The Cook County Vikings advanced to the Section 7A semifinals for the second straight year, to once again see their season end in a heartbreaking loss. The Nashwauk-Keewatin Spartans outscored the Vikings 9-2 down the stretch to pull out the win and move on to play the Bigfork Huskies in the championship game.

            The Spartans jumped on the Vikings early, knocking down outside jumpers and taking advantage of poor inside shooting by the Vikings to take a 12-2 lead 6 minutes into the game. Both teams came out in a 3-2 zone and both teams showed patience on offense with good ball movement. Sophomore Ashley Deschampe got things rolling for the Vikings when she drained a 3 and electrified the crowd. The next two possessions ended in the same way for the Vikings, with Deschampe draining 3’s and the crowd going nuts. Junior Brea Boomer drove the lane for a quick two and freshman Theresa Morrin dropped a 3 to give the Vikings a 16-12 lead and forced the Spartans to use a timeout. Back to back put back buckets by senior Lindsey Kingsbury tied the game up, with the first one drawing the second foul on Boomer, forcing her to the bench. The Spartans used Boomer’s absence to go on a mini-run, taking the lead and building it up to 4. Boomer returned to play with her 2  fouls and immediately made an impact, scoring 5 straight points, including an and-1 that brought the Viking fans to their feet. Senior Christina Nelson got into the action for the Vikes with a driving bucket, but the Spartans finished the half with a 5 point run of their own when Boomer went to the bench to keep from picking up a cheap 3^rd foul. The halftime score was 25-23 and both teams went into the half looking to regroup after some intense action.

            The Vikings came out in the 2^nd half and executed their game plan to perfection, feeding Boomer inside for 4 quick points and forcing the Spartans into a couple of turnovers with the press. Deschampe nailed her fourth 3 of the game, but the Spartans retaliated to cut the lead to 1.  Nelson responded by scoring 7 straight points to bring the Viking lead to 8 at 42-34. A cheap foul by Boomer sent her to the bench with her four fouls and once again the veteran Spartans took advantage of her departure by staging an 8-0 run to tie the game up with 10 minutes to go. Boomer reentered the game and the teams slugged it out back and forth the rest of the way. The Spartans grabbed a quick lead but the Vikings went right back to their bread and butter in Boomer, as she scored on drives and in the post. With the Vikings down 54-51, Boomer posted up Kingsbury and maneuvered her way around the taller defender to score and cut the N/K lead to one. With 1:30 left in the game, the Spartans missed an inside shot, but the Vikings turned the ball over on their possession and had to foul. The one-and-one was missed but Kingsbury snatched the board and put it back in for a 56-53 lead. The Vikings missed short jumper in the lane but forced N/K to turn the ball over with a minute to play. On the inbounds, the Vikings pass was tipped and stolen and the Vikes were forced to foul. The Spartans made all but one of their next 6 free throws to ice the game as the Vikings desperation shots all rimmed out to give the Spartans a 61-53 win.

            The Vikings were led by Boomer’s 21 points, while Deschampe added 12 and Nelson chipped in 9. The loss ends the season for the Vikings, who end with a 23-5 record. Two senior players will be leaving the Viking program; All-Stater Essa Jacobsen who finished her illustrious career on the bench with a torn ACL and All-Conference performer Christina Nelson will not return after four years of starting. The Vikes will return a strong core of players, led by Boomer and Deschampe, who along with junior Ailee Larson were mainstays in the starting lineup and all averaged scoring in double figures this season. Sophomore Bekah Laky, the 6^th girl most of the season and starter with Essa out, along with fellow sophomore Molly Zafft and freshmen Taylor Ryden and Theresa Morrin all got quality minutes, which means the Vikings have a strong nucleus in place for next season. There has been a constant rise in play and excitement surrounding the Vikings over the last two season. With an uptempo style of play and overall ascension of quality of play, along with a two-year record of 42-12, the Viking program is on the rise and has everyone in Cook County and the rest of the state taking notice. The season may have ended sooner than all would have hoped but the future looks bright for Cook County Girls Basketball.