With high hopes of making it to the semi-finals, the Lady Vikes basketball team entered the quarterfinals first on Feb. 25, at 7 pm, in the gym. The duel against Summit High School, proved to be a long and grueling fight for the vikes, and the match ended with a 62-54 loss for Downey.
In the first two minutes of the game Summit scored their first two points of the game. The game progressed and it became catch up. Downey scored and the Sky Hawks would quickly respond with a shot on their side of the court. At the end of first quarter the Sky Hawks pulled away with a 12- 16 lead.
In the first quarter it was still too early to say who the game would go to, but with pressure on the defensive side from Summit, it was obvious that the Lady Vikes needed to slow their game down. With efforts to bring the momentum down, Downey called a time out and tried to make a play. The Vikings had possession of the ball, and with 6:49 left in the quarter, Kaylan Lane, 12, was fouled and given two free throws. Lane made one and the Vikings make it a 3 shot game again.
“We knew they were a taller team and faster team than we are, and all we were thinking of was how two take those two factors out of the game,” guard Kristin Johnson, 11, said.
Kaylan Lane made another 3 point shot, and tied the game at 19-19. As soon as the Sea Hawks got back on offense they responded with another 3 point shot. It went back and forth making the teams tie again 22-22. At 5:49, Downey called a time out and suddenly The Vikings were in their first small lead of the game with a 24-22 game. By halftime the small lead that the Lady Vikes had obtained was gone and the game was at a 26-32; Downey trailing by 6 points.
Third quarter began, and the Vikings seemed reassured and ready to win this game. The first shot of the quarter was Downey’s 3 pointer by Lane.
“I just wanted to help my team win, and I was just hitting all those 3 pointers,” Lane said.
The visiting team was able to put in their first play of the third quarter, and made it a 3-point-play with one foul shot. The whole third quarter Downey was down and at the end it was a 42-47.
During the fourth quarter, everything went down hill. Summit began to double team and the Downey girls felt pressure before the ball had touched the court. The home team attempted to make home runs but could not execute a play. The fouls against the Sea Hawks began happening more frequently and before they realized it, Downey was down by 8 points. With one minute left in the game the Lady Vikes were down and not a miracle could win this game for them. The Vikings fought unti the end but eventually lost 62-54. This proved that the Vikings are capable of playing at high capacity. The team hopes to take it all the way to finals next year, and will begin preparing during the summer.
