By William / www.mcpherson-county-ks.com
LINDSBORG = The Smoky Valley boys won their third game in a row on Friday by taking command of the game in the second quarter at home against Nickerson and playing out to earn a 28-point, 73-45 victory.
Leading by just four, 22-18, at the end of the first quarter, the Vikings put another 18 points on the board in the second quarter while holding Nickerson to under ten giving them a 15-point, 40-25 advantage at the halftime break. In the final two quarters, Smoky Valley scored another 33 points while keeping the visitors at 20 to gain the final 28-point win.
Shooting 53% from the field helped the Vikings as did out rebounding Nickerson 31-17.
Haven Lysell-Stewart led the Vikings in scoring with 21 while both Vincent Pickering and Trayton Miller also reached double digits with 17 and 12 points, respectively. Both Pickering and MIller made three three-pointers.
Lysell-Stewart also topped the team in rebounds with seven.
With the win, the Vikings are now above .500 for the season at 9-8 as they prepare for a road trip on Tuesday when they got to Pratt.
THE GAME: 1 2 3 4 FINAL
Nickerson 18 7 10 10 45
VIKINGS 22 18 19 14 73
Nickerson Team Stats: FG 15/41 (36%); 3-PTR 7/26 (26%); FT 9/15 (60%); AST n/a; REBS 17; TO 12; STLS 6; BLK 0; PF 16.
SMOKY VALLEY VIKINGS TEAM STATS: FG 26/49 (53%); 3-PTR 6/16 (37%); FT 15/22 (68%); AST 11; REBS 31; TO 6; STLS 9; BLK 1; PF 15.
SMOKY VALLEY VIKINGS INDIVIDUAL STAT LEADERS: SCORING (73 total points): Haven Lysell-Stewart – 21; Vincent Pickering – 17; Trayton Miller – 12; Kade Blanchat – 5; Karson Pihl – 4; Gus Griffith – 4; Tristan Stambaugh – 4; Justice Autry – 3; Lukas Apel – 2; Jerome Autry – 1. 3-POINTERS MADE (6): Pickering, Miller – 3. ASSISTS: Pihl – 3; Apel, Miller, Lysell-Stewart – 2. REBOUNDS: Lysell-Stewart – 7; Apel – 4; Pihl, Miller, Pickering, Griffith – 3. STEALS: Lysell-Stewart, Pihl, Miller – 2. BLOCKED SHOTS: Miller – 1.