THUNDER BAY -- When the week began, it was the Westgate Tigers that ruled the senior girl’s high school basketball roost.
But second place wasn’t where the defending champion Hammarskjold Vikings wanted to be.
On Wednesday they knocked the Tigers from the ranks of the unbeaten, dropping them 52-48 to leave both teams with one loss in the Superior Secondary Schools Athletic Association standings.
On Saturday they did it again, capturing the Tiger Fall Classic with a 30-26 win on Westgate’s home court, doing with just six players in the lineup – and only five who saw action.
The Vikings leapt out to a 10-point advantage in the first half, but the host side wanted no part of a lopsided loss, cut the lead to three at the half and had a chance to take the lead late in the fourth quarter only to see Kayla Gallo’s go-ahead three-pointer start to drop before bouncing harmlessly away.
The win took everything the Vikings (7-1) had and more, said forward Sydney Charles, who collected baskets in each of the first three quarters, finished with six points and was named a tournament all-star.
“It’s crazy, considering we had such good players last year we were kind of nervous about it this year, but we pulled it through,” said Charles, adding the team’s confidence levels have been boosted with the pair of wins.
“We were super determined and super confident coming into it.”
Tournament most valuable player Madison Wigwas said the win was that much more special because of the shortened bench.
“Considering we only had five players, six of our players, it’s really good to come out and win this tournament,” said Wigwas, who put up seven points for the Tigers, who led 21-15 at the half.
“It was really tough. We only had one sub. It was hard worked. We switched up our defence. But it was really fun.”
Hammarskjold took a 12-6 lead into the second quarter and extended it to 10 on back-to-back buckets by Charles and Alison Brough, who led all scorers with eight.
But a Megan Rubin free throw brought it back to a one-possession game with less than two minutes to go at the half before Charles pushed it back to six in the final minute of the second period.
Wigwas spun and fired midway through the third to give the Vikings a seven-point lead again, but Keana Zyla and Brianne Walford went back-to-back and the lead was three after three.
It took the Tigers (8-1) more than five minutes into the fourth before they registered a bucket, but it was a big one, Samantha Read draining a trey that pulled Westgate within two, 28-26. Between the two teams, only two baskets from the field were recorded in the fourth.
“Basically we’ve just got to keep a positive mind set. We let it get in our heads a little bit, knowing we lost last game. Obviously we can compete with these guys easily. We’ve just got to keep it up,” Read said.
