FeedsInkster Vikings earn long-awaited victory
Anyone who says the Inkster Basketball team lacks heart better think again.
It took two overtime periods, but the Vikings battled to their first win since mid-December when Josh Howard laid in the winning basket at the buzzer to beat host Highland Park, 85-83, on Friday.
Inkster was down by as many as 12 in the fourth quarter, according to Inkster Coach Greg Carter. He said they fought hard to come back, scoring 26 in the frame.
It paid off when J.J. Snelling drained a triple at the regulation buzzer to knot the game at 70, sending the game into overtime. The teams went back and forth in the two extra periods until the game was tied at 83.
Inkster had possession of the ball out of bounds. Howard snagged the inbounds pass and laid in the buzzer-beater for the win.
“The kids showed that they have a lot of toughness,” said Carter. “Highland Park is a good team. They’re bigger and really athletic so we had to rebound as a team and spread the ball around.”
Inkster had four players reach double figures on offense. Howard finished with 20 to lead the team. Lawrence Mathews racked up 17 while John Crawford and Jonathan Gambril scored 15 and 14 respectively. The team recorded 22 assists in the win. Mathews, Snelling and Gambril each had six.
Cameron Walker scored 26 and had 11 rebounds for Highland Park. Marvin Walker scored 23 and John Jones added 11 points and 15 rebounds.
Inkster improved to 3-8 overall and are 2-2 in the Mega White.
The Viking suffered their eighth loss against host Redford Covenant last Tuesday.
Inkster only trailed by two, 35-33, at the half, according to Carter, but struggled in the third. The Vikings only scored five in the frame, forming a gap they couldn’t close the rest of the way.
Despite the menagerie of close losses and the sub-par record, Carter said his team remains positive.
“The kids play hard and expect to win,” he said. “We have been in every game, we just have to work on finishing games.
The Vikings host cross-town rivals Dearborn Heights Robichaud at 7 p.m. on Friday and head to Wyandotte at 7 p.m. on Tuesday.
