Lady Vikings take big OT win

There are certain wins that are such a big emotional boost, they can affect a team’s fortunes far into the future. The Barstow Community College women’s basketball squad may indeed have picked up one of those special victories in their latest match.

Barstow hosted Antelope Valley on Saturday, a team against whom they historically don’t have much success. The Vikings hadn’t beaten the Lady Marauder for seven years, but that all changed with an exciting, 65-62 overtime win in Foothill Conference play.

The teams went in with similar records, 12-6, 2-1 for the Marauder and 12-5, 1-2 for the Vikings. Antelope, however, did have that seven-year thing in its favor, and the Vikings would have to be on their game in order to emerge with the win.

That was accomplished with a true team effort, as several different players stepped it up in different moments in order to keep the momentum going, force overtime, and be on top when the final buzzer sounded.

“This is what we’ve been talking about all week, different players stepping up when we need them to,” said Vikings coach Tim Woods. “We had two good days of practice after our last game (a win over Rio Hondo last Wednesday), and we played well today.”

It was a win the home team had to battle to achieve. The Marauder had the slight edge in the first half, slightly outscoring the Vikings and consistently beating them off the boards. Antelope’s Ashleigh Wilson was the big player of the first half, collecting 10 points. Five different Vikings scored, led by Jazmyne Smith’s seven points. Smith hit a shot with three seconds left, to get her team within five, trailing, 25-20, at the half.

The Vikings’ Nisha Barrett, who’s leading BCC with an 18 point-per-game average, wasn’t a factor in the first 20 minutes. The Barstow native was assessed two personal fouls early on, and spent much of the first half on the bench. Woods was pleased with how the other players kept pace in her absence.

“It hurt us to have Nisha sitting for much of the first,” said the coach. “But we stayed within striking distance, and that’s what’s important.”

Indeed, the Vikings were still very much in it at halftime, and not only would Barrett go foul-free for the remainder of the game, she got her offense in gear. She made her presence known, lighting up the board for 15 points in the second. Ieshia Alladin and Jasmine Brooks each hit from the outside, as did Smith.

Smith, in fact, had a huge second half. She hit a pair of treys, both of which were key. Her first three came with 13:20 left, putting the Vikings up, 32-30, their first lead since the opening minutes of the first half. The second came a few minutes later, regaining a two-point lead after Antelope had again gone on top. Then with 3.6 seconds left and the visitors up by two, Smith was fouled grabbing a defensive rebound and went 2-for-2 from the stripe, to tie it up at 57-57, where it remained at the horn, forcing OT.

“That was some clutch shooting at the line by Jazmyne to get us to overtime,” said Woods.

The Marauder took an early lead in the extra period, ahead by three, but a field goal by Alladin cut it back to one. Clarnisha Williams sank a shot with 1:20 to go, which put the Vikings ahead, 63-62, and it was a lead they’d hang onto. With 1.1 left, Smith again contributed, again being fouled and again sinking both shots, for the three-point win.

Smith and Barrett were the Vikings’ high-scorers, with 17 points apiece, with Smith also helping herself to four steals. Williams had 10 points and seven rebounds.

Antelope’s Maurisha McKissic led all scorers with 21 points, 18 of which came in the second half.

“We didn’t want to lose, that’s what it came down to,” said Woods. “Everyone on the bench kept saying, we’re going to win. We never had any doubt.”

“We really wanted it,” agreed Williams. “We had good team chemistry going.”

“Everyone came out fresh and ready to work today,” said Alladin. “It’s important to have confidence in your teammates, and we trust each other. We worked well together.”

“Everyone is on the same page,” added Barrett.

It gave the Vikings their 13th win, and made it an even 2-2 in conference. It’s a victory the team is looking to build on.

“After losing our first two league games, we had to get something going,” said Smith. “This was a big win. It feels like everything’s coming together.”

Men fall to Marauder
The Viking men played well against a strong Antelope squad, but didn’t have as good an outcome. The Marauders were able to hang on for their 15th win of the season, beating Barstow, 78-69, on Saturday.

The Vikings got off to a good start, taking an early lead. They were up by 10 when Antelope called a time-out with 9:32 left in the first half.

“I wish the game could have ended there,” joked Barstow coach Reggie Howard. “It’s been our downfall when playing zone; the other team will start to figure out where to make the extra pass. And they’re a very good team.”

The Vikings kept it close through the rest of the first, thanks in large measure to the hot hand of Abdi Faras, who scored 15 points, including two 3-pointers. Antelope did well from the perimeter as well, hitting five three’s, three of which came from Da’Shawn Gomez. The visitors held a one-point edge at the break.

The Marauder went on a few runs in the second, twice building up 10-point leads, but couldn’t quite shake the Vikings, who went on a couple of runs of their own. With 1:27 to go, Antelope’s lead was down to five, but in the time left, the Vikings hurt themselves with some rushed shots.

“We made a couple of selfish plays down the stretch, made some early shots, and squandered it,” said Howard. “We have to be smart enough to understand that five points is not that big a deficit. We can take a little time; the first guy up the court doesn’t have to jack it up.”

Antelope took advantage of some late fouls to pad its lead. Sean Boston went 5-for-5 from the line, while Gomez was 5-for-8.

There were three Vikings in double figures. Faras led the way with 21 points, seven rebounds, while Terrance Taylor had 20 points, including four three’s, and five assists, and Cheikh Fall had 12 points.

A good effort, but not good enough for Barstow’s sixth win.

“They have a very good team, and we made a few mistakes,” said Howard. “You can’t make those mistakes against a quality team.”

Local fans can see the Vikings play again this Wednesday, as they host San Bernardino Valley. The women’s game starts at 5 p.m., with the men tipping off at 7.