Posen?s first win comes in an O.T. nail biter, 62-57;
Win number one for the Viking boys basketball team could not have come at a better time, or against a better opponent. Posen played tough defense in the final two minutes of regulation to force overtime and the extra time was just what the Vikings needed as they outscored Mio, 7-2, to put away the win, 62-57. Posen (1-2, 1-1) overcame a 34-point effort from Steve Sidebottom and a buzzer-beating three-point attempt by Thomas Passmore that clanged high off the rim. The boys were also able to hang on, even though Mio had possession of the ball for nearly three minutes in regulation and overtime, with the Vikings touching the ball for only a second. With 1:56 left, the Thunderbolts were content to take time off the clock with the score knotted at 55. Jordan Hincka came up with what appeared to be a big time steal but was called for a charge as he became tangled up with another player. Mio took the clock down to 7.7 seconds, but Passmore missed the shot. The Thunderbolts had possession to open up overtime and took off another 44 seconds before Posen finally got to do something with the ball.
THE VIKINGS seemed to step up their defense another notch in OT. Jason Romel got the scoring started with two free throws, but key field goals by Hincka and Nick LaTulip gave the Red and White that first win, and the school?s fourth consecutive win against what has always been one of the premiere basketball programs in northern Michigan. Mio had come into the game 2-0. First year coach Steve Hentkowski said he wanted to limit the number of times Sidebottom touched the ball. ?That was a big key for us,? Hentkowski said. ?The bench came through big time. Our post play was excellent tonight. The fast break wasn?t there tonight, but we didn?t need it, because we were able to pound it in.? Hincka led Posen with 13, but Matt Szczerowski and LaTulip combined for 23 down low. Szczerowski led the Vikes with 14 rebounds. After dropping the North Star League opener last Friday at home to Au Gres, 55-46, Posen was stuck with the task of getting the first win against an always tough Mio squad. The second half against Au Gres was a tough one for the Vikes and things didn?t start off very good Tuesday as the T-Bolts opened the game with a 9-0 run. Posen fans, who started squirming in their seats, needed to buckle in as the game was just starting to heat up.
HINCKA?S THREE pointer provided a scoring spark at the 5:30 mark of the first. While the offense got on the board, the defense stopped Mio cold the rest of the quarter, as the Vikes went on a 12-0 run. ?I just kept mixing up my defenses to keep them off balance,? said Hentkowski. The score was 12-9 at the end of the first quarter. The Vikings built the lead to nine, 26-17, on a Jason Romel jumper. Hincka made it double digits with a pair of free throws, 28-17. The T-Bolts hit some treys from downtown and were down by eight at halftime, 31-23. Sidebottom continued hitting from deep and put Mio within three, before Posen got on track offensively midway through the third quarter.
Hincka scored two on a fast break to put the Vikes up by seven, which was followed by a field goal by Matt Styma to make it a nine-point advantage. Mio called a timeout, but Hincka scored on the inbound pass to put Posen up by 11, 43-32. Sidebottom made two more threes before the end of the third. The score heading into the fourth was 46-43. The score was tied up at 46 after a goaltending call, but the Vikes didn?t buckle on what seemed to be a tough call that went against them.
ROMEL MADE one of several sensational passes to open players to give the Vikings a 50-48 lead. LaTulip couldn?t have been more open next to the rim and easily put down the shot. Sidebottom tied the score at 50 on a jumper, and at the 2:56 mark off the fourth, after Richie Kroll gave Posen a one point lead, 53-52, Sidebottom came out of a Vikings timeout and nailed another three, giving the Thunderbolts their first lead since early in the first quarter. Again, the Vikings held tough, getting a pair of free throws from Szczerowski to tie the score at 55-55. That?s when Mio took the rest of the time off the clock. The Thunderbolts played aggressive defense fro
The margin of victory could have been an even larger one in overtime if Posen hadn?t missed 10 free throws. Hentkowski said it?s something that will be addressed. Hincka had 13 points in Friday?s loss to Au Gres, while Szczerowski had 11. Turnovers were a big problem as the Vikes had four in the first half and fell apart with 15 in the second.
THE POSEN JV (2-1, 2-0) has been playing extremely well according to coach Gary Bisson with back-to-back North Star League victories. Derek King and Paul Kroll both had a double double in a 64-36 win against Mio. King had 18 pints and 10 boards, while Paul Kroll scored a dozen points and 16 boards. On Friday, King had a game-high 18 points in a 50-38 win against Au Gres. He added 12 rebounds. Paul Kroll had 12 points and 17 boards.