Plano, TX - Winning on the road is never easy no matter where the games are played. The Vikings (18-13, 1-0) led for over thirty-one minutes Tuesday night at Prestonwood Christian Academy but failed to finish falling 41-40 to the Lions.
The Vikings had a chance to win the game with less than ten seconds left, but a good defensive effort by the Lions tipped a Jaden Thomas pass away to seal the victory.
The Vikings had chances to put the game away midway through the third quarter as well as the fourth quarter but were not able to make free throws. The Vikings finished 5-16 from the foul line on the evening.
“To win on the road you have to defensive rebound, take care of the ball and make free throws,” head coach Dylan Dudley stated. “We did two of three good enough to win a high level game, but you can never miss eleven free throws on the road and expect to win, it's just not going to happen.”
The Lions, led by senior guard Nate Stafford, outscored the Vikings 11-6 in the fourth quarter. Stafford converted two layups late which helped propel the Lions.
The Vikings will now turn their attention back to district play, as they travel to Midland Christian Friday night.
“We have not played well against Midland Christian the last two years. Chris does a great job with his team, they are going to play extremely hard and guard us. It will be another district road battle, which will take a high level of preparation and execution to win,” Dudley said.
Tip off Friday night is scheduled for 7:30 pm.