Vinton County Vikings fall in close matchup against the Wellston Golden Rockets
By: Ella Hughes
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WELLSTON, Ohio (WOUB) — The Vinton County Vikings headed to Wellston to take on the Golden Rockets in their second meeting of the season. The Golden Rockets would get ahead early with dominant play in the paint, the Vikings would work to come back in this one but it was too late and Wellston would walk away with a 69-62 win.
The first quarter was a close one with both teams showcasing their physical play in the paint. Wellston’s Wes Briggs was accurate early and was a leader for his team on the floor. After the first eight minutes, the Vikings were down 15-8 and were looking to regroup in the second.
The second was a bit different than the first with Wellston starting to pull away offensively. The Vikings struggled to score and defending Briggs was difficult for their defense. To end the second Viking Josh Montgomery would drain a half court shot to cut into the Wellston lead. After two quarters, the Golden Rockets led 34-26 and Montgomery was leading with his team high 10 points.
Coming out of the half, the Vikings were looking to mount a comeback and cut down the Rocket lead. However, Briggs wasn’t going to make that easy with his accurate shooting and physical play he was trouble in the paint. VC would play closer in the third quarter and would only end down six.
The game was 52-46 heading into the final quarter, and both teams were looking for huge performances from their stars. VC fought hard to get back into this game after being down by 12 at one point.
The Vikings were stronger on offense in the fourth, and they would tie the game at 58 with three minutes remaining. VC would take their only lead of the night off a two-point shot to put them ahead 62-60 with a minute and a half left.
Fouls would come back to hurt the Vikings’ momentum, and Briggs would nail a clutch three to lead Wellston to their 69-62 victory. Montgomery would be the VC leader in points with 24 and Briggs would be on top for Wellston with his 33 points.
“He just knows how to play basketball” said Head Coach NJ Kight about the play of Montgomery in Friday’s loss. “He can score in different ways, he can shoot, he can get to the basket, he’s smart and he uses his good footwork.”
Vinton County will play again Saturday night against McClain and Wellston’s next matchup is Tuesday against Athens.