By William / www.mcpherson-county-ks.com

LINDSBORG – The Smoky Valley boys basketball team began the new year the way they ended the pre-holiday break, with a win as they out gunned Hoisington at home on Tuesday, 67-55.

The Vikings opened the first quarter by out pointing Hoisington by two, 16-14 before adding six to their lead and taking an eight-point, 32-24, advantage into the halftime break.

Hoisington clipped two points off their deficit but still trailed Smoky Valley 49-43 after the third quarter before the Vikings finished out with the final 12-point victory.

The Vikings out gunned the visitors by shooting 53% from the field while Hoisington connected on 40%. Both teams made 50% of their three-point shots with the Vikings hitting 10 and Hoisington making six.

Four Vikings reached double digits in the score column led by Karson Pihl and Trayton Miller with 17 and 16 points, respectively. Pihl and Miller combined to make nine of the teams 10 three pointers, with Pihl hitting four and Miller making five. Haven Lysell-Stewart and Vincent Pickering also reached double digits with 11 points each.

Kade Blanchat led the team in rebounds with six while Lukas Apel directed the offense with four assists. Besides leading the team in scoring, Pihl also toped the team in steals with four while dishing out three assists. Four Vikings blocked a total of six shots.

WHAT’S NEXT FOR the SMOKY VALLEY VIKINGS?

With the win the Viking boys are now 2-4 for the 2021-22 season as they get a week off before returning to the competitive hoops on Tuesday, January 11 when they host Halstead.

Hoisington at SMOKY VALLEY VIKINGS

SCORING:        1          2          3          4          FINAL

Hoisington      14        10        19        12        55       

VIKINGS           16        16        17        18        67       

TEAM STATS:              Hoisington      VIKINGS          

Shooting                     18/45 (40%)    26/49 (53%)

3-Pointers                   6/12 (50%)      10/20 (50%)

Free Throws                10/17 (58%)    5/13 (36%)

Rebounds (Off/Def)    18 (4/14)         23 (9/14)

Assists                         6                      13       

Turnovers                   13                    12

Steals                          9                      8

Blocked Shots             1                      6

Personal Fouls            15                    16

SMOKY VALLEY VIKINGS INDIVIDUAL SCORING & STAT LEADERS:

Scoring (67 Total Points): Karson Pihl – 17; Trayton Miller – 16; Vincent Pickering – 11; Haven Lysell-Stewart – 11; Lukas Apel – 6; Kade Blanchat – 2; Kian Blanchat – 2; Gus Griffith – 2.

Three-Pointers Made (10): Trayton Miller – 5; Karson Pihl – 4; Lukas Apel – 1.

Rebound Leaders: Kade Blanchat – 6; Gus Griffith, Trayton Miller – 4; Vincent Pickering, Haven Lysell-Stewart – 3.

Assist Leader: Lukas Apel – 4; Karson Pihl – 3.

Leader in Steals: Karson Pihl – 4.

Leader in Blocked Shots: Haven Lysell-Stewart, Trayton Miller – 2; Kade Blanchat, Vincent Pickering – 1.