Vikes Take Eastern Region Opener

Behind a staggering 59% field goal percentage, Big Bend Vikings men's basketball would win their eastern region opener over host Walla Walla Community College 96-90.

After what proved to be a back-and-forth first half, the Vikings entered halftime with their largest lead of the contest at 50-41. The lead would swell to eleven early in the second half, but the homestanding Warriors would not give up the fight, pulling even with the Vikings at 64-all, with just over 13 minutes remaining in the game. The Vikings would once again stretch their lead to eight at 79-71, with just over eight minutes to play. The Warriors had one final push, as they would knot the score at 80-80, with 5:45 remaining, but the Vikings were clutch in key moments late to take the important 96-90 eastern region win.

The Vikings placed five in double figures, with three Vikings scoring 72 of the their 96 total points. Sophomore Keenan Miller finished with 28 points on 10-16 shooting; sophomore Karon Sears was close behind with 23 points on 11-19 shooting while adding a team-high 11 rebounds; with freshman Garin Macfarlane dropping 21 points on 9-13 shooting. Sophomore DJ Frye (14 points) and freshman Jeremy Devoe (10 points) rounded out the double-figure scoring for the Vikings. For the Warriors, Kyson Rose would lead the way, with 41 points and 15 rebounds.

The Vikings improve to 3-7 on the year but 1-0 in eastern region play, as the Warriors fall to 11-3 overall and 0-1 in the eastern region. The Vikings will look to keep their eastern region record perfect, as they travel to Spokane Community College on Saturday, January 7th, for another important contest. Gametime is slated for 4:00pm, following the women's contest.

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