TACOMA — A great season was their Thanksgiving dinner, and a bid to the state tournament in the Tacoma Dome was all gravy.

The North Kitsap Vikings lost 70-64 to the Meadowdale Mavericks Wednesday afternoon and will play again at 10:30 a.m. Thursday morning against O’Dea.

For the Vikings, playing at the Tacoma Dome is an experience of a lifetime and no hearts were broken in the first-round loss.

“We did very well,” Head Coach Tony Chisholm said.

At one point, the Vikings were down 14 points, but as is their style of play, they refused to give up, he added.

“That says a lot about our team’s character,” Chisholm said.

In the first half, the Vikings were forced to play Meadowdale’s style: fast-paced, physical ball with elbows flying and tripping feet. As a team, the Vikings hit only nine of 26 for two-pointers, and missed four three-point attempts. They hit two of four free throw attempts and were down 24-20 at the half.

“We could have let it get away from us,” Chisholm said, adding that when one of the team’s leaders, senior center Taylor Hoffer, fouled out in the fourth, the players rallied and played harder. “We can play with anybody.”

The second half was less brutal, with the Vikings hitting 16 for 31 two-pointers and three for 12 three-point attempts. They also hit nine for nine from the freebie line.

The attitude going in the tournament was just to relax, play hard and have fun with the experience, Chisholm said.

Senior guard Kyle Erickson did exactly that. Playing with the type of skill that attracts college recruiters, Erickson’s impressive ball handling and time clock management resulted his leading the Vikings with 23 points.

“We just pushed the ball and took our shots,” Erickson said. We were pretty excited to be here. We just want to go as far as we can,” he said.

Though North has a loss under its belt, spirits remain undeterred. With a win Thursday, they progress in tournament play. The team’s mantra as of Wednesday afternoon was to “sneak in the back door,” Erickson said.