The Viking boys’ basketball team fought tooth-and-nail at the ninth annual Wolverine Classic in Anchorage this weekend — ultimately losing all three of their games.
But as KFSK’s Shelby Herbert reports, two players received special recognition for their performance.
The Vikings lost their games to three other 4A schools — each, a lot bigger than Petersburg High School. But when the dust settled, a tournament committee recognized Petersburg High School seniors Rik Cumps and Hunter Conn for their star performances.
Cumps was named player of the game for Petersburg’s first and third games, against home team South Anchorage High School and Mountain City Academy, respectively. Conn received the same honor for Petersburg’s second game, against Lathrop [LAY-throp] High.
At the end of the tournament, a committee selected the top ten players to compete in a special alternate game. Hunter Conn was picked for that game, and ended up getting an award for the best overall play.
Despite their losses, the Vikings improved with every game they played. Petersburg took a heavy loss against home team Anchorage South on their first night. The Wolverines won 59-to-38. Rick Brock, who coaches the Petersburg boys, said his players scored evenly across the entire game.
The next day, the Vikings faced off against Lathrop High School in their first of two games. Brock said Petersburg had a rough time out of the gate, but they picked up speed after the first quarter.
“I think we went scoreless for a good five minutes to that ballgame in the first quarter,” said Brock. “So, we were behind again — double figures in the first half. But then we scored more points than they did in the second half.”
Petersburg had a strong performance in the second half of the game, but the Lathrop Malamutes won by 20. The final score: 63-to-43.
The Vikings pressed on to their final game against Mountain City Academy, but without one of their key players. Senior Kieran Cabral sprained his ankle halfway through the tournament.
“I ended up taking him out — he only played part of the second half against Lathrop,” said Brock. “So, we decided not to play him against Mountain City, just as a precautionary [sic] for this coming weekend.”
Nevertheless, Petersburg played their best of three games against Mountain City Academy. The Vikings came up just two points short, with the Lions winning 42-to-40.
Petersburg’s homecoming games are coming up this weekend. They’ll face off against their high school rival — the Wrangell Wolves — on Friday and Saturday night.
The Vikings bested the Wolves early this month in Wrangell’s homecoming game. But Brock said victory isn’t completely assured this weekend. He said he was impressed with the Wolves’ recent performance against Metlakatla, and anticipates a hard rematch for the Vikings.
