Print E-Mail AIM

Vikings keeping their eyes on the prize

Shaun Scott

Vikings forward Mandy Malkuch knew how important it was for the Puyallup Vikings to defeat one of their biggest rivals.

So Malkuch wasn’t pleased when Emerald Ridge point guard Taylor Buie hit a three-pointer as time expired in the first period, giving her team a 9-8 lead.

Emerald Ridge’s lead was short-lived.

Puyallup outscored Emerald Ridge 39-24 in the final three quarters en route to a 47-35 victory on Jan. 28 at Puyallup High School. In the third period, the Vikings led by as many as 16 points. The Vikings currently are in second place in the SPSL South with a league record of 11-2.

“We have to win every game from here on out to stay in that second spot and possibly get into that first place,” Malkuch said. “We have to go into every game thinking we’re going to come out on top.”

The Vikings relied heavily upon Malkuch and center Justine Berry to get their team on track after a sub-par first period. Berry finished with a team-high 13 points and Malkuch chipped in 11 points, swishing open jumpers from the top of the key throughout the evening.

“Justine (Berry) and Mandy (Malkuch) had good games but we had four players who scored close to 10 points tonight,” Vikings head coach Dan Picha said. “A lot of teams have one go to player. We have a number of girls we can rely on when we need to. We spread the ball around.”

Emerald Ridge caught fire in the fourth period, slicing Puyallup’s lead to eight points with four minutes left in regulation.

“They like to run and for a while there we had trouble handling their pressure,” Picha admitted. “Once we adjusted we were able to slow them down.”

Emerald Ridge guard Audrey Sullivan tallied a game-high 17 points in the loss.

Picha said the key to the game was getting the ball into the post.

“With Justine’s size, we feel we are in a position where we can control things when she has the ball,” Picha said. “Once that happens they double-teamed her and it opened things up for our other players.”

Picha is hopeful his team will continue its hot streak throughout the remainder of the regular season and into the postseason.

“We’re still battling to have a share of the (SPSL) league title,” Picha said. “We’re going to keep taking it one game at a time.”