Big Bend's Secrist, Landon rock Hawks
Photos by Neil Pierson/Columbia Basin Herald Big Bend's Will Winn gets the ball swatted away in traffic during the first half of the Vikings' game with the Columbia Basin Hawks on Wednesday.
MOSES LAKE - Wednesday's 25-point victory over the Columbia Basin Hawks was a game that epitomized what the Big Bend Vikings are all about.
Hot shooting from outside? Check. A fast-paced game at both ends? Check. A defensive effort that slowly broke their opponents' will? Check.
Fourth-ranked Big Bend beat Columbia Basin 109-84 at DeVries Activity Center, improved to 16-3 overall, 5-1 in the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges' East Division, and stayed one game back of first-place and top-ranked Spokane, which beat Walla Walla 72-66 on Wednesday.
"I'm just really pleased with the team as a whole, their attitude, their desire to play hard and work together as a team," Vikings head coach Mark Poth said.
The Hawks (8-11, 1-5) played above and beyond their record for the first 10 minutes or so, repeatedly exploiting the Vikings' defense with an inside-outside attack. But the Vikings were also red-hot on offense, and eventually swarmed their way to a 56-39 halftime edge.
"The first seven, eight minutes of that game, it was on about a 150-point pace," Poth said. "We wanted to create tempo. We thought we could wear them down on both ends of the floor if we just kept playing pressure defense and running the floor hard."
It was crucial for Big Bend to play its game, because Poth knew the Hawks were looking for a signature win to turn their season around.
"This was a big game for them," he said. "They had high expectations, I think, for their team this year. Our kids came in and played really well."
Moses Lake native Kolby Secrist and sophomore shooting sensation Daley Landon were the catalysts for the Vikings' offense. Secrist went off for a game-high 28 points, going 7 of 12 from 3-point range, and added eight rebounds in 29 minutes.
"We were really kind of concerned because (Secrist) was pretty sick before the game," Poth said. "But he came up with a good, strong effort for us."
Landon, the team's leading scorer for the season, buried 6 of 17 shots from long range and added 21 points, 10 rebounds and two steals.
Will Winn was the Vikings' other double-digit scorer, tallying all 12 of his points before halftime. Hugh Brown and James York each had nine points, and Cameron Mero and Brett Vriesman both chipped in eight. York helped the Vikings tear through the Hawks in transition, dishing out 14 assists.
York set up Landon for a trey from the right corner that pushed Big Bend's lead to 46-33 with just under three minutes left in the first half. Brown's post-up and subsequent 3-point play, Josh Schouman's lone 3-pointer, and a Vriesman layup off York's fast-break feed helped the Vikings close the half in style.
What Poth truly enjoyed about the first 20 minutes was the Vikings' execution. They had 16 assists and just five turnovers before the break.
The Vikings shot 52 percent from the field (39 of 75) and made 11 of 24 from 3-point land (46 percent). Conversely, Columbia Basin was just 6 of 22 from beyond the arc, and though they were able to get to the free-throw line, made just 14 of 25 attempts.
Charlie Cox paced the Hawks with 24 points and seven assists. Andrew Kilgore had 13 points and six rebounds, Morgan Hyslop scored 12 points and Skyler Montoya added 10 points.
The Vikings face another big road test on Saturday, traveling to Walla Walla for an 8 p.m. start. The Warriors are just 7-12 overall, but are right in the thick of the Eastern Region playoff picture, having split their first six contests.
"They're a real solid team," Poth said of the Warriors. "They shoot the ball extremely well and play very well at home. So it's going to be a good challenge for us."
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