Sophomore guard William English’s 33 points helped lead the vikings to a 99-87 win over El Camino Friday night, which improves their record to 16-11 overall and 5-3 in their division.
The Warriors kept the score close in the first half, in part due to the Vikings poor shooting. The Vikings struggled from the free-throw line, where they shot only 56%, and were 1 for 7 from 3. Vikings head coach Barry Barnes had a simple message for his team at halftime.
“I just told them we have to settle down and we have to make shots,” Barnes said.
Barnes’ message at halftime struck a chord with the team. Freshman guard Jordan Heard came out firing. He hit three three-pointers in the opening minutes of the second half. Heard finished the game with 16 points, 6 assists, and shot 4 for 5 from three.
“I felt good at halftime. I got some shots up and I came out with a fire mentality. I just let ‘em fly with confidence,” Heard said.
This burst of scoring gave the Vikings all the momentum. They led by as many as 25 in the half, with the Warriors never quite able to catch them.
The Viking attack for the whole game was led by William English, who scored 23 points in the second half and finished the game with 33 points on 12 of 19 shooting.
“I’m just glad we got the win, honestly. The points, they matter, but at the end of the day its just a W and it’s just the way we come out and play. We’ve got to get ready for the next game. This game’s over with, so were just getting ready for the next game and the next team,” English said.
The Vikings, who were tied for second South Coast Conference, South Division were able to gain sole possession of second place with this win. The Vikings wrap up their regular season this week with games against LA Southwest on February 14 and division leader Cerritos on February 16 at the Hall of Champions Gymnasium at 7:00 pm.