Lady Vikes Fall To Undefeated Hawks At Home

Coming off back to back wins, the Lady Vikes began the second half of conference play against the undefeated Columbia Basin College Hawks at the Devries Activity Center on Saturday February 3rd.

With momentum building, the Lady Vikes understood they would have to bring their best to take down the number one seed in the Eastern Region. A sluggish start compared to the past few games for BBCC put them in an early hole. While the Lady Vikes defense was able to hold the Hawks to 38% shooting in the first quarter, CBC managed to take ten more shots that Big Bend, neutralizing the quality defense. After the firs 10 minutes of play, BBCC trailed by a score of 18-11. 

Hoping to close the gap going into the break, the Viking defense continued to fly around on the defensive end holding the Hawks to 37% shooting in the second quarter. Similarly to the first quarter, the quality defense was overshadowed by the volume of shots the the Hawks were taking. With Big Bend shooting a higher percentage than the Hawks in the second frame, Columbia Basin still managed to stretch their lead to 12 going into halftime. 

To begin the second half, the Lady Vikes offense started to click putting together their best offensive quarter of the night shooting 47% while holding CBC to 41% from the floor. But, just as in previous quarters CBC was able to put up more shots counteracting the elite level defense that BBCC was playing pushing the Hawks led to 18 going into the final 10 minutes.

Needing an offensive explosion to give any hope of a comeback, Big Bend struggled mightily from the floor shooting a game low 21% on the 4th quarter resulting in a loss with a final score of 77-56. Riley Layton and Amaya Rogers led the Vikes in scoring both recording 12 points a piece. Head Coach Preston Wilks had this to say regarding the approach they took going into the game. 

"Our number one focus tonight was to play tough and scrappy defense. We held them under their season scoring average and it was rewarding to all of us at the end of the game as we realized we gave them a heck of a battle today. We know there were areas that we could have been better at today, like defensive rebounding, but bottom line is that the ladies fought and never gave up and they did so with a level of confidence that we'll be able to use to build from as we get ready to face Spokane at home on Wednesday."

Although a 21 points loss may not look like a step in the right direction, Wilks remained optimistic and took the positives out of it stating.

"To the outsider, they may simply look at the final score of a 21 point differential, but for us we see that we had a positive 26-point improvement over the last time we played them, which is fantastic as we showed resolve and had a fire in our bellies. After the game, in the locker room I told the ladies that we got better today and we showed improved play. When you take this first game of the 2^nd half of Region Play and compare it to the first game of the 1^st half of Region play, there is a huge improvement. We continue to grow and learn, and this team keeps getting better each night. I truly have enjoyed coaching this group and consider it a great privilege to coach these ladies. I'm super impressed how we are striving to improve and we are staying positive each day, each game, and each week."

Moving forward in the second half of conference play Wilks encourages the Lady Vikes to keep their head up and not dwell on the loss highlighting.

"It was a 14-18 point difference for 39 out of the 40 minutes and that is what we are excited about. CBC is a very good team, and there are only a handful of teams that have played them this close during the season. So to play with them and to compete with them on both ends of the court is evidence of our improved play."

Up next, the Vikes host the Spokane Falls Sasquatch on Wednesday February 7th at 5:00pm at the DAC. 

As always, keep up with the Lady Vikings on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, as well as through the NWACSports Network's livestream video platform, where available.