On Friday night, girls’ basketball defeated Wilcox High School with a final score of 49-34. After the win, the Vikings’ are 7-0 in the De Anza League and lead the league with an overall record of 17-2. The Lady Vikes finished strong in the fourth quarter extending their three point lead heading into the quarter to ten within a couple minutes.

The Vikings began the game on a sluggish start, as fouls became an issue for both sides early on. Junior guard Maddy Atwater picked up three fouls. The Vikings committed eight team fouls in the first quarter alone, giving the Chargers multiple opportunities at the free throw line.

Wilcox tied the game up with 1:55 left in the first quarter, and managed to secure a 13-9 lead after eight minutes of playing. The Lady Vikes responded well in the second quarter, as sophomore forward Burris cut the Chargers lead to just one point with 6:14 left in the half. The rest of the quarter was a succession of lead changes, with the Vikings up 23-22 when the quarter ended.

The third quarter was highlighted by more lead exchanges, but was spotlighted by both teams getting to the free throw line nearly every other possession. Atwater and sophomore forward Maya Lathi let a late run to give the Vikings a 35-32 advantage heading into the fourth.

The fourth quarter was one way traffic for the Lady Vikes. Atwater, Koyama and Burris led the Vikings in an impressive free throw shooting barrage. Paly’s defense and 2-3 full court pressure was especially outstanding in the last quarter, allowing only two points. The Vikings defeated Wilcox by a final score of 49-34.

Coach Scott Peters had some thoughts on the game.

"This was a tough game, " Peters said. "Wilcox played really hard, they were well coached and we could have let down. We didn't like the foul calls we got in the first half but we fought through and took control of the game. A lot of that is due to Maddy [Atwater] and Coco [Lovely] and Skylar [Burris] who got into the low post or high post and that really helped us."

The Vikings will play on the road next Wednesday, Feb. 4 against the Saratoga High School Falcons at 7 p.m.