The Vikings breezed through the second round of the playoffs as they dismantled the Chabot Gladiators 74 to 48.

Before the game Coach Coccimiglio said that the Vikings “cannot turn the ball over and let Chabot get going, and in the first half the Vikings had problems in-bounding the ball which led to Chabot takeaways and baskets.

The Vikings started the game on a 9 to nothing run which quickly evaporated and after a back and forth first half the Vikings managed to regain a slight lead and went into the break leading 27 to 24.

The game was truly a tale of two halves as the second half was much better for the Vikings as they broke away from the gladiators after the score was tied at 31 the Vikings went on a 13 to 2 run.

Point guard Brian Goins who has been the focal point of the Vikings offense all season long had 23 points to lead all scorers, building on a tremendous season which saw him average 18.4 points per game.

Coach Coccimiglio said of Goins “he is phenomenal, he can score from so many different angles and has great balance which allows him to stop and elevate.”

Goins didn’t do it all by himself as fellow standout players Ronnie Baker and Raphael Carter had 16 and 13 points respectively. Carter had a good game on the boards and pulled down numerous rebounds. Greg Holmes had 9 points and Tyerelle Phillips had 10 as well.

The defense really came on strong in the second half as the Vikings got key blocks and steals stymieing the gladiators.

The Vikings play Fresno next in the third round on Wednesday. Fresno the fifth seed went 28 and 3 in the regular season and look to upset the Vikings at home on Wednesday.

The Vikings have had a very strong season to date and finished the season at 23 and 5 and have been reliant on their two All-conference guards Brian Goins and Ronnie Baker. “The goal was to win the Big 8 but it didn’t happen, this team can make a good run in the playoffs despite that”, said Coach Coccimiglio, “We are an exciting team to follow”. The Vikings start to this post season has gotten off to a flying start, however there is a tough road ahead to the final. With a number of strong team in the playoffs, the road to the title will be a little bumpy but exciting nonetheless.