Waukon boys basketball team holds off late Decorah charge for 67-59 NEIC victory at home prior to the holiday break

In its lone competition prior to entering the current holiday break, the Waukon boys basketball team rode a bit of a rollercoaster before finally coming away with a 67-59 home victory over Decorah in Northeast Iowa Conference play Thursday, December 21. Much like any teenager would try and do with such a ride, the basketball Indians took advantage of as many free rides as they could get in racking up a 27-7 scoring advantage at the free throw line over the visiting Vikings, nearly half of those freebies providing 13 of the Tribe’s 16 points in the final frame to help seal the victory.

Those efforts at the charity stripe overcame a 52-40 scoring deficit the Indians suffered against Decorah, as each team canned four three-point buckets in the battle but the Vikings won the battle inside that arc by a 40-28 result, including a final 16-0 margin in the fourth quarter behind some full court pressure defense the Indians struggled to handle at times. With that defensive pressure melting as much as a 20-point third quarter lead down to as little as seven in the final frame, the Indians’ nearly 80% free throw shooting in a 27-for-34 effort proved to be the decisive difference in edging out a just seven-for-12 effort at those same stripes for Decorah, including a 13-for-17 Indian result to hold off the Vikings in that final frame.

The Indians were next slated to return to action with a pair of back-to-back road contests after the holidays. The first of those games will be at one of those undefeated squads, as the Tribe will play at Charles City Friday, January 5 before competing against Wapsie Valley at Wartburg College in Waverly Saturday, January 6 and then also playing at North Fayette Valley Monday, January 8.

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