Lady Vikings host Tigers in season opener

Last year, under first year head coach Jason McCall, the AHSTW Vikings girls basketball team went 12-9, and the team’s ready to get back to work and make another deep run this season.

“I think everybody that’s a part of it right now in terms of players and coaches are excited for the season,” McCall said. “We spent a lot of time together in the offseason this summer. We had great participations in open gyms leading up to November. When you have that, it adds a little fuel towards that excitement. We have a young group that’s pretty hungry and determined to learn.”

During the Vikings 2023 campaign, they won games against Riverside, Underwood, IKM-Manning, Denison, and others. They took a first round exit in Regionals on the road against the Exira-EHK Spartans Feb. 13, losing 52-34.

Senior Delaney Goshorn led the way with 282 points, averaging 13.4 per game with 121 rebounds, and 62 assists. Goshorn, Ella Langer, Graycen Partlow, Rylie Knop, and Saydi Paulsen have all graduated. McCall will look to fill those starting spots with new faces.

“I think it’s definitely a different dynamic,” he said. “When you lose five seniors that have been playing varsity for a few years, you kind of get thrown into the face if you haven’t played yet. We have a lot of sophomores, and even some freshman, who will have to be playing some varsity time, and long term wise, that’s really good for them.”

McCall will have six freshman on his roster this season, including Emery Brockhoff, Kadence Coolidge, Reese Knop, Clara Pace, Etta Partlow, and Kennedy Wyman, most of whom are multi-sport athletes competing in fall sports.

“There’s a lot of girls that have been playing at a varsity level in other sports as well at a young age,” he added. “A lot of them played a heck of a softball season this past summer, then volleyball and cross country; A lot of those freshman and sophomores had some key playing time. We have a lot of girls that are young, but it’s not their first rodeo. I think “learning on the fly” wise, they are very coachable, they ask good questions, and they communicate really well with us as coaches.”

The Vikings will open their season at home against the Woodbine Tigers, who they opened against on the road last season, losing in overtime, 49-47.

“Last year was a heck of a game,” McCall said. “I’ll never forget that one for it being my first game as a coach. You go to overtime against a really solid team. I hope it’s just as good as it was last year. You get to those types of games, and you’re put into different scenarios.”