Vikings open season on road against Tigers
The AHSTW Vikings girls basketball team is looking to build under new head coach Jason McCall off a 9-15 season where they made it to the Class 2A - Region 8 Second Round Game, eventually losing 51-36 to the Underwood Eagles.
“We’re so excited,” said Senior Delaney Goshorn. “We’ve had a lot of fun so far, a lot of underclassmen or girls who haven’t come out have came out. We’re getting a lot done the first week of practice.”
The Vikings were led by Goshorn with 324 points, Ellie Peterson with 201, and Ella Langer with 149. Peterson led in rebounds with 177, Goshorn with 141, and Saydi Paulsen with 111. Goshorn led the way in assists with 52, Rylie Knop with 39, and Peterson with 35.
Some of the wins the Vikings racked up came against Riverside, Audubon, Tri-Center, IKM-Manning, along with a 47-42 victory over Missouri Valley Lady Reds in the Class 2A – Region 8 First Round Game.
Peterson has graduated and with McCall, they are ready to get back to work and make a deeper run, starting with their first game Nov. 20 on the road against the Woodbine Tigers. The Tigers finished last season with a 23-3 leading the Rolling Valley Conference, reaching the 1A – State Quarterfinal Game losing 81-60 to Newell-Fonda.
“I can’t say how excited I am for this team,” McCall said. “The biggest thing I’ve noticed is the energy they provide every single day and how consistent it’s been. We want challenges. We want to play the great teams, and what better way to start it than going on the road up to Woodbine and play a team that was at state not too long ago.”
The Tigers last season were led by Sophomore Charlie Pryor with 398 points, Junior Amanda Newton 197 reounds, and Senior Nicole Sherer with 139 assists. Some of the Tigers wins during the regular season came against CAM, East Mills, Boyer Valley, and others. They also had three Regional Game victories against Riverside, Stanton, and Westwood to get them to the state tournament. With a majority of the Tigers roster returning, the Vikings know they will be a tough opponent.
“Making sure we’re doing the little things will help us,” Goshorn said. “Having the fundamentals down, and just being able to have the team chemistry back and being able to move the ball will help us a lot.”
Goshorn is one of five seniors that will help lead the way this year, along with Knop, Paulsen, Langer, and Graycen Partlow.
“They’ve played a lot of basketball together,” McCall said. “They’re great kids, they’re hungry, and I think that they’re determined and I think they have a chip on the shoulder which has been different for them. They’re great leaders. It allows those freshman and sophomores to be comfortable being here, and knowing it’s okay to develop at a different pace than others, so I think that’s huge for the program.”