Vikings Take Down Defending Champs at MVC Tourney

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After dispatching Lummi Nation Wednesday at the Mount Vernon Christian Holiday Hoops Tournament, the No. 5 Mossyrock girls basketball team upset defending 1B state champion and No. 1 Mount Vernon Christian Thursday morning, 43-36. 

The Vikings got off to a bit of a slow start, with the Hurricanes’ Allie Heino making them pay down low with some early buckets, but Mossyrock made a few adjustments and held MVC to single-digit scoring in both the second and fourth quarters to finish each half strong and on a run. 

Mount Vernon is a great team and it was back and forth all game,” Mossyrock coach Autumn Moorcroft said. “The defensive effort is what stood out in this game. In close games where leads switch often and you trade runs with teams, the defense is what really needs to stay consistent and the girls did that well today.”

Mossyrock took a 23-17 lead into the halftime break, but led by one going into the fourth quarter. Thanks to some more strong defense by the team, but especially Delaney Marshall off the bench, Payton Torrey handled the offensive duties from there, scoring all 11 Viking points in the fourth quarter for the win. 

Torrey finished the night with 24 points and eight rebounds, and Marshall added eight rebounds of her own off the bench. 

Hailey Brooks was the only other double-digit scorer with 10 points, but Caelyn Marshall hit a couple of big 3-pointers when the Vikings’ needed it throughout the game. 

“This was a great test to see how we line up against the top teams in the state about midway through the season,” Moorcroft said. “It was a fun game to be a part of.”

On Wednesday, the Vikings defeated Lummi Nation, 53-24, led by another strong defensive effort and 24 more points from Torrey. The senior guard scored her 1,000th career point in the win Wednesday, and also had 10 rebounds and four assists.