Vikings knock North Country off mountain

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pat Gareau

Editor-in-Chief

With a down-to-the-wire 65-63 victory over ninth ranked North Country, the women’s basketball team extended their winning streak to five on Saturday.

The Vikings have built some momentum heading toward the postseason.

“I think if we continue to keep doing this we’ll be ok. It shows we can beat anyone,” said head coach Kathleen Russell.

After the Vikings jumped out to a 39-20 lead against the Saints at half-time, it appeared they may have been on track for another big win. However, North Country went on a 15-0 run in the opening minutes of the second half to close the gap.

With just under seven minutes remaining in the game, North Country took the lead 51-49.

“I knew they were going to come back,” said Russell.

Fortunately, guard My’Asia Alston and forward Sierra Sengetti-Daniels helped keep the team in the game and pull out the victory.

Alston made a big defensive play to stunt the Saints momentum by challenging a fast-break layup and causing a miss, which led to a jump-ball and Vikings possession.

Alston then made a three point shot to keep the Vikings in front.

“I was just trying to keep everyone’s composure and play defense, play as a team,” said Alston.

Alston made another big play with a spinning assist to Daniels with about four minutes left to put the Vikings up by five.

Down the stretch, she made two more three pointers, including one with under two minutes left to give the Vikings a seven point lead and ice the game.

Center/forward Sarah Janson made a key defensive play, stopping a North Country driver.

On Jan. 10, North Country beat Hudson Valley by nearly 40 points when the Vikings were in the midst of a four game losing streak.

The Vikings have turned things around since then and in the last two weeks have blown out some lesser opponents. They outscored their opposition 292-174 in the previous four games, including a 73-25 rout of Clinton on Wednesday.

During Saturday’s game, Alston led the team with 22 points and added 8 assists, 7 rebounds and seven steals. Daniels added 21 points and Janson 14.

“It feels amazing. We all worked hard as a team for all 40 minutes,” said Alston.

The Vikings improved their record to 16-7. Their next game is against Mohawk Valley at home on Saturday, Feb. 14.