Free-throw shooting saves Vikes' record By JORDAN DAWSON/Bigfork Eagle

The Vikings split their time this week between Class A and Class B play, but beat both their opponents; Libby, 43-41 and Eureka, 74-40.

Bigfork's home game against the Lions Friday night started off as a tight one.

The Vikes (11-1, 6-0) barely finished the first quarter on top, 13-10. Bigfork took control in the second, though, and racked up 22 points with contributions from seven players. Meanwhile, defensively they held Eureka to just one point.

The Lions pushed back in the third quarter and outscored the Vikes 20-18.

But Bigfork battled back again in the fourth and won the quarter 21-9, and the game, mostly due to their free-throw shooting.

The Bigfork boys made 10 of their 14 free throws in the fourth quarter and were 26-for-37 that night.

"It was almost a flawless game from start to finish," LaMott said. "We stumbled in the third quarter, more as a result of a lack of energy on defense than anything. But beyond that, we dominated the entire game."

Junior Travis Knoll had a game-high, and season-high, 22 points.

"That is the first time a player on our team has scored more than 20 points in a game," LaMott said. "He made many of them by being out in front of the defense and getting easy layups and also by getting offensive rebounds."

Knoll was 9-for-12 from the free-throw line and had four assists.

Junior Christian Ker contributed 12 points, having scored five points in each of the first two quarters. He had two 3-pointers and was 2-for-3 from the line.

Defensively, Ker contributed four blocks and five steals.

"(Ker) had a strong first half and a solid second half," LaMott said. "We're looking for him to be able to have a full game for us because he has a very unique ability to put points on the board for us. He also rebounded well for us."

Senior Lael Richmond had nine points, including six in the third quarter, and led the Vikes in rebounding with 12 boards.

He was 3-for-4 with his foul shots.

"He scored three buckets in the third quarter when our team was struggling," LaMott said. "That was a key component for us."

LaMott also said that he likes what he is seeing from sophomore Dillon Fraley, who he recently moved up from the junior varsity squad.

"We also got some good minutes from Dillon Fraley, who shot 5-of-8 from the free-throw line," LaMott said. "I think he's getting comfortable in his varsity role, which is good because we will need the minutes that he gives us as we continue on through the season."

The Vikes were in Libby on Tuesday, Jan. 19, where they started things off with a strong 14-8 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Ker scored nine of those points and senior Keenan Evans put in the other five.

Knoll carried the Vikes through the second quarter, putting in seven of their 12 points, but they still came up two points short of the Lions.

Bigfork had a 26-22 advantage at the start of the second half, and they extend that lead by two more points by outscoring the Lions 9-7 in the third quarter.

Libby battled back in the final period, though, and almost caught the Vikes.

"It came down to the last play of the game and we decided that since we had a three-point lead that we would foul them if we couldn't steal the ball from them on the inbounds, which we almost did," LaMott said. "We knocked it out of bounds and then on the replay we committed the foul. They made the first free throw and intentionally missed the second. We were able to gather the rebound and hold on for the victory."

By the conclusion of the fourth quarter, the Loggers had scored 11 points to Bigfork's eight, all of which the Vikes scored from the free-throw line with their 11 attempts.

"We played quite poorly," LaMott said. "The team knows that. But at the same time, it was an ugly win and sometimes teams that are trying to accomplish great things have to be able to win ugly when some of the other areas of their game that they can normally rely on are falling apart."

One of the things that got Bigfork through this game was their free-throw shooting. As a team, they were 11-for-16.

"We've struggled from the free-throw line all year long, yet in this game we had our best free-throw shooting game of the season," LaMott said. "So, I was happy with that and encouraged by that."

Ker led all scorers with 13 points and was 4-for-5 from the free-throw line.

"He started out really hot," LaMott said. "He had four field goals in the first quarter, including a 3-pointer. He just never fully recovered after coming out of the game for a breather. He continued to play hard for us that evening and was one of the keys for us being able to win the game ultimately."

Knoll contributed nine points and helped the team by providing a "much needed defensive effort," according to LaMott.

Evans added seven points. Richmond was 4-for-4 from the line and had a bucket from the field for a total of six points.

The Vikes and the Valkyries are hosting a double-header with St. Ignatius tomorrow night, Jan. 29, and Saturday both the boys and girls will play in Thompson Falls.

The Bigfork Eagle Web site, www.bigforkeagle.com, will have updates following the games and results will also be in next week's print edition.