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Show liC'iinni Quqp Uicnmont By DAVE WIGHAM After a disasterous first game the Viewmont Vikings tried to bounce back in their second State contest but fell short of a scrappy Highland bunch. THE LOSS sent the Vikes, Region Two champs, home with their second consecutive loss in the double elimination tournament. Viewmont was probably the biggest surprise of the week-long week-long tournament. Many observers ob-servers had expected better play from a region champion and certainly the Vikes didn't play up to their potential. IN THEIR first game with West, the Vikes never did get going in full stride. Against the Highland bunch they played much better, but the Highland group started too fast for the Vikes. By the time the Viewmont team hit their stride, the Rams were in control of the game. VIKING Tim Eden was a bright spot in the contest at both ends with his hustling style of play. Tim ended the evening with 17 counters. Only other Vike to score in double figures was junior Cory Hanks with 11. View- mont's Kevin Walker was held to a season low two points, but Kevin did perform well on defense. THE VIKES decided to run a box and one against the Rams with Walker getting the assignment of guarding Highland's fine guard Mike Maxwell. While Walker was on him, Maxwell had a hard time getting get-ting a shot up, in fact Kevin rejected a few of his efforts in the process. THE VIKINGS did stage a comeback but were plagued with fouls in the fourth quarter. Court Wilkins, Walker and Tim Eden all exited early in the final stanza via the five foul route. At this point with mostly juniors on the floor, the young Vikes made a definite run at the Rams. Juniors Hanks, Kevin Hess, John Higley and Cal Curtis all put their best effort on the court as they pulled within 10 of the Highland team. DOWN THE stretch, however, the Vikes had to foul to get the ball and the Highland team converted when they needed the points. Viking Coach Jim Cleverly kept fresh troops in the game, all in all he used 11 players, as the Rams tend to wear down a team with their full court press. THE PRESS didn't seem to bother the Vikes, but the Ram quickness was a definite problem for them. This Highland team liked to get up and down the floor in a hurry and unless a team can get back on defense just as fast, they end up with a lot of cripples. Viewmont definitely played a lot better in their second game. As one fan noted, if they played that way the first game, they could have destroyed de-stroyed West, dw |