Lady Vikes fall to Red Oak in hoops opener

 AVOCA -- It wasn’t the outcome that AHSTW wanted, but the Lady Vike girls basketball team certainly has some positive signs to build on following Tuesday night’s season opener vs. Red Oak.
 From senior Jaycie Schueman’s strong overall floor game to freshman Kinsey Scheffler’s solid varsity debut, AHSTW started well and fought hard throughout but couldn’t quite get over the hump in a 62-53 home loss to the Tigers.
 Red Oak’s 27-10 surge over the final 10 minutes of the first half proved to be the difference as the defensive-minded Tigers turned a 14-6 deficit into a 33-24 halftime lead on Hannah Vial’s three-pointer just :01 before the break.
 The Lady Vikes scored the first four points of the third quarter before Red Oak responded with a 10-2 run and basically held serve the rest of the way. During the final 11 minutes, the Tiger lead stayed between seven and 11 points.
 Second-year AHSTW head coach Tyler Morris said he was proud of his team’s effort against an improved Red Oak squad and excited to get the 2016-17 season underway.