PARKVILLE, MO- The Vikings traveled south Wednesday night to take on the Park Pirates in their 10th conference matchup of the season. After a hard fought 40 minutes the Vikings fell to the Pirates 68-66. The Vikings were led by Jacob Koontz and his 16 points on 8-12 shooting throughout the night. 

HOW IT HAPPENED: The Pirates jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead before the Jaxson Young was able to convert a 3 point play to get the Vikings offense rolling. The teams would trade baskets until Noah Hart connected on a three pointer to give the Vikings their first lead of the game. The Pirates would quickly take the lead back over the next few minutes. As the clock ticked under 5 minutes the teams exchanged baskets as the Vikings connected on 5 straight baskets to score 13 points and take back the lead. Cecil Lee III was able to hit a pair of free throws with under 30 seconds to stretch the Vikings first half lead to 4 points, 35-31. The Vikings hit 40.6% of their shots in the first half and collected 7 steals in the first 20 minutes. 

As the second half started Young got the Vikings rolling again as he sliced through the lane to score another layup. Young would collect a defensive rebound shortly after and found Markell Hood cutting through the lane to assist on another Grand View Layup. The Vikings would start to open up their lead as they went on a run to control the game by 11 points, 49-38. The teams would trade baskets through the media timeout before the pirates would begin to climb back into the game. And with under 5 minutes to play the teams were tied at 57. Both teams would trade baskets until the Pirates would connect on a layup with 56 seconds to play. The Vikings would have a few opportunities at the end of the game to steal the win but were unable to connect on any of the shots as they fell 68-66. 

GAME NOTES:

• Grand Views bench outscored the Pirates bench 27-14
• The Vikings dominated in the paint scoring 44 points 
• The Vikings did not shot a free throw in the second half
• 3 different Vikings were in double figures

What is Next? 
The Vikings will take on Missouri Valley this coming Saturday at 2:00 PM in Marshall, MO as the Vikings look to pick up their 4th conference win of the season.