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Tonopah Tournament highlights
Tonopah Valley games earn Vikes, Lady Vikes, second place wins

The girls came away with a second place victory during the recent Tonopah Valley Tournament held near Phoenix Dec. 27-29. The Vikings boys also came in second to end the tournament.

The girls came away with a second place victory during the recent Tonopah Valley Tournament held near Phoenix Dec. 27-29. The Vikings boys also came in second to end the tournament.

The Williams High School (WHS) Vikings, as well as the Lady Vikes, showed their enduring basketball prowess during a recent holiday tournament held in Tonopah Valley Dec. 27-29. Both the girls and the boys flexed their muscles on the court, ultimately coming home with two second place trophies for their hard-fought games. Members of both teams were awarded with special recognitions at the tournament's conclusion.

Lady Vikes players Kassie Pettit and Breanne Schulte were both named to the All Tournament Team. Vikings Enzo Clapper and Guy Forbis both earned All-Tournament recognition as well.

Girls play rough

Lady Vikes Coach Frank Schulte said the girls played hard throughout the competition.

"Defense was the name of the game for the Lady Vikes in the Tonopah Valley tournament," he said. "Through the first five games the Lady Vikes only had 101 total points scored against them."

During the first day of the tournament the Lady Vikes took on both North Pointe Prep and Westwind Prep. The Williams girls took the win in both games with finals scores of 55-19 and 62-10 consecutively. The girls went up against the Phoenix Christian Cougars next, once the number one ranked team in the 2A division, and played both a solid defense and shooting game, according to Schulte. The Lady Vikes came away with another win for the tournament, ending the Phoenix Christian game with a final score of Williams 59, Cougars 35. The girls went on to win yet another match, this time against Salt River, with a final score of Williams 71, Salt River 12.

With the start of semi-finals the girls found themselves matched up against bracket teams, facing the North Pointe Prep Falcons for a rematch game. Final score for the game showed Williams with a 45-25 victory. In their final game of the tournament, the Lady Vikes took on the Cougars yet again, though on this go around the Cougars managed to get the upper hand on the Williams team. Despite a hard fought effort, the game ended with a final score of Williams 62, Phoenix Christian 64.

"Every player on the team did an excellent job," Schulte said. "Erin McNelly, Kassie Pettit, Salina Verser and Breanne Schulte went hard to the glass. Amanda Bean, Ashley Bean, Darrian Quasula and Jenise Pettit had multiple steals and ran the floor. Breanne Schulte, Kassie Pettit, Jenise Pettit, Darrian Quasula and Amanda Bean all led in scoring for one game or another."

Boys get high marks

The boys, meanwhile, fared just as well in their tournament games, beginning with their own match-up against North Pointe Prep. Final score for the game showed Williams with a 68-58 win. Enzo Clapper led the Vikes in the game with 23 points, followed by Guy Forbis with 15 and Adam Valdez with 10 points. Tyrell Valdivia scored six points in the game, while Robbie Puga came away with four points each. Marcus Frederickson, Jr. Esparza and Adam Schulte each contributed two points in the game.

The Vikes took on San Pasqual next, winning the game with a final score of Williams 55, San Pasqual 42. Clapper led the game in scoring for the Vikes once again, netting 18 points to end the game. Forbis came away with 12, Valdez with 11, Pettit six, Schulte four. Vikings Esparza and Puga each scored two points in the game.

The Vikes played what coach Coach Denis Kirkley said was perhaps their best game when they took on tournament hosts, Tonopah Valley High School, in a 70-43 victory for the Williams team. Forbis led the Vikes in the game with 23 points, followed by Clapper with 16, Michael Pettit with 10, Frederickson with four and Puga with three points. Esparza, Schulte and Valdivia each brought in two points for the Vikings during the game.

The Vikes, who earned the distinction of being the number one seed for the first pool, played Bagdad next, who were deemed the number four seed from pool two. Williams took the win with a final score of Vikings 62, Sultans 19. Clapper came away with 17 points for the Vikes, Puga and Forbis with 11 points each and Schulte, Pettit and Valdivia with six points each. Doug Forbis scored three points for Williams, while Esparza came away with two points in the game.

In their fifth game of the tournament, the Vikings played a close game against Westwind Prep, taking a tight win with a final score of Williams 56, Westwind 55. Guy Forbis led the Williams boys with 21 points to end the hard-fought game. Clapper had 20 points, while Schulte earned four points for the team alongside three points for Puga. Frederickson, Valdez, Pettit and Valdivia each brought in two points in the match.

Thanks to their Westwind victory, the Vikings earned a spot in the tournament's championship and a tough game against the 3A division's Wickenburg team, who ultimately knocked the Vikes out of the winner's circle and placed Williams in an honorable second place. Wickenburg won the last game with a final score of Williams 48, Wickenburg 58. Guy Forbis scored a total of 17 points; Clapper scored 15, while Pettit took home 11 points in the game. Valdivia scored four points for Williams, with Esparza netting a free throw.

"The tournament provided valuable playing time for the Vikings and gave them the opportunity to play teams unfamiliar to them," Kirkley said. "They hope to parlay this experience into wins later in the season as they strive to make it to the state basketball tournament."

Both the Vikes and the Lady Vikes traveled to Mogollon Jan. 8 to take on the Mustangs. They take on the Grand Canyon Phantoms Friday. The Fredonia Lynx will visit Williams next, with games against both teams scheduled for Saturday beginning at 1, 2:30, 4 and 5:30 p.m.


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