December 13, 2007 at 8:10 a.m.
Vikings open with convincing win over D.C.
Vikings open with convincing win over D.C.
The game was close early. Six minutes in, the Vikings held an 11-9 advantage. Consecutive threes, by senior Jake Chambers and sophomore Kyle Grote, and a deuce by junior Ryan Norman gave the Vikes a 19-9 lead three minutes later.
Duluth closed the gap to 19-13 before senior John Lindstrom and junior Mike Dahl dropped bombs from behind the arc. Seconds later the two combined for a layup. Dahl set up at the top of the key and Lindstrom went back door from the right side. Dahl hit him with a pinpoint pass and Lindstrom converted. At 6:20, the Vikings led 27-14.
Junior Deon Farr kept the string going by hitting a hoop two minutes later. Chambers and Dahl connected on one freethrow apiece to make it 31 -14 with three minutes on the clock. Just when it looked like the Vikings might be on the good end of a blowout, DC went on a 7-0 run, moving the scoreboard to 31-21 with 42 seconds remaining. Dahl added a two and Chambers went two-for-two from the line in the final seconds, giving the Vikings a 14 point halftime lead.
Early in the second half, Ryan Norman scored seven quick points. With North Branch leading 35-23, the sharpshooter hit a long three. On the Vikings next possession, he was fouled in the act of shooting. As the junior prepared to shoot his first foul shot, a Trojan player drew a technical foul, meaning that Norman shot four consecutive freethrows. He drilled all four and the Vikings retained possession. Chambers was fouled, hit one from the line and made it 43-23 with 15 minutes to go.
As they had near the end of the first half, Central came charging back. In the next four minutes, DC scored 11, interrupted by only one North Branch score, a Chambers drive. At 10:40, the 20 point bulge had shrunk to nine. The Vikings led 45-36.
Chambers scored on another drive and on a short banker to help NB regain some momentum. Lindstrom's and junior Aaron Good's hard work on the offensive boards paid off as they both scored on put-backs in the next minute. Lindstrom scored again at 7:40. That gave the Vikings a 56-41 lead at the 7:40 mark.
In the next minute, Central scored five consecutive points, cutting its deficit to 10. Chambers converted a missed Viking freethrow and Grote buried two charity throws. With 4:40 left the Vikings led 60-46.
From that point, the Vikings used patience on the offensive end, using as much clock as possible. They took care of the ball, converted freethrows and took good shots to cruise to the 14 point win.
"I was pleased with our first game effort," said Viking head coach Bill Baumann. "We played hard and did some nice things. We are still experimenting with our rotation and where everyone will fit. We had some players seeing their first extended playing time at the varsity level and they did some nice things.
"Kirk Dahle and Danny Ginal got their first start and did well. Kirk played some extended minutes and really played well. Danny got into early foul trouble, but I think he got the first-game jitters out of the way. Mike Dahl, Deon Farr, Kyle Grote, Aaron Good and Alex Sundly all gave a good account of themselves.
"I was really pleased with Jake Chambers (25 points, 11 rebounds, 3 steals), Ryan Norman (12 points, 5 assists, 3 steals) and John Lindstrom (12 points, 3 rebounds). As our returning players with a lot of experience they really took control. They played within the framework of what we were trying to accomplish and let the game come to them," Baumann commented.
Scoring Summary
Duluth Central 21 34 55
North Branch 35 34 69
North Branch Scoring
Ryan Norman 12
Deon Farr 2
Kyle Grote 8
John Lindstrom 12
Kirk Dahle 2
Jake Chambers 25
Mike Dahl 6
Aaron Good 2
Total 69
The Vikings host Fridley at 7:15 Friday, December 14 and travel to Benilde-St. Margaret's Tuesday, December 18 for another 7:15 tip-off.
Comments:
Commenting has been disabled for this item.