Fans packed into the bleachers of the high school gym on Jan. 23-24 to cheer on the Petersburg Vikings as they played against the Craig Panthers. It was the boys’ first home varsity games of the season, and Craig fought hard as the teams raced up and down the court. Petersburg took both wins over the weekend, scoring 58-25 on Friday, and 56-27 on Saturday.
Senior Aiden Knudsen called the Saturday game more of a “dog fight,” compared to the night before.
“We knew that Craig was going to come out and not just let us do the same thing again. So that first quarter … we turned the ball over a couple times, and we knew that we had to reel it back in a little bit,” Knudsen said. “So we called a timeout, we took a deep breath, regained our bearings, and then we went out there and played our brand of basketball for the rest of the half.”
The Vikings’ “brand of basketball” worked, leaving them with a 33-point lead at the end of the game.
Aiden said having the energy of a home crowd during the games was pretty hard to beat.
“I love our pep band in the stands, they’re always loud. I love our crowd, they’re always here to cheer,” Aiden said. “It’s just nice to finally be home.”
By the end of the games, Aiden didn’t know how many points he’d scored for the team. For him, that didn’t really matter.
“I don’t care if I have 20 points or five points, as long as I go out there and help the team win in some way,” he said.
Aiden did play well, according to head coach Rick Brock. He said both Aiden and his brother, sophomore Mason Knudsen, were standouts on the court. Brock said it’s a special thing to be able to play basketball with a family member, and their connection on the court was obvious.
“We had a couple of real nice transition layup scenarios between the two of them, just catching it, throwing it deep, and catching and scoring,” Brock said. “I thought that was pretty cool.”
Alongside the brothers, Brock said Ben Kandoll, Brayden Tucker, and Noah Pawuk successfully guarded against Craig’s strongest player. He said that kind of work can be challenging, but it’s important during the game.
“I ask a lot of them, and that’s something that doesn’t show up in the score book,” he said. “But we wouldn’t be successful without the way they play.”
Those strong guards will be important in the boys’ upcoming home games against Haines. The Glacier Bears are undefeated so far this season, and these games will be the team’s first time playing against Haines this season.
Brock said that this weekend will be a test of the team’s skill.
“They’re fast. They play well together. They play defense a little bit like us,” he said. “It definitely will be a good chance for us to really see where we’re at in the league.”
The season is halfway through, and so far, the boys have won eight out of 10 games. The boys lost to Monroe Catholic and Juneau in December, and have won games against Craig, Wrangell, and Metlakatla.
Brock said he’s happy with his team. He said they’ve got good energy, and are working hard to connect with each other.
Petersburg’s home games begin tonight, Jan. 29. The varsity boys play against Haines at 5:00 p.m., and the varsity girls play at 6:30 p.m.
On Friday, Jan. 30, the varsity boys play Haines at 5:00 p.m., and the varsity girls play at 6:30 p.m.
On Saturday, Jan. 31, the JV girls play against Craig at 5:00 p.m. and the varsity girls play against Craig at 6:30.
On Sunday, Feb. 1, the JV girls play Craig at 9:30 a.m., and the varsity girls play at 11:00 a.m.
The JV boys will be competing in Juneau on Jan. 30-31.
