By Greg Gielczyk
KALKASKA — Grayling’s boys basketball team trailed by seven at one point in the second quarter and then took off, closing the period with a 16-2 run that effectively gave the Vikings momentum and sent them on their way to a dominating 64-44 victory over Kalkaska in a Class B district tournament opener Monday at Kalkaska.
The Blue Blazers made it tough on the Vikings early, standing toe-to-toe with them throughout the first quarter and exchanging punches right up until the horn. Neither team gained a clear advantage, however, and settled for a 12-12 tie.
But then came the tail end of the second quarter, when the Vikings finally asserted themselves and imposed their will on the Blazers. With that big burst to close the first half, the Vikings went into the break with a 28-21 lead.
Despite the 10-minute intermission, the Vikings did not lose any of their momentum when they came out for the third quarter and outscored the Blazers, 15-12. It extended their advantage to 10 points, 43-33 entering the fourth quarter. The Vikings finished the Blazers off with a 21-11 advantage over the final eight minutes.
“Spencer White carried us offensively (29 points),” Grayling head coach Rich Moffit said. “He attacked the basket and got to the foul line. He was a beast. Troy Summers played a solid all-around game. Justin (Nicholas), Trey (Moffit) and Christian (Artress) all hit timely shots during the game. We received outstanding ‘D’ from Nick Hunter, Sam Davis and Brent Weismiller.”
White added eight rebounds. Summers had a double-double with 18 points and 16 boards, Nicholas contributed six points and five rebounds, Moffit added six points and Artress finished with five points.
It was the Vikings’ fourth straight win as they improved to 16-5 for the season.
Kalkaska was led in scoring by Joey Stasio with 17 points, while Chase Fitch contributed nine.
