FeedsInkster falls to 2-5
A shorthanded Inkster basketball team lost two close battles last week to fall to 2-5 overall.
The Vikings only had seven players hit the hardwood against West Bloomfield at Pontiac Northern for the Martin Luther King Tournament on Sunday.
The Vikings led through the first half, but exhaustion set in after the break, leading to a 74-67 loss.
Inkster used its quickness to rush to an 18-15 lead at the end of the first quarter. They held off the Lakers and took a one-point lead, 33-32, into halftime. After the break, West Bloomfield outscored the struggling Vikings, 20-10, to overtake the lead. The Vikings had a stretch where they turned over the ball three consecutive times—each led to Laker points. Inkster finished with 18 turnovers on the day.
Inkster overcame that and got things going again in the final period of play. The Vikings scored 24 points to West Bloomfield’s 18, but it was too late to overcome the third session doldrums.
“We’re undersized and didn’t have a lot of players the last couple of games,” said Inkster Coach Greg Carter. “We have to rely on our quickness and, unfortunately, we tired out. The kids played hard, but we lack depth and continuity. “We had a bad third,” he added. “We took some bad shots and didn’t take care of the ball.”
Carter had four players out due to school disciplinary action that led to the shortage.
On the positive side, he said that a lot of younger players have been gaining valuable experience.
One of those is sophomore Jonathan Gambril who led the team in scoring against West Bloomfield with 18 points.“He’s really stepped up and is our sixth man right now,” Carter said. “We’re considering putting him in the starting lineup. He keeps getting better and better.”
Josh Howard added 13 in the contest and Jamal King, 12.
Inkster was in another close game against Dearborn Fordson on Friday, losing 53-48.
The Vikings trailed by just one point, 27-26, at halftime. The Tractors inched further ahead, 42-37, in the third but Inkster kept pace with them in the finale, where both teams scored 11.
John Crawford led the team with 14. J.J. Snelling added 13 and Ganbril, nine.
“We just have to learn how to play better down the stretch,” Carter said. “We’re still building the team and looking for that continuity. The kids are working hard and staying positive.”
