BY JOHN DUBOIS
DANVILLE — The Danville Lady Vikings got a taste of what life is like at the next level Saturday as they played their last home game of the season at Danville Area Community College’s Mary Miller Gymnasium.
Because of a rash of recent injuries, the Vikings only dressed six players against a Champaign Centennial squad that was 14 players deep.
Eriel Davis had a game-high 19 points and the Vikings got out to a fast start but it wasn’t enough as the Chargers pulled away in the second half for a 53-29 victory.
“The game didn’t turn out how we wanted it to on the scoreboard, but we really enjoyed the experience at DACC and I hope we can come back again,” said Danville coach Ashley Clanton. “With only one sub available for a game on a college-sized floor, we eventually wore down.
“All season we have stressed the importance of effort and with how things have gone at this point in the season we easily could have given up. We haven’t, and I am very proud of the effort our players showed today.”
The Vikings got out to a 7-2 lead, but the Chargers rallied to tie the score at 12-12 at the end of the first quarter.
Following a 3-pointer by Davis, the Vikings took their last lead at 19-17 midway through the second quarter, but the Chargers went on a late 11-1 run to go to halftime up 28-20.
“We were able to play our tempo early in the game and that got us out to a lead,” Clanton said. “As we started to wear down, we lost that tempo. We just didn’t have enough players today to keep up the tempo the whole game. If Eriel is open for a 3, we want her to take it. She hit three of them today and when she scores from the outside it opens up her ability to drive to the basket.”
The Chargers opened the third quarter on an 11-4 run and built a 44-24 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Kiesha Liggins would add six points and Alexus Jimson-Miller two for the Vikings.
“Kiesha got a little down on herself during the game, but came back and played hard to the end,” Clanton said. “We need to have her and Alexus look to score more. We know we have to be the kind of team that comes out and fights for wins. That’s a difficult situation to be in but we kept our heads up.”
With everyone on the roster returning next season, Clanton saw the game as part of an ongoing learning experience for the Vikings.
“Anytime we play, it is like a practice in a way because we are learning on the court,” she said. “To play against a high level of competition like Centennial is always a positive for us.
“We are progressing and seeing that progress in practice. What we have to do now is to make the transition from good practices to better play in games.”
The Vikings end their regular season Thursday at Mattoon and begin regional play at Rantoul on Feb. 15.
