CHARLO - It probably wasn't exactly how the Charlo boys

basketball team drew it up, but they'll take the win, however it

comes.

Despite a 16-0 first-quarter run by the Superior Bobcats and a

double-digit fourth-quarter deficit, the Charlo Vikings improved to

6-1 with a thrilling 49-48 home victory on Friday, Jan. 6.

CHARLO - It probably wasn't exactly how the Charlo boys basketball team drew it up, but they'll take the win, however it comes.

Despite a 16-0 first-quarter run by the Superior Bobcats and a double-digit fourth-quarter deficit, the Charlo Vikings improved to 6-1 with a thrilling 49-48 home victory on Friday, Jan. 6.

"I kept telling them to play hard and shoot," Charlo head coach Mike Brown said. "We were taking good shots, they just weren't going in. We knew they'd start falling. We just stuck with the game plan."

Up 7-3 early, the Vikings couldn't get anything to fall to end the first quarter, as Superior scored the period's final 16 points to take a 19-7 lead after one.

Charlo started the second quarter like they did the first, outscoring the Bobcats 9-2 early, but again, Superior responded, closing the first half by scoring five straight points to lead 26-16 at halftime.

True to form, the Vikings stormed back, opening the second half on a 10-2 spurt to get within two at 28-26, but after a timeout by Superior, the Bobcats scored nine straight points to enter the fourth quarter up 37-26.

Finally, the offense was able to get shots to fall for an entire quarter. Charlo scored 12 of the quarter's first 16 points to make it a 41-38 game. After trading baskets, the Vikings took possession with 55 seconds left, down 45-42.

Charlo worked the ball down low, before it was kicked out to Dillon Delaney who, with ice in his veins, coolly drilled the tying 3-pointer. Delaney scored 18 on the night, but 11 of those came in the final stanza. With the crowd in a frenzy, Superior tried moving the ball up the floor quickly, but Stephen Delaney came up with a huge steal before Tra Ludeman got to the line on a foul with 30 seconds left.

Ludeman calmly sank both, giving the Vikings their first lead since it was 7-5. The Bobcats then marched down the floor, but put up an airball with 11 seconds left, giving Charlo the ball back. Superior then fouled Ludeman again, who went to the line for a 1-and-1. Needing both free throws to ice the game, the junior nailed them, giving Charlo a 49 45 lead. Ludeman finished with 11 points on the evening.

"Tra goes hard all the time," Brown said. "He picked up a couple offensive fouls, but I told him to keep going at them. He wasn't afraid."

Superior answered with a three-pointer with four seconds left. However, the Bobcats had no timeouts and could only watch as Charlo let the clock run out without having to inbound the ball to seal the victory. Stephen Delaney, stuck guarding Superior's 6'7" sophomore Clint Voll, played tough, grabbing several critical rebounds, and scored seven points. Kolten Andrews added six, Webb O'Neill five and Tyler Delaney two off the bench in the win.

The momentum from that rally carried over to Charlo's trip to Philipsburg the next night, where the Vikings used a big first three quarters to cruise to a 66-40 victory.

Stephen Delaney led Viking scorers with 15 points, while Dillon reached double figures for the seventh time in eight games with 14. Charlo outscored Philipsburg 49-23 over the first 24 minutes while moving to 7-1 on the season.

According to Brown, it wasn't just the offense that helped them to victory against Philipsburg.

"They played really hard defense both games," Brown said.

Charlo got scoring contributions from 10 different players. O'Neill joined Stephen and Dillon in double digits with 11, while Andrews scored eight and Kail Pope five. Ludeman and Maverick Nelson each notched four points, Dalton Delaney and Tyler Delaney each two and Kobe Cox one for the Vikings.

This week, Charlo will get to stay home, as they face Arlee and Hot Springs in back-to-back contests on Friday and Saturday, respectively.

CHARLO @ P-BURG

Charlo - 16 - 18 - 15 - 17 - 66

P-burg - 7 - 8 - 8 - 17 - 40

Vikings scoring - Dillon Delaney 14, Tra Ludeman 4, Webb O'Neill 11, Stephen Delaney 15, Kail Pope 5, Dalton Delaney 2, Kolten Andrews 8, Tyler Delaney 2, Coby Cox 1, Maverick Nelson 4

SUP. @ CHARLO

Superior - 19 - 7 - 11 - 11 - 48

Charlo - 7 - 9 - 10 - 23 - 49

Vikings scoring - Dillon Delaney 18, Tra Ludeman 11, Webb O'Neill 5, Stephen Delaney 7, Kolten Andrews 6, Tyler Delaney 2