Wolverines too much to handle

BARSTOW • Last Saturday, the Lady Vikings of Barstow Community College played probably their best basketball of the season in beating Antelope Valley in overtime. The follow-up to that big victory didn’t go as well.

On Wednesday, the Vikings hosted San Bernardino Valley, a top-ranked team. The Wolverines jumped on top early and held a sizeable lead throughout, finishing with a 78-45 win in Foothill Conference play.

The Wolverines are currently ranked fourth in the state, a fact that may have played a part in the game’s outcome, according to Vikings coach Tim Woods.

“I think we were nervous because of their ranking,” he said. “We just didn’t execute our game plan. We didn’t do what we were supposed to do, that’s what’s so disappointing.”
Along with the offense, Valley displayed some tough defense, rattling the Vikings into a few turnovers in the early minutes. Some rushed passes and shots had Barstow playing from behind from the start.

Meanwhile, the Wolverines were converting from the field and the line, going 11-for-14 from the stripe in the first half, while the Vikings were 1-for-9. The visitors held a 43-13 lead at the half.

“We had a talk at halftime about how we got in the hole we were in,” said coach Woods. “The one positive I can take away from this game is that the team responded. We came out and played a much better second half; we should’ve done that in the first half.”

Barstow went on a couple of runs in the last 20 minutes, but by that time the Wolverines held a comfortable lead. Darsha’ Burnside was hard to stop, netting 10 points in the first half and 17 in the second, well above her 10-points-per-game average, while April Fultz scored her average of 12. In all, 12 Valley players got on the board.

The Vikings were led by Clarnisha Williams with 14 points, and Nisha Barrett with 13. Jazmyne Smith had nine points on three 3-point field goals, and grabbed four steals.

Woods was encouraged by how his team didn’t quit, even when trailing by such a margin.
“Even after the game, their spirits are still up,” the coach said of his players. “We could have laid down, but we didn’t. We had a much stronger second half and played all the way to the end.

“We’ll see them again, we’ll get another shot at them at their place (on Feb. 11). We’ll make some adjustments and hopefully have a better result.”

The Vikings’ next game is at Victor Valley on Saturday. The next home game is next Wednesday, Jan. 25, against the College of the Desert.