Vikings trample Toppers

COLFAX — In their only game of the week, the Colfax boy’s basketball team made the most of it as they used a 16-0 lead to finish with a 67-34 win in a conference match up with Glenwood City Dec. 20 in their home gym.

Although it took almost two minutes before either team scored before Austin Huss went to work for the Vikings, and after he got started he was pretty much unstoppable the rest of the game. Huss hit  11 baskets, all from close range to go with six of seven free throws for a game high 28 points in the game. Ten of those points came in a 16-0 run for the Vikings to start the game, with Cody Zivcic adding a fast break lay up, Sawyer DeMoe hit a short shot and Zivcic found an open Ben Kragness under the hoop for a bucket.

The Toppers broke their scoring drought with a bucket by Tyler Nueske with 1:38 left in the quarter. But Zivcic, after getting stopped on a baseline drive, dribbled around in a circle and drove the middle of the lane for a layup.(making the local reporter a little dizzy watching him). Ethin Kiekhafer followed that with a drive through the lane for a 20-6 lead to end the quarter.

“We followed our game plan of driving to the basket pretty well,” Colfax coach Andy Meade said. “We wanted to be aggressive on both sides of the ball and that helped us take a big lead.”

The three “J” boys added to the scoring column in the second quarter for the Vikings as Jeremiah Wait hit a free throw, Joe Wahl put in a bucket and Jarrod Rudi dropped in a pair of free tosses and the Toppers were held scoreless until the 3:54 mark of the quarter as Colfax took a 33-17 lead into the break.

Huss continued to roll as he connected on five deuces and a free toss to go with single baskets by DeMoe, Kiekhafer and Zivcic while Rudi canned a triple to end the third quarter with the Vikings up 53-29.

Huss added a pair of shots from underneath, the second off a steal and end to end layup before his night ended with five minutes left in the game. Zivcic added another spinning lay up, Grant Phillips canned a three ball and Rudi put the finishing touches on the win with a short jumper with 20 seconds left.

“I thought we got some valuable minutes from our bench players and that will help us as we head into the second half of the season,” Meade said.

Colfax is off until Jan. 4 when they travel to Mondovi.

COLFAX (67) Huss 11-6-7-28, Zivcic 6-0-0-13, Rudi 2-3-4-8, DeMoe 2-0-0-4, Kiekhafer 2-0-0-4, Wahl 1-2-3-4, Phillips 1-0-0-3, Kragness 1-0-0-2, Wait 0-1-2-1

GLENWOOD CITY (34) R. Ross 3-5-6-11, Nueske 3-1-2-8, M. Kadinger 2-0-1-6, J. Hierlmeier 2-1-2-5, C. Wagner 1-2-3-4

THREE POINTERS: Kadinger 2, Rudi 1, Phillips 1, Zivcic 1, Nueske 1