Lady Vikings unable to contain Pryor in season opener
It took almost two minutes into Monday’s game for anybody to score a basket, but when they did, Woodbine Tiger Senior Charlie Pryor scored the first 11 points including three 3-point shots en route to a 48-20 victory, handing the Vikings their first loss.
“It’s a long season and you can’t get too down yet,” said Viking Head Coach Jason McCall. “You’ve got to keep your spirits up. This is a very young team. We have a lot of room to improve. They have a good attitude about it. One of the positives about tonight was they keep playing super hard.”
After the Tigers opened the game on an 11-0 run, Vikings Sophomore Bella Lamp put an end to their run temporarily scoring the first bucket for her team. However Pryor added another 3-point shot as the Vikings trailed 17-6 at the end of the first quarter.
“She’s always going to give 110% out there on the floor,” McCall said of Lamp. “She’s one that has come a long way. We kind of put her in a tough position to be a point guard and that’s tough for anybody. We’re just trying to find some ways to keep some consistency out there on the floor in terms of rotations and who works best with whom.”
Lamp opened the second quarter with a shot from 3-point range, cutting the Tiger lead to 17-9, but following Lamp’s shot, the Tigers scored the next eight baskets including the final shot of the half, putting the Tigers up 30-11.
“You’ve just got to keep playing,” McCall said. “You can’t think about the score at that point. I had a great coach tell me that the first three minutes of the second half are the most important.”
It took a little while for either team to score once the third quarter began, but when they did it came courtesy of a free throw from Junior Tiger Taylor Hoefer, followed by a mid-range jump shot from Junior Isabell Cook.
Freshman Viking Reese Knop got the Viking their first bucket of the second half with a 3-pointer, but the Tigers closed out the quarter on a 4-0 run leading 40-14 heading into the final quarter.
Pryor continued to stay hot scoring the first two buckets to open the fourth quarter, including her sixth 3-point shot of the game. The Vikings got their first basket of the quarter when Freshman Clara Pace scored a free throw, but still had an uphill battle with only a few minutes remaining.
The Vikings scored the final three points of the game with two free throws from Pace and a mid-range shot from Junior Ava Paulsen, but the Tigers easily cruised to victory. The Vikings won’t have much time to rest as they return to action Tuesday night at home against the CAM Cougars, looking to get themselves in the win column.
The Cougars finished last season with a 21-3 record, making it to the Class 1A – Region 8 Regional Championship Game losing 60-47 to Montezuma. The Cougars were led by Eva Steffensen averaging 20.5 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game.
“They’re a physical and fast team,” McCall said. “I think they’re going to be a darn tough one to play against. It’s good for us. We need to see teams like this. We need to find a way to play at another level. Hopefully, the girls go home, get some sleep, and feel ready to go.”