by Portia White

Orcas High School senior

The Orcas Island Vikings competed in their final week of basketball as well as their final week of sports for the year last week.

On June 1, Orcas took a trip over to Friday Harbor to face their rivals once again. The girls were up first. The Vikings and the Wolverines both put up a fight, but Orcas was able to maintain the lead throughout the match. Freshman Bethany Carter led the Vikings last Tuesday with 17 points helping the Orcas girls basketball team come out with a victory of 44-36.

The JV girls also took on the Wolverines and came out on top with a final score of 58-22. Continuing their undefeated record of 3-0.

The Orcas boys followed the girls on June 1 at Friday Harbor. The lead went back and forth between both teams throughout the afternoon. With less than a minute left the Wolverines leading by three, meaning Orcas needed to score a three-pointer to tie the game to go into overtime. Orcas got a few takes, but none of them would fall. Sophomore Paxton White got the rebound and scored the two-point put-back as the buzzer went off looking for a foul to be called. The ref called the basket good, and the game over, as the Wolverines took the game by one point and a final score of 59-60.

Orcas JV boys also faced the Wolverines on June 1. It was a tough battle and the Vikings fought back, but not enough, as Friday Harbor finished the game victorious with a final score of 44-47.

On June 2, Lummi Nation came to Orcas where both the girls and boys Varsity took on the Blackhawks. The girls took the court first. Coming off of a victory from the day before, the Vikings were looking to take that energy into Wednesday’s match-up and come out ahead once again. The Blackhawks had also come off of a win from the day before and brought that enthusiasm to the court. After the first half, Orcas knew that they needed to come out the rest of the game giving it their all as Lummi had maintained the lead throughout the afternoon. Orcas fought and came back in the second half, but Lummi walked away with the game and a final score of 43-50.

The boys followed the girls in a battle against Lummi Nation on June 2. It was a tough match-up for Orcas as the Blackhawks played more physically than the Vikings. Orcas held their own throughout the game and continued to fight up until the end, but were unable to take down Lummi with a final score of 69-80.

Saturday, June 5 marked the final game for the Vikings as they faced Coupeville for the second time this year. After a clean sweep at Coupeville, going into the game, the Vikings were looking for the same going into the day. Girls varsity came out strong in the first quarter, leading 20-15 and down by only three points at the end of the half as well as going into the fourth quarter. The Wolves were able to expand their lead, however, ending the game with a loss for the Vikings. The final score was 36-45 and the varsity girls basketball team ended their season with five wins and four losses.

Orcas girls JV also faced the Coupeville Wolves on June 5 and came out on top ending the game with a 45-22 win with a 4-0, undefeated season.

The Vikings Boys took the court following the girls’ varsity to compete against the Wolves for the second time this season. Orcas fought in a tough battle, but couldn’t get their shots to fall as Coupeville came out of the afternoon with the win. The game ended with a score of 56-86 and the boys’ varsity team ended its season 5-4.

Boys JV also took the court on June 5 against Coupeville in a tough battle against the Wolves. The game ended as a victory for Coupeville with a score of 38-45 and the JV team ended its season with two wins and three losses.

With a very shortened season, the Vikings had to make the best of it, and they did. Both varsity teams competed in nine games, eight of those being league matches. With many young and returning players for the coming seasons, it will be exciting to see the development of the program over the next few years and beyond.

Corey Wiscomb photo Quick on the dribble, guard Diego Lago slashes to the hoop on a drive.

Corey Wiscomb photo Junior guard Tayla Malo searches for the angle to pass the ball to post player Izie Janacek down low in a tense third quarter moment.