BAINBRIDGE ISLAND — Tony Chisholm was still kind of spent nearly 24 hours after watching his varsity boys basketball squad pull of a monumental 64-58 upset over the Bainbridge Island Spartans at Bainbridge. It was an emotional win for the Vikings, coming off last year’s 2-18 rebuilding season.

“It was great teamwork, building off what we did last year,” Chisholm said. “I think the players knew we had the talent, and it was a matter of time in putting all the puzzle pieces together.”

The key to victory was easy to identify: every player had a job to do, and every player did their job.

“We were very patient when we had to be and, on the other hand, we were very aggressive when we had to be,” Chisholm said.

The Vikings found their groove after the half and came out to play flawlessly. At the beginning of the third quarter, the score was 29-23, with the Vikings down by six. Then something incredible happened. The team started feeding off the purple and gold faithful who showed up in droves.

“It was exciting. There was so much adrenaline. We wanted this win really bad,” said Jordan Coover, who was one for six in the first half. He caught fire in the final quarter to score 12 of his 14 points. He also had nine rebounds in the game.

Coover said the fans played a huge role in the game’s outcome.

“Every time we scored, it was awesome. We had a whole section as big as their section was, (our fans) had their faces painted. It’s a lot more fun with fans like that,” he said.

Taylor Hoffer played aggressively on both sides of the ball, racking up 19 rebounds in the second half and scoring 13 points throughout the game.

Chisholm couldn’t say enough about Kyle Erickson.

“His ability to make things happen is incredible. He’s a basketball magnet,” he said.

Erickson’s stats, 24 points and four assists, speak for themselves.

“Erickson is our top player, no doubt about it. He knows how to be a team player, and he as the potential and skill to score at will,” Chisholm said. “In this game he’s grown so much. He understands how to make the people around him better.”

Erickson said the victory was sweet on a number of levels.

“It feels great. They really kind of overlooked us because they’ve always been beating North,” Erickson said.

Chisholm’s son, Taylor Chisholm, also played a great game.

“He ran the point guard exactly the way a point guard is supposed to run it. There were no turnovers,” the coach said.

Taylor Chisholm finished the game with 2 points, 13 assists and five rebounds.

“It just felt really good (to win),” Taylor Chisholm said. “I played them in basketball and football for two years… I think we just wanted it more.”

Also contributing to the Vikings’ win were Kyle McCown with 3 points and two steals, Nathan Deguzman with 1 point, Travis Ejde with 2 points and two rebounds and Max Skelley with 3 points.

With what he promised were his last words on the victory — the Vikings still have 19 games to play this season and he won’t allow them to rest on their laurels — he had nothing but praise.

“All the players knew what their role was,” Tony Chisholm said. “When the chips were down, they never gave up. They remained focused. As a coach that’s what we teach. The momentum of the game can change at any time.”

Now that the team is finished basking in the glory of beating the Spartans, who played in last year’s Class 3A State Championship game, it’s back to business for the Vikings.

“It’s fun now, but within 24 hours, it’s just a memory of the past we have to build on,” Tony Chisholm said.