Sports
Victorious Vikings: VC Boys and Girls Have Another Perfect Week
By: Noah Wolf
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Vinton County’s boys’ and girls’ basketball teams each went 2-0 this week, making it the boys’ second consecutive perfect week, while the girls have not dropped a game all season long.
The Lady Vikings opened up the week with a win over Nelsonville-York at Ben Wagner Gymnasium in Nelsonville, 69-65. Vinton County had to overcome strong performances from the Lady Buckeyes’ Jessie Addis and Mary-Kate McCulloch, who had 27 and 17 points, respectively.
They did that with an equally strong offensive performance. Sisters Morgan and Cassie Bentley combined for 50 points. Morgan finished the night with 28 points and 14 rebounds, Cassie had 22 points and 15 rebounds.
“It was a great team effort to get us started,” said head coach Rod Bentley. “Early in the game, we had shooters that were really knocking down shots, and that was the key. Great start, girls came in prepped, they were ready.”
The Lady Vikings took their momentum and their perfect record to Pomeroy to take on the Meigs Lady Marauders, and they would emerge victorious, 66-56. Vinton County trailed by as many as 10 points in the first quarter, but they were able to take the lead in the third and come out with the win.
Morgan Bentley had 23 points, Cassie Bentley finished with 16 points and 16 rebounds, and Emily Jones had 13 points.
The Lady Vikings have now beaten the TVC-Ohio top three from last season, Alexander, Nelsonville-York, and Meigs, all on the road. Coach Bentley, though, knows there’s a lot of basketball to be played, and only has eyes for the future.
“We are definitely going to have a sweet Christmas and enjoy it,” he said, “but we know it’s a long way with a lot of games ahead of us.”
On the boys’ side, Vinton County stayed home for two games this week, the first on Tuesday with a 55-39 win over Meigs. Jake Speakman led all scorers with 24 points, Naylan Yates finished with 23 points. Nevan Yates made his first appearance this season after being sidelined for the first five games with a finger injury.
“We’ve played better, I know we haven’t played as well as what I want us to,” head coach Matt Combs said. “We have improved in some areas. Defensively, we’re starting to get better with support. There’s a lot of season left . . . after the way we started, it feels good to get back on the right track.”
They extended their win streak to four on Friday with a home win against Alexander, 69-56. It took a huge comeback, though.
The Vikings saw themselves trailing by 14 points in the second quarter, but they cut the deficit to just four at halftime. At the end of the third, they trailed by just one point, and they pulled away in the fourth quarter for the victory.
Naylan Yates led all scorers with 29 points, Jake Speakman added 17, and Bryce Damron finished with 10.
Both the boys’ and girls’ teams take their winning momentum outside the TVC next week. The boys travel to Chillicothe to take on Southeastern on Wednesday, while the Lady Vikings host Philo.