Vikings second in Bellevue, Sorensen all-tournament

BELLEVUE - The Big Bend Community College (BBCC) Vikings finished a grueling westside road trip Sunday that saw the team play five games in six days.

After advancing to the championship game of the Bellevue Tournament against Highline, the compacted schedule wore the team down and the Vikings fell, 93-73.

"The team that we played too they're style of play was just so amped up, so emotional, so rah, rah, rah that it was hard to match it all game," head coach Preston Wilks said.

Big Bend improved to 8-3 overall and only trail Blue Mountain and Columbia Basin in the Northwest Athletic Assoication of Community Colleges East region.

Against Highline, the Vikings trailed by as much as 14 in the second half before Wilks called a timeout and implored his girls to give one final stand.

The timeout sparked a run that saw Big Bend cut its deficit to six points before Highline was able to regain its composure and close the game out with timely baskets and made free throws.

"I'm proud of my kids because they didn't quit," Wilks. "Even though we were down there the last three minutes they didn't quit. It was an exhausting day, afterwards we all kind of looked at each other and just marveled at what we had just done."

What the Vikings had just done was win four road games in a span of six days when the team only shot well from the outside once. This relatively young team has had to rally and use a rotation of eight players after losing team captains Shanelle Hemmert and McKell Marlor for the season after both tore their anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).

"We looked at each other and we said, 'You know what, we grew up,'" Wilks said. "This was a real important trip for us. One of those that would give us the opportunity to improve and we felt like it did and we feel like we're a better team right now."

The Vikings reached the championship game by defeating Lower Columbia and Bellevue in the first two rounds.

Sophomore forward Jessica Sorensen continued her tear over the last week scoring 13 points and pulled down a team-high nine rebounds againt the Red Devils. Sophomore guard Cristina Marlatt recorded a double-double with 11 points and 11 assists, while freshman guards Aubrie Vale and Riley Jemmett each scored 18 points and the Vikings held on to beat Lower Columbia, 89-85.

Sorensen was named to the all-tournament team after averaging 14 points and 11 rebounds in Bellevue.

As only one of two active sophomores on the team, Wilks will need Sorensen to set the tone for his team the rest of the year.

"I took Jessica aside and just said, 'Jessica, this is your team now, okay and we're going to need to you step up,'" he said. "She responded... like I can't be any more proud of her for the way she responded to that challenge."

Recently, freshman guard Elizabeth Larrew was inserted into the starting lineup to fil the void left after Marlor's injury. Larrew rewarded Wilks' decision, scoring in double figures against Lower Columbia and Bellevue.

"She's really responded to that challenge of coming in and starting," Wilks said. "The thing that I like about what Elizabeth is doing now is she's getting exciting and she's being more vocal."

Sorensen had a team-high 17 points and 11 rebounds against the Bulldogs and the Vikings advanced to the championship game against Highline with a 72-69 win. Larrew added 15 points and Jemmett scored 13.

Wilks was most impressed with how his team was able to win on the road despite shooting poorly from the outside, including a 9.5 percent effort from downtown against Bellevue.

"We're a different team this year," he said. "I think we're going to do better in the East because my team can battle and can score and can win without having to make all our three-pointers."

BBCC will travel to Mount Vernon this weekend for the Skagit Valley Holiday Tourney before returning to the DeVries Activity Center for the beginning of league play Jan. 8.