Sports : Vikings advance to district final with win over Mustangs, 65-16

Max Griffith makes another 3 for the Vikings.

Max Griffith shoots a three; he scored 16 for the Vikings.

Kearns dives for a loose ball.

Max Kearns drives to the basket.

Kearns scored 5 from the free throw line.

Grant Sagan and Jake Milroy go up for a rebound.

Milroy and Kearns leap for a rebound of a missed Mustang free throw.

Assist: Kelyn Rickels fools the defense with a pass to Grant Sagan for an easy basket.

Kelyn Rickels plays defense in the second half.

Sophomores including Dylan Rippel saw action late in the game.

Grant Sagan drives toward the basket.

Grant Sagan makes a jump shot over two Mustang defenders.

Vinton-Shellsburg scored more than enough points in the first period to win its District 7 boys basketball opener against Independence. The Vikings led 19-4 at the end of one, and defeated the Mustangs, 65-16, Monday evening in Vinton.

Max Griffith and Grant Sagan each had scored 13 points by halftime, equaling the Mustangs’ total team score. The Vikings went into the break with a 45-13 lead. They held the Mustangs to just three points in the second half, which was shortened by the mercy rule. The clock kept running, even after fouls and turnovers, for part of the third period and all of the fourth. The Vikings led 59-16 at the end of three and kept the Mustangs from scoring in the final period.

Sagan led the Vikes with 18 points, followed by Griffith with 16 and Max Kearns with 11. Kearns also achieved a triple double, as dished out 10 assists for the Vikings offense, and hauled in 10 rebounds.

The Vikings, 18-4 on the season, advance to the District Final Thursday, at Cedar Falls High School, where they will play Center Point-Urbana, which defeated Union, 54-20. That game will take place at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 20, at Cedar Falls High School. The Vikings have previously defeated CPU this year, a 56-45 win on Dec. 6, in Vinton.

VIking Coach Joe Johnson said before learning the result of the CPU/Union game that facing either team would be "tough."

See complete game stats HERE.