Notching a statement win to open the season, the Parsons Vikings boys defeated the Girard Trojans, 48-38, on Friday night.
Friday’s tilt was a low-scoring affair — Parsons led 6-4 through the first quarter.
“That first quarter in single digits, we knew it’d be a battle with Girard,” Parsons head coach Anthony Houk said. “We feel fortunate to come out with a win against a tough Girard team. I’m so proud of the way our kids battled.”
The Vikings’ defense suffocated Girard’s size advantage throughout the night, limiting offensive rebounds and contesting virtually every shot attempt.
“Girard does a great job of getting you off the ball, but our guys were in the right spots most of the night,” Houk said. “We helped each other on the midline. And we cleaned up the rebounds. Our guys were in the right spots.”
Dontae Sawyer led the Vikings with 14 points, with eight coming in the fourth quarter. Joe Keal added eight points “We’ve seen some cohesion from that group,” Houk said. “It’s a tough group that plays for each other and doesn’t care who the leading scorer is. They almost share the ball too much. But we’ve got good chemistry as a unit.”
Parsons trailed Girard by seven late in the second quarter before mounting a mid-game comeback.
“We were down seven and never got rattled,” Houk said. “In a timeout, I could tell the guys listened to the scouting report. Joe Keal said that we had to be ready for a 1-3-1 zone, and we came out of the timeout and there it was. When you play for each other, it’s fun.”
Up next
Parsons plays in the T-Bird Classic next week, with matchups against Mulvane, Collegiate and Circle. The Vikings host Mulvane on Tuesday.
“We know it will be three tough games, but we get to start with one at home,” Houk said. “We’ve got to get guys ready to play again. Damais (Johnson) is less than a year from tearing an ACL. Today was Dontae’s first day of full speed. We were fortunate to get through with limited bodies. So regardless of who we play, we’ll be happy to suit up and be ready to go.”
