Vikings quiet Noxon twice, Mission once

Steering away from fouls and turnovers, the Charlo Vikings stayed on top of a lead to beat Noxon 51-46 on Friday, then kept cruising with a 81-27 win over Mission on Saturday.

The two-game win streak at home kept the Vikings on the winning side of things the past couple weeks. The game against Noxon presented the Vikings an opportunity for a little revenge and they did what it took to get the job done after establishing a 12-7 lead in the first quarter.

Consistently playing their game, the Vikings maintained the slight lead each quarter thereafter and a five-point win in the end.

The Vikings finished right where they began. 

“I thought it was a good rebound from the first time we played them,” head coach Mike Brown said.

Banging at the basket for boards and winning the free throw contest, the Vikings won the game with maturity. 

Senior Josh Sharbono held up his end of the bargain. The big man made the plays that counted, snatching up eight defensive and seven offensive rebounds. In a five-point win, a little less work on Sharbono’s end could have tipped the scales against the Vikings.

Sharbono wasn’t alone. Senior Clay Hoyt and freshman Tyler Krell each fought for seven rebounds as well.

At the free throw line, the Vikings shot an impressive 13-16 to Noxon’s 4-14.

Focus was on Charlo’s side in this one.

Top scorers were Sharbono with 10, junior Chance Firestone with eight, and Hoyt and freshman Dillon Delaney with six a piece.

Riding the big win from the night before, the Vikings thought they would do it once more when Mission came to town.

Brown’s team passed the ball well and kept it in Viking hands, finishing with 27 assists and only six turnovers.

“When you play that kind of ball you should win,” Brown said.

And after the big win against Noxon, the rivalry game was a must-win for the Vikings.

“That was a big win for us,” Brown said. “I told the boys that if we couldn’t seal the deal in the Mission game, that Noxon game would be a loss,” he said.

The big win gave the team a chance to prove how far they had come after a much closer with battle in Mission the first time the two teams met early in the season.

“It was a statement game for us,” he said.

After the loss of sophomore Shiloh Kerr, Brown has counted on sophomore Chance Rosenbaum to fill in the open position.

Rosenbaum can fill those shoes, Brown said.

“If you got Chance on the floor, you know what you’re going to get,” Brown said. “You got somebody who’s gonna get out there and play hard and he’s gonna bust his hump and get the boards. And you can’t ask for more than that.”

Chance Rosenbaum said he is ready for more time on the floor, and is motivated by the opportunity. 

The leading scorers was Clay Hoyt, who score 14 of his 22 points in a breakaway second quarter that may well have won the Vikings the game in the first half. Junior Houston Blevins scored 14 and freshman Kolten Andrews had ten.

The Vikings play next at 5:30 p.m. on Friday at Two Eagle River in Pablo then host Hot Springs at 7 p.m. on Saturday in Charlo.