Vikings struggle at home

By FAITH MOLDAN / Bigfork Eagle

Bigfork's varsity boys basketball team had a fire lit under it against both of the Vikings' opponents last week, but that fire was extinguished in the second half of both games.

The Vikes stuck with both the Libby Loggers and Flathead Braves in Bigfork in the early goings, but struggled to finish with the same gusto. Bigfork fell to the Loggers 67-51 and the Braves 73-35.

Bigfork led 15-7 after one quarter of play with the Loggers. Libby scored first, but the Loggers' 2-point field goal was followed by nine straight Bigfork points. Seniors Levi Dockstader and Roland Benedict played big roles in the Vikes' early lead. Dockstader assisted Keenan Evans and Benedict on Bigfork's first two baskets, while Benedict rattled off seven of Bigfork's nine points. Evans tallied five points, while Benedict led the Vikes with 17.

Libby cut into the Vikes' lead in the second quarter and eventually tied the game with 51 seconds remaining on the clock. Another three Logger points gave Libby a 28-25 lead headed into halftime. The Loggers outscored Bigfork 19-10 in the second quarter despite the Vikes' continued hustle. Dockstader leapt into the pep band section of the bleachers after a loose ball and managed to avoid hurting himself and the instruments. Dockstader scored five points in the game.

The Vikes continued to send the Loggers to the free-throw line giving the Loggers numerous opportunities to score in the second half. Libby added to its free-throw shooting with a 13-0 run in the third quarter. Brock Boll, who finished the game with 12 points, scored two points for the Vikes in the first two minutes of the quarter, but the Loggers took over from that point. Libby's Jim Mee and Zack Rowan combined for 13 points in the two-and-a-half minutes after Boll's 2-pointer. Boll stopped the Vikes' scoring drought with another basket with 3:24 on the clock.

Dockstader again sparked the Bigfork offense late in the third quarter. He sank a 3-point basket with 22 seconds remaining. The Vikes still trailed the Loggers by 19 points after his trey, but they still had a few embers burning as they fought back within 12 points of the Loggers in the fourth quarter. Bigfork cut the Loggers' lead to 17, 16, 15,14 and then 12 with 3:29 on the clock. Garrett Pewe and Ben Sandry both made 3-pointers as well. Pewe ended the night with four points. Sandry scored five.

The Loggers doused the fire left in the Vikes by stretching out their lead to 22 just one minute after it looked like Bigfork would get the deficit back into the single digits. Bigfork came no closer than 14 points the remainder of the game.

Bigfork trailed the Braves by just two points — 14-12 — after the first quarter, but was outscored by the Braves by 12 points in each of the following quarters.

Benedict was the only Vike to score in double digits against the Braves. He finished the game with 15 points, followed by Dockstader with six points, and Boll and Evans with five points each.

The Vikes, now 0-6 in the Northwest A Conference and 3-9 overall, hit the road this week with games in Columbia Falls and Polson. Bigfork faces the Wildcats tomorrow, Jan. 25, and travels to Polson the following day.