Cowboys barely escape the Vikings

           Though the Abilene Cowboys won Friday’s men’s basketball game 50-47, the Smoky Valley Vikings didn’t go down without a fight.         

         According to Smoky Valley Head Coach John Bellah, “The boys kept battling to the very end. The desire and effort was certainly there.”

         The Cowboys maintained a steady lead at the beginning of the game, but the Vikings never lost focus, while making a comeback in the fourth quarter. The game proved to be an intense neck-and-neck battle for both teams as the time slowly vanished from the clock.

         The leading scorers from Smoky Valley were Seth Nelson, senior, with 12 points, and next were juniors Greyson Pihl and Quinn Dippel with eight points each. The Vikings had no answer for the Cowboy’s lead scorer, Andy Wilson, sophomore, who scored 24 of their 50 points.

         Both teams acquired many fouls throughout the game, providing many free throw opportunities especially in the last quarter.

         Head Coach John Bellah believes the Vikings would have won the game if they had a higher shooting average, but thinks the Vikings’ shooting will improve throughout the season.

         “I was disappointed that we didn’t shoot it better and as a result we ended up loosing a close game but we did do some good things that we can certainly build from,” said Bellah.

         The Vikings will face the Concordia Panthers next Friday, and for this upcoming game, Bellah simply said, “We will be ready.”

    

         Rachel Loder, senior yearbook editor