Runnin' Vikes rain on Bisons' parade
Photos by Neil Pierson/Columbia Basin HeraldBig Bend's Cameron Mero, who finished with 18 points and five 3-pointers on Wednesday, shoots over Salish Kootenai defender Justin Tonasket during first-half action.
Vikings 106, Bisons 93
MOSES LAKE - Wednesday night's season-opening win for the Big Bend men's basketball team looked relatively easy on the surface.
But the Runnin' Vikes didn't play the kind of game head coach Mark Poth knows they'll need to play in order to be successful in the East Division of the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges.
"It was sloppy, sloppy, sloppy," Poth said of his squad's performance, which included 29 turnovers. "We do have to clean up our ball-handling. You look at 29 turnovers in a 40-minute game, I mean, that's ridiculous."
Big Bend didn't protect the ball but did have its typical long-range, fast-break game on display and knocked off the visiting Salish Kootenai Bison 106-93 at DeVries Activity Center.
Four Vikings scored in double figures, with the team's two returning sophomores - forward Brett Vriesman and guard Daley Landon - tying for the team lead with 24 points apiece. Salish Kootenai's Ed Running Rabbit led all scorers with 25 points, hitting 11 of 13 field goals.
The Bisons responded to every Vikings run with a push of their own, repeatedly whittling double-digit deficits down to two possessions. Big Bend was finally able to post a comfortable margin with five minutes left, going on a 14-4 surge to lead 94-78.
Cameron Mero, who scored 18 points and hit 5 of 11 from 3-point range, was part of the game-clinching run. Vriesman and Moses Lake native Kolby Secrist, who added 18 points on three 3-pointers, also got into the act as Big Bend pulled away.
Vriesman made 10 of his 11 field goal tries, while Landon buried 5 of 12 from beyond the arc.
"Landon can do that every night," Poth said. "When he gets good looks, he makes buckets."
Poth also credited the Bison for a great effort and was quick to point out two of their recent victories.
"They're a good, strong, physical team," he said. "They beat Walla Walla earlier and beat Wenatchee earlier. …We knew we were going to have a good battle with them."
The coach was generally displeased, however, by his team's play. The Vikings took care of the ball in a 42-point win over an alumni squad last weekend, but didn't do that Wednesday. Part of the blame falls on the shoulders of freshman point guard Will Winn, who had seven steals and 13 assists, but also 13 turnovers.
"Will's got the potential to be a real good basketball player," Poth said. "I don't think he had a very good game tonight because he didn't take care of the ball. Thirteen turnovers out of the point guard position isn't going to win many championships."
Big Bend also suffered from a simple lack of motivation, the coach believed.
"Number one, we've got to play harder," he said. "We've got to get a better effort for 40 minutes on the floor. We're not getting that on a consistent basis."
Big Bend scratched out a 51-47 lead at halftime after leading by as many as 11 points. The Bison were able to take advantage of a fairly lackadaisical defensive effort from the Vikings, scoring from inside as well as outside.
"We did too much standing and watching," Poth said.
Big Bend travels to the Walla Walla Classic on Friday and Saturday, then returns home to host the Big Bend Classic on Dec. 7-8. This is the time of year where mistakes aren't as costly, but Poth knows the Runnin' Vikes will have to get better in a hurry.
"I was pleased we came out with the win, but I think tonight we saw a lot of things we need to improve on as a basketball team to be competitive in our league," he said.
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