Carol Colby | Aidan Sanchez forces OT with an off-balance floater
The Breckenridge Cowboys knew they’d have to bring 110 percent effort in order to hang with Heart O’ Lakes Conference rival Pelican Rapids on Friday night.
Breckenridge proved up to the challenge, but the Vikings matched them every step of the way in a 71-64 overtime win.
To begin the ballgame, Breckenridge (7-8) appeared destined for a dud on its home court, as Pelican Rapids (12-3) connected on a barrage of baseline threes — six to be exact.
The Vikings built a 16-point lead by parking in the corner and knocking down uncontested jumpers. Breckenridge trailed 33-23 heading into the break.
The lead hovered around 10 points for much of the second half, before Cooper Roberts and Jaxson Riggs caught fire. Roberts burrowed his way inside for three and-one opportunities and Riggs exploded for 18 of his career-high 25 points in the final 12 minutes.
Utilizing a Dirk Nowitzki-like fadeaway, Riggs cut the deficit to 62-60 with 1:05 remaining.
The transition jumper was made possible when Avery Smith jumped the passing lane for a steal and quickly got the ball into the hands of Riggs, who patiently dribbled up the right side before shifting gears and striking from the short corner.
Charlie Larson’s three-pointer rattled out on the ensuing possession, giving the Cowboys a chance to tie the game for the first time. The Vikings tipped away a paint-entry pass intended for Roberts, setting Breckenridge up on the baseline with 10.5 seconds remaining.
Sanchez lobbed the ensuing inbound pass to Riggs, who narrowly snatched it away from 6-foot-7 Jack Welch on the perimeter. Riggs couldn’t get around Welch and instead dished to Sanchez on the wing — putting into motion a poetic sequence of basketball moves.
Sanchez shoulder-faked Channing Russman, slide-stepped to his right and found himself face to face with gigantic Jack Welch. The Viking center bit on the shot fake and contorted his body in midair, attempting to avoid a shooting foul. The Cowboy guard stepped through as Welch fell to the floor, sinking an 18-foot teardrop as time expired and sending the game to overtime tied at 62-62.
The Vikings buckled down in the bonus period, outscoring Breckenridge 9-2 for a 71-64 win.
Miguel Torres led the Vikings (12-3) with 19 points, followed by 14 from Welch (8/8 FTs), 11 from Grady Larson and nine from Charlie Larson.
Along with the 25 points from Riggs, Breckenridge (7-8) received 12 from Sanchez, 10 from Roberts and nine from Levi Christensen.
