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Wins keep coming as players achieve individual milestonesBy Danielle Strenke As if a big win wasnít enough to make it exciting for the hometown crowd, the Viking girls basketball team added a little something to the entertainment quotient at last weekís home game against Pine City. Last Thursday, senior co-captain Megan OíHern became the second player on this yearís squad to reach the milestone of 1,000 points in her career. She did so late in the third quarter, as she stepped up to the free throw line and promptly sunk two for 999 and 1,000. The student section of the crowd was more than aware of the impending milestone. Several students held up numbers during the game, counting down the last points until 1,000 was reached, and then waving a big ě1,000î in the air. After the 1,000th point was made, head coach Dan Schindler took a time out to let the entire team congratulate OíHern. Amidst hugs and hand shakes, the crowd gave OíHern a standing ovation in recognition of her achievement. She now joins teammate and co-captain Kelly Lines in the 1,000-point club. Lines hit the mark last year, and broke the teamís all-time scoring record this year. ěMegan is a great player and she has worked very hard to get to be the basketball player she is,î Schindler said. ěIt was fun to see her get the milestone at home.î Then, it was a return to action, as North Branch continued to pound on the visiting Dragons, eventually earning a 75-22 win. When OíHern hit her 1,000th point, the team already had the win sealed up, as they led from Kelly Linesís opening basket, taking a 27-5 lead at the first and a 53-11 lead at halftime. OíHernís 20 points led the team, while Lines notched 16, Traci Reimann added nine and Christina Sampson had eight. Sheena Devine came in with seven points, and Errin Koehler hit for six. Earlier in the week, the team pounded on Centennial, winning 53-42. ěCentennial is a very good team and one we put on our non-conference schedule to prepare us for post season,î Schindler said. Centennial leads the North Suburban Conference, and has a big size advantage over the Vikings. Centennialís 6í2î center scored eight quick points to open the first, before tough defense by Jamie Schlagel and Traci Reimann quieted her down. Lines made four, 3-pointers in the first, giving the team a 21-11 first quarter lead. North Branch held a 10-12 point lead throughout the rest of the game. ěI was really pleased that we outrebounded them 25-24, led by Reimann with nine boards,î Schindler said. Lines led the team offensively with 23 points, while OíHern added 18. To cap off the week, North Branch held on to their perfect conference record by downing Mora 57-29. ěThis was a really nice team win. We have been stressing to our bench that they step up their game and they really did,î Schindler said. ěSheena had her best game of the year, scoring 12 and grabbing 5 rebounds.î Lines again led the scoring barrage with 13 points. Schlagel also had a nice game, racking up 10 points, 4 assists and 4 blocked shots. Rauna Dallman stepped up her game, and Sampson and Alison Trampe continue to give the team quality minutes. The Vikes are now 14-2 overall, 7-0 in the conference midway through the conference schedule. This week, they have two big conference games, facing Chisago Lakes Tuesday and Sauk Rapids Friday, both on the road. ©ECM Post Review |