Winners of three of their last four games, the Parsons Vikings boys defeated the Cherryvale Chargers on Monday, 75-47, before nabbing their first SEK League win of the season over the Coffeyville Golden Tornado, 53-50, on Tuesday.
Vikings catch fire from deep against Chargers In Monday’s win over Cherryvale, the Vikings connected on nine 3-pointers as a team as it pulled away from the Chargers early.
“It was fun to see the guys win on the road,” Parsons head coach Anthony Houk said. “We thought we could get some transition buckets. Our guys did a great job sprinting out ahead. (Remington John) was a tough matchup. But when he missed and the others missed, we did a great job on the boards.”
Andrew Houk scored 20 points, including 18 from six threes and all in the second half, to pace the Vikings.
“He feels like he was shooting the ball well and he got frustrated he was 0-of-3 at halftime,” Houk said. “But it wasn’t the time to be frustrated. We were winning. We couldn’t think anything negative. I told him he’d knock down shots. I was proud of the confidence he showed.”
Cherryvale’s Remington John led the Chargers, matching Houk’s 20 points.
“He does some good stuff,” Cherryvale head coach Scott John said. “There’s times where he’s forcing it and he’s still making freshman mistakes. He can get in the lane pretty much anytime. He just has to learn the right plays to make.”
Scott John felt Parsons’ efficiency inside early forced the Chargers to pack in the defense.
“They hurt us inside,” John said. “We went to a zone to try and make them beat us from the outside. Then they did beat us from there. We missed some easy shots.”
Kai Gregory added 13 points for Parsons.
“He started in the rotation early and got injured,” Houk said. “He’s healthy now and he’s got such a great motor. He has so many hustle plays. His motor is his advantage.”
Wyatt Duncan chipped in 15 for Cherryvale.
“Wyatt’s been up and down for us this year,” John said. “The games he stays in it mentally, he does a good job. In the games where he loses control of his emotions, he seems to struggle. I challenged him before this game and he did a great job. That was his career high, tonight.”
Parsons knocks off ‘Nado With a late 3-pointer plus two free throws from senior Jason Shaw, the Vikings stunned Coffeyville on Tuesday.
“It was a really happy locker room,” Houk said. “You couldn’t script the night any better. It’s Senior Night and they all had their moment. Jason Shaw hit a three to put us up and seal it with some free throws. (Connor) Largent gets the game-sealing block. (Cole) Kennett is right there to grab the ball. This group is a special group. It takes a special group to go through what we have gone through and keep our team together.”
It marked the first league win for the Vikings and their third over the last four.
“We finished the game in the fourth quarter,” Houk said. “After the first quarter, we were down eight. We just stayed within striking distance. It was a horse race. Once we got the lead, it put the pressure all on Coffeyville.”
Parsons has spent most of the season struggling to be competitive in games. But the Vikings turned a corner recently and have found a late stride.
“We kept encouraging the guys to not look at the win column,” Houk said. “Listening to the noise can be deflating. We’ve been talking about the dash — what’s between the wins and losses. We’ve tried to be at our best. This group has impacted my life just as much as any team I’ve coached. They could’ve checked it in and there’s been no quit in them. They’ve let us coach them hard.”
Gregory led Parsons with 13 points while Andrew Houk added a dozen.
With two games left on its slate, the Vikings’ late surge has renewed optimism for the outlook of the program.
“That’s been talked about in some of our practices and film sessions,” Houk said. “Many people that have graduated from here care about this basketball program. Our seniors will be the same way. They’ll care. So I’ve challenged them to help make the program the best it can be to finish the season so we can keep turning this thing over.”
Chargers sting Fredonia Cherryvale bounced back on Tuesday with a 69-46 win over Fredonia in Tri-Valley League action.
Remington John poured in 39 points for the Chargers, who snapped a two-game skid.
“We got out of our funk tonight,” Scott John said. “We played some really good ball. I thought we had some of our best ball movement and opened up a lot of driving lanes, which we took advantage of. I’m proud of how our kids responded after we challenged them a bit in pregame.”
Up next
Cherryvale hosted Eureka on Thursday while Parsons plays at Independence on Friday.
