POULSBO — North Kitsap guard Jacob Gonzales and Port Angeles guard Scott Helpenstell were the hottest hands in Poulsbo Wednesday night, but it was ultimately the Vikings that had the X factor needed for the win.

And his name was Jordan Henry.

Henry, out with the flu versus Shelton, was not reinstated on the roster list before the game with Port Angles and Vikes coach Aaron Nations faced a choice — keep the guard out of the game, or put him in and take a technical foul.

“I needed to play him,” Nations said. “So we took the technical.”

Good thing. Late in the fourth, Henry’s thunderous dunk — a rarity for the 11th grader, who recently recovered from an ankle injury — provided a momentum shift the Vikings needed to go up for good.

“Henry’s dunk put us over the top tonight,” Vikes’ post Ryan Young said.

“I thought, ‘good Jordan, lay the ball up and in,’ and then he threw it down,” Nations said. “And, boom, we were on a run.”

The Vikings outscored the Roughriders 21-12 in the fourth quarter alone, with Gonzales pouring in 21 points in the second half. Young scored 14 to go with 11 rebounds and 3 blocked shots.

Port Angeles started the game with an early edge at 15-9 after the first quarter. The Roughriders exploded for a run, energized after North’s technical foul for Henry’s late entry on the roster at the start of the second. Two quick three pointers later, Port Angeles had its 8-0 run in only 45 seconds. The Vikings were down by as many as 13 points in the second.

“We had our heads down at the half,” Gonzales commented. “We came off a disappointing loss (at Shelton) where all of us weren’t playing together.”

In the third quarter, the Vikings took their chance. Scrappy defensive efforts from Jared Prince and Travis Tobin led to fast breaks, usually scored on by the en fuego Gonzales.

At the start of the fourth, the Vikes were down three points after Young sank one of two from the line.

Then came Henry’s dunk — and North Kitsap’s gym erupted.

After a quick Roughrider lay-in, Gonzales quickly put a three in his sights — and the game was tied, 39-39.

A three-point play by Port Angeles’ Andy Ochs put the Roughriders back on top. But Gonzales struck again from outside.

After a few lead changes, North finally grabbed a four-point margin at 50-46, thanks to a swarmy defense. But one of North’s Achilles’ Heels would nearly haunt them in the end.

“We haven’t been boxing out well,” Young said. “We have to work on boxing out these last few games.”

Port Angeles looked for a three to pull within one with a tray. After two misses from downtown by Jeff Haguewood and Justin Church, Helpenstell got his look — and put his team within one.

But North would not be denied. Good ball handling and missed shots by the Riders kept the Vikings on top, capped by a lay-in in the final seconds by Gonzales.

“The kids finally figured it out in the fourth quarter,” Nations said. “Jacob (Gonzales) got hot, and we got him the ball instead of being selfish.”

“Coach Nations and his team did a nice job getting back in the game, changing the tempo,” said ‘Riders head coach Lee Sinnes. “North just out-played us.”

Sinnes added that the Vikings may have been down the ladder this season — but certainly not out.

“They’ve been at the bottom (of the Narrows League) for awhile,” he said. “They came out here and played with a lot of pride tonight.”

The Vikings will play their last two games of the season next week, on the road at Central Kitsap Feb. 11 and at home versus Olympic Feb. 13. Tip off is at 7 p.m. with junior varsity starting at 5:30 p.m.