POULSBO — Stadium learned a tough lesson from the North Kitsap boys on Wednesday: nobody goes into NK’s house and tells them what to do. At least not for both halves of the game.
The NK Vikings earned their third win of the season with a 69-56 victory over the Tigers that night. It was not all smooth sailing for the Vikings, as the Stadium Tigers made them work for the W.
“We allowed them to dictate how we played the game and they did a good job of it,” said coach Tony Chisholm. Dropped passes, greedy shot-taking and nerves plagued the first half as the Vikings played well individually, but weren’t meshing as a team.
“We were all so excited we were just running and gunning,” the Vikings Taylor Hoffer said.
This was a topic of discussion in the locker room during the break, said Chisholm, who often wondered aloud during game why his players weren’t passing ball properly.
“We figured it out and talked about it at halftime,” Chisholm said.
After the pep talk, the Vikings settled down and displayed an almost zen-like placidity.
“When we calmed down, when we thought things through, we started playing our own game,” he said.
Hoffer, the point leader with 22 points and 14 rebounds on the books, said the halftime chat was just what he needed, adding, “(Chisholm) told me to calm down, that the shots will come, and just work on the rebounds.”
Hoffer gave props to his teammates for setting up prime shooting opportunities.
“My shots did come in the game because we have such good guards who are able to see down the court,” he said.
The usual suspects — Hoffman, Kyle Erickson and Jordan Coover — led the way to victory, with Erickson adding 19 points and eight rebounds to the game and Coover finishing with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Taylor Chisholm also had another strong game, adding five points and six assists to his growing resumé.
Earning notable mentions, Kyle McCowan earned 7 points, Tyler Seth had 3 points and Nathan Deguzman contributed 1 point.
As with the first two victories, the fans just couldn’t stay out of the mix. A growing group of purple- and gold-laden rebel rousers never lost their momentum, rocking the gym with sing-songs and general mayhem.
The fans’ ire switched back and forth from the referees to the handful of visiting students. The fans responded to what they thought was questionable game-calling with chants of “Take his whistle,” and taunted the opposing fans with “We can’t hear you.”
For students Kyle Gaedke and Greg Ottele, also known as the instigators, fandom has become a mission. They’re committed to taking on any gym, any time.
And they want the fan base to grow throughout the year.
“We talk about it at school. People will see this and more people will come out,” Ottele said.
They’ll certainly be ruling the roost when the Vikings host Mount Tahoma at 7 p.m. Dec. 12.
