Sports
Vinton County Vikings Press Onto Final Four
By: Katharine Morey
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The Meadowbrook Colt’s bright orange and the Vinton County Viking’s deep maroon painted the Convo, highlighting the division between the cheering fans. Those wearing maroon jumped to their feet after the final buzz of the scoreboard and went home happy tonight.
The Vinton County Vikings were able to clinch a spot in the Elite Eight with a 62-54 win over the Meadowbrook Colts due largely to experience and persistence. The Vikings ended the Colt’s Sweet Sixteen run and will be coming back to the Convo.
Right from the start, tonight’s game had a much slower pace than the usual back-and-forth hustling the Vikings are used to. Both teams struggled to find a rhythm that would allow them to score.
When players did score, the game was largely two-pointers and foul shots. Derick Jones had the first and only 3-pointer of the first half with 2:32 left in the second quarter.
Tight defense and missed shots over the course of the night resulted in low scoring quarters, the Colts up 20-19 at the end of the half.
“I thought both teams missed a lot of shots in the beginning…I wasn’t really happy about the second quarter, but we bounced back in the second half,” Vinton County’s Coach Combs said.
The game remained tight up until Nevan Yates made a 3-point buzzer beater to end the third quarter, adding a new wave of momentum for Vinton County.
A string of foul shots widened the Viking’s lead and Junior Naylan Yates made a crucial 3-pointer with 4:58 left in the fourth quarter, making it an eight point game.
Top scorers Naylan Yates, Derick Jones and Jake Speakman carried the team to victory, scoring 42 of the 62 points.
The Vikings will continue to the Final Four in a game against Eastmoor Academy this Saturday at the Ohio University Convocation Center.
“We’re going to watch to see who we play…At this level, you don’t know the other teams very well but we’re going to get a good look at them and see what we can do,” said Combs.