Boys Youth Basketball competed in final tournament of the season
WAUSA — The 4th grade boys’ basketball team along with the 6th grade boys’ basketball team traveled to Sioux City, IA this past weekend to participate in the Heartland State Basketball Championship. This tournament had teams from Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota, North Dakota, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana and Missouri. The top two finishers from each age division would qualify to play at Nationals in Arizona. It was an exciting weekend of basketball as both teams took on a different level of competition that they have not seen before.
The 4th grade Vikings were placed in a club league bracket due to the low number of teams registered. This meant the teams they played were majority club teams which means the players tryout and usually pay a larger fee to be part of the basketball team.
The 4th grade boys started on Saturday morning taking on a team from Dubuque, IA. The boys transitioned into this higher level of play smoothly. The first game was a fun one to watch. The referees were stricter on calls like lane violation which was a good learning experience for them. The shots were fallingfor the 4th grade boys and the final score ended in a victory for the Vikings. The final score was 30-19.
Rudd Carlson and Ashton Baue both hit a three pointer in the game. Trenton Wiseley contributed with a layup and Kobe Maertins was able to increase the lead with 3 free throws and over 10 points made. Trace Wakeley contributed defensively with a jump ball.
The second team the Viking 4th graders would take on would be from Fargo, ND. The Fargo team was taller and would use a full court press that our boys were not used to as most tournaments use a half court press until the last few minutes of a half. The Viking 4th grade would be able to stay with them through the first half as the score was 13-14 at halftime with the Viking 4th grade being down. During the 2nd half the shots would just not fall for the Vikings. Rudd Carlson and Ashton Baue would hit a three pointer in this game. Dawson Kraft and Kobe Maertins also contributed to the score. The Vikings would fall 18- 33 to the Fargo team. Sunday morning the boys would play a very good team from Sioux Falls. The boys would come out strong taking an 8-3 lead before the Sioux Falls team would start to regroup. The Sioux Falls team would use a full court press which would mess with the Vikings. The boys would just not be able to beat the press and would take a loss of 16-43 to the Sioux Falls team.
The next game was against a team from St Joseph, MO. The full court press was a factor in this game also. The Vikings were able to learn from the previous games and break it. The Vikings built up a comfortable lead, but the St Joseph team would battle back and take the win with a last-minute free throw to win the game 21-22.
The Vikings ended up 4th but took home valuable experience and memories. Their sportsmanship was noticed by other teams, coaches, parents and officials throughout the tournament. This team will be fun to watch in the coming years.
The 6th grade boys would face a pool of 11 teams. On Saturday the 6th grade Vikings would take on Seargent Bluff, IA. The 6th grade Vikings had a slow start to their game as the shots would just not fall for them. They were able to overcome the lid on the basket but there would just not be enough time in the game. The Vikings fell with a score of 15-30.
The 6th grade Vikings took on New Ulm, MN later that day. The Vikings, in their signature fashion, like to make for exciting games and won this battle by 2 points, 26-24. Sunday the Vikings would take on the Badlands Bucks from Montana. This battle would not go in the Vikings favor as they lost 35-43.
The final game of the tournament was against Okoboji, IA. The boys would fight hard but just not get the baskets to fall in their favor. The boys would come up just short of another win. The final score was 32-39. Just like the 4th grade boys, the 6th grade boys would come home with valuable experience that only will help to make them better in the future. The memories made from this tournament will be priceless and be special to the team for many years to come.
This tournament ended the season for both teams. It was fun to watch both teams grow and play together as a team over the past 2 months. It will be exciting to see them back in action next year.
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