Vikings Capture First Girls Basketball Championship

Details: Created on Monday, 20 March 2017 21:08; Written by Brandon Walker

LYNDONVILLE - The Lyndon Institute (LI) Vikings girls basketball team made history over the weekend. The lady Vikings captured their first division two Vermont girl’s basketball state championship. LI entered the title game as the number two seed with a record of twenty wins to only three losses. Their opponents were the Mill River Minutemen, who were no strangers to the championship game, as they were making their third straight appearance. The Minutemen brought their number one seed and a record of nineteen and four to the table. The two teams had not previously met throughout the course of the season.

Lyndon Institute Head Coach Eric Berry was beyond pleased, “You know euphoria. I’m so happy for these kids, almost relief for the kids, they work so hard”.

The Vikings never trailed in the game, taking a nineteen to six advantage at halftime, and eventually going on to win the game forty to fifteen. The victory marked a turn of the tide for many LI girls basketball teams that had come before.

“This win was for every Lyndon Institute Girls Basketball player that’s ever put a uniform on,” Berry said.

According to the Vermont Principal’s Associations records, in 2016 LI lost in the quarterfinals and exited in the semifinals in 2015. Mill River finished as the runner’s up for the second year in a row.

Berry recognized the significance of the victory, “This is a hundred years in the making, plus, like I said this is for the girls that have played at Lyndon, at any level, and for the whole, entire community.” He was also excited about the festivities that would follow, "I’m looking forward to the parade going through town when we get back. It’s going to be exciting.”

LI ends their season with a twenty one and three record and as the division two state champions.