thrown into the starting lineup stepped up with Michael Chesher dropping a 3 pointer and Grayson White hitting a deuce.
The Vikings kept the game in reach 42-31 at half but had trouble piercing the Hurricane defense in the second half, scoring only 8 points in the third quarter.
“Tonight we just ran out of gas, we are a sick team. We didn’t have a bench so our guys were tired” said Mason, who also commented on the defense, “ Our perimeter defense needs work and I am looking for us to be more physical.”
Orcas scoring was led by Aidan Kruze with 18, Jack Gates 16, Miles Harlow 7, Michael Chesher 3, Grayson White 2 and Pasha Bullock 1.
Girls basketball
Dec. 21 the Lady Vikings (9-4) took it to the house 60-39 against Shoreline Christian (6-8) in a dominate win.
Orcas controlled the game early with sticky back court pressure challenging nearly every pass attempted by the Crusaders, resulting in multiple Viking steals. By mid second quarter the Vikings led 24-13 fueled by excellent team passing while the Crusaders only managed to get within 6 points before the half.
The Vikings continued to roll in the third with stifling defense by Kilee Rogers, forcing Shoreline turnovers, while the Viking shooters stretched the lead to 47-25 by the start of the fourth quarter. Orcas never looked back as the Vikings combined a complete game of defense and strong, balanced team shooting.
Orcas scoring was led by Shelbi Rogers with 19, Bella Nigretto 18, Alicia Susol 8, Hannah Gaydos 7, Kilee Rogers 4, Halle Thompson 2 and Arianna Dean 2.
On Dec. 24 the Lady Vikings could not recover from a slow start and lost 50-42 to the Mt. Vernon Christian Hurricanes (14-2) at Orcas High School.
Orcas kept it close after the first quarter leading 13-11, but the Lady Vikings were off, missing shots and turning over passes. The Vikings completely stalled in the second quarter, managing only 8 points and slipping behind 26-21 by half.
Orcas kept pace with the Hurricanes through the third quarter trailing 34-28 but the pressure of fresh Mt. Vernon players rotating in was too much for the Viking starters, despite scoring an impressive 17 points in the fourth quarter. Orcas scoring was lead by Hannah Gaydos with 14, Shelbi Rogers 10, Bella Nigretto 9, Kilee Rogers 7, Alicia Susol 2 and Arianna Dean 2.
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