GUERNSEY – In a game of dominance, the Southeast Cyclones kept up a heavy defense that the Guernsey Vikings couldn’t fully break through last week when the top two Southeast conference teams went head-to-head.

From the first whistle the Cyclones pressed hard, and though Dawson Bingham, Tristan Hohnholt and Mason Collar each put up two points, and Bingham stole the ball for an extra chance at the board, the first quarter ended in favor of Southeast, 16-6.  The second quarter saw Collar put in a free throw and two points to the board, Hohnholt put up a pair of two’s and executed a steal, Austin “Bear” Gretch put in two and a pair of freethrows were good for Aiden Noggle, ending at half-time 30-17, southeast. Collar and Hohnholt were able to steal in the third quarter, and teamwork between Noggle and Tim Radcliffe forced a turnover before Bingham put in another one from the inside, ending the third quarter 50-19, Southeast. Not to be deterred, the Vikings pressed hard in the fourth, and teamwork paid off in the fast-paced fourth quarter. Noggle started the team out with two points, then Collar proved his metal with a nice block before Hohnholt netted two points. Collar stole the ball again and put up two points on a fastbreak. Then Hohnholt, Collar and Julian Rodriguez each found an opportunity to steal the ball, and Noggle netted two freethrows. The fourth quarter was dominated by the Vikings, who put up eight points against the Cyclones' two, but in the end it wasn’t enough. The final buzzer recorded a score of 52-27, Southeast. High scorer was Hohnholt with eight. Collar put in seven; Noggle, six; Bingham, four; and Gretch, two points.

The game against the Cyclones must have primed the Vikings, setting them up to have back-to-back wins in conference play Thursday and Friday.

The Vikings started the first quarter with a strong offense, ending with a five-point lead on the Longhorns at 13-8, Guernsey. Both teams worked defense in the second and third quarters, ending the half 29-18, Guernsey; and the third at 46-30, Guernsey. The Longhorns battled to close the lead, but the game ended in favor of the Vikings: 61-40.

Lead scorer was Collar with 11, followed by Noggle and Hohnholt each with four, Bingham with two, and Gretch with one.

Friday’s game against the Hanna-Elk Mountain Miners started as either man’s game, ending 5-6, Guernsey in the first quarter. By half-time, the Miners had the lead 22-19, but once again, Viking teamwork was on overdrive to keep the Miners from gaining more than seven points while they put 13 up for themselves. The third quarter ended with a 32-29 lead for the Vikings, and that streak continued until they squeaked out a four-point lead by the final buzzer: 49-45, Vikings.

Hohnholt led the team in points at 18, followed by Noggle with 12 points, Bingham with seven, Collar with six and Jayden Wagner with two.

The Vikings are 7-10 overall, with a 3-2 conference record.

The Guernsey-Sunrise boys have their work cut out for them Thursday in Casper as they battle their way through the brackets at Regionals beginning at 9 a.m. in the morning as Game 1 of the tournament. Their opponent will be Kaycee, the number three seed from the Northeast Conference.