Hansen explodes for 29 at Everett Classic

EVERETT — Coming off of a quality team victory versus an in-conference rival Nov. 28 versus Spokane Falls Community College, the Lady Vikes traveled to western Washington to compete in the Everett Classic Tournament. Three games in three days was a first for the Lady Vikes squad, and an important lesson was learned after going 1-2 on the weekend as head coach Preston Wilks highlighted.

"This was the first three-game Tourney that our young team has played in," he said. "We learned on the last day of playing three games in three days, that the final game largely comes down to grit and hustle. We talked about this factor prior to the game, but being such a young team, we really didn't have the experience to understand what level of grit and hustle it requires on that third day. We now have a better idea of what level of effort & energy you have to bring to be successful." 

Although they did not walk away empty-handed, the Lady Vikes learned a valuable lesson regarding what it takes to be successful in this league. 

Game one of the weekend got off to a rocky start versus Clackamas Community College as BBCC only managed to shoot 36% from the field while struggling from behind the arc by making one of their eight attempts. Although the defense was playing well, their offensive struggles led to them trailing by a score of 37-26 at the half. A much improved second half of shooting for the Lady Vikings allowed them to put up 39 points in the second half, unfortunately as the offense increased, the defense decreased as BBCC allowed 55 points in the second half resulting in a 92-65 loss. Wilks had this to say about standout Katie Hansen after dropping a season-high 29 points on 12-19 shooting while collecting 10 rebounds.

"Katie Hansen played an outstanding game against one of the best teams in the NWAC, netting 29 points," Wilks said. "She played with confidence that night, from tip to buzzer. It was beneficial for her to see that she can really be that good. Now the challenge for her going forward will be to listen to the right voice and for her to doubt her doubts and just believe in herself." 

Trying to bounce back from a tough loss, the Lady Vikes took on the host as they battled it out versus the Everett Community College Trojans the following day. BBCC showed much more consistency in game two putting up similar numbers offensively throughout all four quarters. This consistency allowed for the defense to dial in and play at an elite level. The Lady Vikes held the Trojans to 17 points in the first half going into the break up by a score of 36-17. Although Everett managed to outscore the Lady Vikes in the second half, the lead they were able to establish early paid off as BBCC came out victorious by a score of 74-63. Wilks had this to say regarding the win. "We got great play from our forward, Riley Layton. Riley pulled down a season-high 16 boards to go with 18 points. Prior to the game, we asked Riley to show us coaches that she can play better than she did the night prior, which she did by playing a fantastic game. Our PG Brooklyn Hulet had a nice game as well, finishing with 18 points and 7 assists."

Hoping to win the final game to end the weekend on a high note, BBCC took on Skagit Valley Community College. The Lady Vikes came out flat on both sides of the ball shooting 21% from the floor only managing 13 points in the first half, along with giving up 37 on the other end made the final game an uphill battle. With a 24-point deficit to erase in the second half, BBCC understood that they needed to chip away in a hurry. Hoping to do so, the Lady Vikes tried to catch up from behind the arc but only managed to shoot 2-16 from deep making the deficit too much to handle resulting in a 66-43 loss. 

After an up-and-down weekend, Preston Wilks remains optimistic stating, "We are a young team and so far in this season, we have shown signs of greatness and there have been nights and certain quarters of games where we show our youth and inexperience. We plan to continue to show patience with the team, but we've asked them to push themselves to get better and to learn from what we've experienced and see if we can speed up our growth cycle. We are eager to host the next three games at home and hope the fans and locals will come out to support our players."

BBCC prepares to host Gonzaga Club as well as Shoreline CC at home this weekend at 7 p.m. Friday, and at 4  p.m. Saturday at the Devries Activity Center. 

As always, keep up with the Lady Vikings on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, as well as through the NWACSports Network's livestream video platform, where available.