Viking boys outlast Tri-Center 57-54

    AVOCA (Jan. 13) – The AHSTW Vikings scored a key conference win Monday as they took down the Tri-Center Trojans 57-54 in WIC boys basketball action.
    The Vikes’ Joey Cunningham nailed four three-pointers in the game and led the way with 13 points for AHSTW, which saw four players score in double figures. Sam Porter contributed 11 points, four assists and five steals while Clayton Akers and Michael Mantell each added 10 points. Akers also had three steals and six rebounds.
    The Vikings broke open a close, back and forth game in the fourth quarter on a pair of Cunningham three-pointers that pushed their lead to 10 points with 27 seconds left. Tri-Center was forced to foul, and while AHSTW was able to convert on some of the free throws, the Trojans hit three treys in that span to trim the lead to the final three-point margin.
    Prior to that, both teams traded the lead, with Tri-Center holding a one-point, 23-22 edge at the half.
    Ethan Alfers led Tri-Center with 18 points while Leyton Nelson contributed eight.
    Both teams had only one loss heading into the contest. The Vikings also defeated Riverside 73-39 Tuesday and are 10-1.