Charlo teams sweep Hot Springs
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CHARLO – In front of the home crowd Friday night, both the Charlo Vikings and Lady Vikings closed out the regular season with victories over the Hot Springs Savage Heat boy and girl squads.
The Lady Vikings defeated the Lady Savage Heat 40-30 to finish the season with an overall record of 17-1 and a share of the district 14C title with the Arlee Scarlets. The Vikings won their game with close final score 52-51.
In the first game of the evening, the Lady Savage Heat jumped out to an early 9-2 first quarter lead over the Lady Vikings and carried that momentum through the first quarter and most of the second. Charlo stepped up their game and ended the first half by outscoring Hot Springs 5-0 in the last two minutes. At the half, the girls headed into the locker room with the Lady Vikings leading 19-16.
For most of the third quarter, the scoring was back and forth. The Lady Vikings finally grabbed the lead at the 1:56 mark, ending the third quarter up 29-24. An 11-6 scoring run by the Lady Vikings in the fourth quarter gave them the 40-30 home win. Lady Viking Carlee Fryberger was the lone player from either team to score in double figures. Fryberger netted a game-high 12 points.
The Vikings shook off a rocky start and finished the first quarter up 12-9. The lead grew 24-19 by halftime. Charlo had a 42-34 advantage going into the last frame. In the fourth quarter, Hot Springs roared to life. The Savage Heat went on a 17-8 run to take the lead 51-50 with 11.8 seconds left in the game, but Charlo wasn’t finished.
Charlo senior Connor Koening converted a successful old-fashioned two-point opportunity with 6.8 seconds left on the clock to give the Vikings the 52-51 win. The home win snaps the team’s two-game losing streak and ends their regular season on a positive note.
Senior Landers Smith scored a game-high 20 points, and he grabbed nine rebounds and nabbed two steals to lead the Vikings. Koening netted 18 points and grabbed eight rebounds.
For the Lady Vikings and Vikings, the 14C District Tournament starts Thursday Feb. 14 in Pablo at the Salish Kootenai College Joe McDonald Health and Fitness Center.
