Spring Valley Cardinals fly past Colfax Vikings
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By Marlys Kruger
Sports Correspondent
SPRING VALLEY — The Colfax boys’ basketball team traveled to Spring Valley Dec. 17 to take on the Cardinals, one of the favorites to finish near the top of the Dunn-St. Croix Conference this season.
All five starters for the Cardinals are seniors and all of them have plenty of varsity experience.
The Vikings kept the game close for most of the first half but the Cardinals eventually pulled away for a 69-48 win to bring their record to 4-1 while the Vikings dropped to 1-4.
Colfax had their offense in sync early on as Orion Nichols scored five points on a bucket and a triple while Theo Hovde canned his own trey for an 8-2 lead.
The Cardinals pulled ahead 11-10 but Russell Polkoski dropped in a free throw to knot the score.
Down 16-13, Polkoski drilled a three point shot to make it 16-16 and the Vikings fell behind by three once again before Trey Larson drained a triple to tie things up at 19-19.
Spring Valley began to show their physicality in the paint, scoring on their third offensive rebound. But, once again, Colfax tied it, this time on an Aiden Fischer shot.
The Cardinals controlled the paint, scoring their next 12 points on six shots from close range as they pulled out to a 33-22 lead.Fischer stopped the run with a deuce but that’s all the Vikings could score as the half ended with the Cardinals up 38-24.
Nichols started the second half much like the first, canning a triple but it was all Spring Valley for the next eight minutes as the Vikings came up empty on their next nine possessions.
They managed to get shots off but they just were not falling into the hoop and the Cardinals led 46-27 before Larson finally connected for a triple.
Polkoski added a couple of free tosses, Nichols scored from close range and when Charlie Charbonneau scored his first two points of the game it was a 20 point lead for Spring Valley at 56-36.
Polkoski and Nichols both scored in the paint and Larson came up with a quick five points on two layups and a free toss. Senior Hunter Roberts scored his first varsity points on a shot from behind the arc to finish off the Colfax scoring.
Nichols was the leading scorer for the Vikings with 15 points while Larson tacked on 11. Fischer, the Vikings leading scorer with a 27 point average, finished with seven. Colfax drained seven triples including three by Nichols and the team was 5-for-9 at the foul line.
Cade Stasiak and Caleb Bartko, the two leading scorers for the Cardinals combined for 46 points as Bartko scored 29 points on 14 shots from close range and a free toss while Stasiak added 17 points on five deuces, a triple and four free tosses. Spring Valley made four treys and went 5-for-9 from the charity stripe.
The Viking boys will next play on the road at Augusta High School on December 30. Then away again at Turtle Lake on January 3. Tip off is at 7:15 p.m. for both games.