Vikings shade Heat in 14C showdown

HOT SPRINGS – There is some sickness floating around the Hot Springs Savage Heat girls locker room and that is of no help when you have a big game to play.

Feeling the sickness, the under-the-weather Savage Heat lost a showdown game with District 14C rival Charlo 57-42. Clinching the outright league title with the win, coach Bret Thompson's Vikings improved to 10-0 in conference play and 18-0 overall with the win while the Savage Heat fell to 8-2 in league action and 16-2 overall.

Owners of the No. 1 seed into the tournament this week in Ronan, Charlo will play the winner of Thursday's game between St. Regis and Noxon at 6:15 p.m. Friday while Hot Springs will await the winner between Plains and Two Eagle River at 2:45 p.m. Friday.

In other action last week, the Heat won an unexpectedly close game at St. Regis 48-43 Thursday.

Coach Richard Jackson had no problem identifying what was bothering his team last week. "We were sick, sick , sick last week," he said. "Sydney (his point guard daughter) was sick and in bed most of the day before we played Charlo and a lot of the other girls are sick too."

Still, it is difficult to discredit the effort Charlo put in in posting the big win.

"You can't take anything away from Charlo," Jackson said. "They had a good game plan and executed it very well. They beat us fair and square."

Live Smith led the Lady Vikes with 15 points and Carlee Fryberger chipped in with 12.

Katelyn Christensen led the Savage Heat with 12 points, McKennzie Cannon scored 10, Sydney Jackson and Brianna Gray six apiece, Irene Bravo four and Lizzy Fisher and Sage Jackson two apiece.

Sage Jackson's two points were especially poignant as she had major knee surgery within the last two weeks. By agreement between the teams, Sage was helped out on to the court and positioned under Hot Springs' basket.

After the opening tip, the ball was then given to Jackson by her twin sister Sydney and Sage made the game's first two points, before being helped off the court by Sydney and Smith from Charlo.

"That was a class act by Charlo and coach Thompson," coach Jackson commented. "It was Sage's idea to do this and thanks to Charlo it went down really nicely."

Hot Springs allowed Charlo to score on its first possession to make the score 2-2 before the game really started.

In St. Regis, the Heat managed to escape with the win. Sydney Jackson scored a team-high 15 points to lead Hot Springs, Christensen added 13, Cannon 10, Fisher six and Lily Winn and Emma Rae Rassmussen two apiece.

Macy Hill scored 16 points and Sunny Shoupe 10 for St. Regis.