Vikes slip up, move into consolation bracket

With one starter still nursing a pulled groin, another diagnosed with bronchitis and a sophomore running the floor at point guard for only his third full game of the season, it wasn't an ideal night for Bigfork to take on Loyola, but they boys rolled with it until midway through the fourth quarter when they squandered their once 17-point lead.

The Rams outscored the Vikings 24-12 in the final period. The Bigfork boys may have buckled under the pressure at the end of the game, but they played a strong first half holding a 34-20 lead at halftime and still led 48-37 at the end of the third.

Bigfork had the lead until the final five seconds of the game when Loyola tied it up at 60.

Then the Rams took advantage of a crucial Vikings mistake – a timeout called when none were left - resulting in a technical foul in the final five seconds of play. They made both their shots and took the lead. Bigfork fouled as Loyola inbounded the ball in the fallowing play. The Rams made that shot as well and took the win by three.

Bigfork will now be fighting its way through the consolation bracket. The Vikings play in a loser-out game against Plains at 12:30 p.m. today, Feb. 26. The winner of that game advances to the consolation game at 7 p.m. If the Vikes win both of those games, they still have a chance at state. Loyola and Florence will be fighting for the championship at 8:30 p.m. If Florence loses, Bigfork can play a challenge game against the team at 5 p.m. Saturday.