Vikings unblemished record still intact

by Peter Jakey, Managing Editor

The Viking boys? basketball team kept their undefeated season going with a 61-51 victory against an Alcona team that had only three losses going into the contest. The game was far closer than Posen?s Dec. 20 win, as the Vikings needed a second half push to get to 15-0. The host Tigers, who led most of the first half, took a 24-19 lead into the break. Head coach Steve Hentkowski said his squad was able to speed the game up against a taller Tiger team in the second half. Plus, his son, captain Shane Hentkowski, erupted for 16 second half points after being held from the scoring column in the first half.

Hentkowski made two, three-pointers to tie the game at the end of the third quarter. THE FIRST came at the 50-second mark, and after the inbound pass was stolen, he bombed in another to tie the game. The Vikes took control in a 23-13 fourth quarter. ?This is where it makes it easy on me,? the coach said. Following an Alcona timeout, ?Shane was the one rallying the troops. He told them, ?there?s no way we?re going to lose this game.? He said, ?we can do this, all we have to do is play good defense.? ? David Kerr was his steady self, with a team-leading 19 points. ?He carried us in the first half,? said Hentkowski. Kerr was 6-for-7 from the free-throw line in the fourth and 9-for-11 in the ga

me.

Jerome Ciarkowski had a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds. At the end of the night, there was concern for Nick Hincka, who went down in the first quarter with an ankle injury. The extent of the injury was unknown early Tuesday. Nathan Lenard stepped in and dished out seven assists, and added a fourth quarter three. THE VIKINGS are at Hale tomorrow (Friday) and back home Tuesday against Atlanta. Additionally, the Class D showdown with Cedarville is only 13 days away. At last check, the Trojans were undefeated and ranked No. 1 in Class D. Posen had been ranked No. 3. The game is in Posen.

Last Friday, the Vikings won the homecoming game against Arenac Eastern for win No. 10 in the league, 51-35. The Eagles didn?t crack double figures until the 2:34 mark of the second quarter. The score was 27-9 before Arenac had more than 10 points on the scoreboard. The visitors did a little bit better the rest of the way. Ciarkowski topped the scoring column with 14, while Kerr put in 12. The junior varsity (J.V.) won 45-39. Luke Litwinski had 16, while Brandon Dietz put in 15 points and collected 17 rebounds. Results of the Alcona game were not available. The J.V. was 8-6 and 5-5 following the Arenac contest.

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