North Boone takes game from Harvard

By Chris Johnson

REPORTER

The North Boone Vikings beat the Harvard Hornets on Tuesday, Dec. 6, 48-45. The win was the first of the season over the Kishwaukee River Valley Conference member Harvard.

The win stopped a losing streak that caused a structural effect on the team. Things began to fall apart a little bit as they saw games slip away to teams who were similar to themselves.

South Beloit won by 16, 46-30 and Pecatonica won by 13, 56-43. The winless streak was stopped after the Harvard contest ended.

The reality of the Big Northern Conference schedule hit the Vikings head-on, on Friday, Dec. 9, as they ran into the Byron Tigers on the road. The hosts were not hospitable as they poured on the points in an 85-28 decision. The Tigers took control following a successful opening shot that carried them to an over 21-points per quarter average in the victory.

Non-conference matches and tournament games are scheduled for North Boone, as 2016 comes to a close.

On Saturday, Dec. 17 the Big Northern schedule takes a break with a match against Dixon.

The Milk Can Game against Clinton, Wis. will be held on Saturday, Jan. 7. The seasonal honors are bestowed upon the victory, and the Vikings hope this year will be theirs.

Big Northern games against the state-ranked Winnebago Indians appear on the schedule on Tuesday, Jan. 10, and other Big Northern Conference matches help wind down the January season of the winter sports schedule.

Wins in games against Rock Falls, Mendota, and Rockford Christian could help give North Boone a better chance to advance into the upcoming February State Basketball Playoffs.

With a record that sits strongly below the .500 mark facing the Vikings as they close down 2016 and welcome in 2017, the picture has been drawn. The challenges may be too many to count at the time, but the growth the team will experience is expected to help smooth out the transition period the team finds itself in.

The 2016-2017 regular season comes to a close for the North Boone Vikings following completion of a home stand which starts with Christian Life on Monday, Feb. 13 and ends with Genoa-Kingston on Friday, Feb. 17.

The High School Basketball State Playoffs begin the week of Monday, Feb. 20, and North Boone will have plenty of opportunities to find ways to get better as that deadline approaches.

Regardless of what happens during a regular season, the post-season provides teams otherwise counted out, the chance to pull off the upset and march towards the dream of hoisting the Championship Trophy.

In theory, a low-seed team needs to discover a six-game win streak to get their shot at the state title in the championship game.