North Boone well-tested for Big Northern readiness

By Chris Johnson

REPORTER

The North Boone Vikings boys’ basketball team ran into trouble closing down 2016. The competition wasn’t set up for anything but big challenges each night.

On Friday, Dec. 23 the Belvidere Bucs took down the Vikings 61-26. Woodstock followed suit in game play at Marengo, coming away with the 71-40 win.

A game against Round Lake was the best of the bunch for North Boone. They had seen different styles of basketball used against them in their previous two losses. In the game against Round Lake, the strategy worked better.

North Boone hung in, down five points, 15-10, after the first period of play.

In the second period, the scoring output increased for the Vikings. More chances were counted as their output reached a 20-percent improvement over the period before. At the half, North Boone was still in the game, down 33-22.

The Panthers offense was too quick in the third. It forced foul attempts and kept the Vikings trying to stay on target.

As Round Lake raced out to 27 points in the period, while stretching their lead to 60-36, North Boone steadily got better, scoring 14 points in the period.

The fourth was a period where additional players were given the opportunity to see quality time on the floor. Coaches looked at what they had available on the bench; they knew a playoff run meant keeping everybody aware of how things are begin done.

North Boone entered 2017 from Wisconsin with a cross-border clash with Clinton. The Cougars won the Milk Can Game by a final of 87-53 as the Vikings sailed on to prepare for one of the top teams in the Big Northern Conference, Winnebago, on Tuesday, Jan. 10 The quick stop home was the last one scheduled for North Boone through the remainder of the month of January.

February opens with a showdown at home against the Dixon Dukes, a team hanging around the main body of the teams chasing the conference leaders. A visit to Rockford Christian has been scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 4.

Over the final five games of the regular season, the Vikings get to enjoy an extended stay at home featuring four of five games against Big Northern opponents.

As the IHSA Selection Committee is making its picks for the top teams in the Byron Sectional Complex, North Boone will face Rockford Christian Life on Monday, Feb. 13, Stillman Valley a night later and Genoa-Kingston on Friday, Feb. 17 to close the regular season portion of the winter sports schedule.

The playoffs begin the week of Monday, Feb. 20 and North Boone will get the chance to take everything they have learned over their past few weeks of games and put it together for a hopefully, timely win streak, riding into March.