INSTITUTE, W.Va. — The Ripley Vikings had not been tested in their first two games while winning by an average of 28 points.
Herbert Hoover gave the Vikings everything it could, but it was not enough as Ripley advanced to 3-0 by upending the Huskies, 59-47, at the FCA Hoops Classic at West Virginia State.
The Vikings’ lead remained unscathed throughout the game, except when the Huskies took an early advantage in the opening quarter.
“We did not play the best and Hoover had a great scout on us,” Ripley head coach Derek Mullins said. “Most of our guys from last season who were juniors and are now seniors found a way to win. I could not be more proud of Isaiah [Casto] and Luke Johnson for coming back in the second half following being injured in the first half. We battled it out.”
Ripley found success early on by going on a 10-0 run in the first quarter that spanned 2:33 of play.
Dylan Casto, Isaiah Casto and Brady Anderson scored all 19 of the Vikings’ points in the opening quarter to help Ripley lead, 19-9.
Both sides traded baskets throughout the second quarter. After being held scoreless over the first 8 minutes, Hoover’s Dane Hatfield became a threat in the second quarter, scoring eight of his team-high 14 points, which helped the Huskies hang around.
However, the Vikings went into the break ahead 36-25.
While trying to slow down Hatfield, Ripley had another issue during the second quarter. Six-foot-nine center Luke Johnson landed on his left knee awkwardly, which sidelined him for the rest of the half.
“Isaiah Casto was big for us,” Mullins said. “He is one of those guys that can get to the hole any time he wants. Dylan Casto also came in and hit big shots in the first half. Also, Virgil Myers, Carson Hedrick, and Garrett Rhodes all gave good minutes when Luke was down, and Brady was in foul trouble. We have a slew of guys we can play with.”
Herbert Hoover stormed out of the gates in the second half by using a 10-0 run over a span of 2:10. However, those would be Hoover’s only points in the third quarter.
Hoover’s defense stepped up by extinguishing Ripley’s hot first-half offense, allowing six points in the third period. Ripley’s double-figure advantage disappeared and the Huskies went into the final quarter trailing 42-35.
The Huskies (0-4) cut the deficit to three twice, including after a 3-pointer by Cameron Buckner late in the game.
Ripley would eventually pull away, despite Hoover’s best efforts. Johnson, Isaiah Casto, and Anderson combined for 13 of the Vikings’ 17 fourth-quarter points.
Isaiah Casto piled in a season-high 20 points, while shooting 80 percent from the field and only misfiring on two field-goal attempts.
Johnson and Anderson each scored 10 points and combined for 15 rebounds.
Isaiah Casto was also in charge of limiting one of Hoover’s top scorers, Eli Robertson. Robertson finished the game scoring nine points while shooting 43 percent.
“He ran the offense exactly how we needed to run it,” Mullins said. “He got guys in the right spots. I assigned him to Eli Robertson, a heck of a ball player. What we were trying to do defensively was to limit his touches, and I think he did a good job of that. Eli got open a few times and made shots.”
The Vikings overcame shortcomings from the perimeter by outscoring Hoover in the paint, 42-26.
“We have got to be able to make more shots,” Mullins stated. “It was not working in our favor. It could have been the backdrop or Hoover’s defense because they played well on that side.”
Mullins felt he learned a lot about his team Saturday afternoon.
“We battled through adversity and found a way to win,” Mullins noted. “These past two games, when we played Robert C. Byrd and Lincoln County, I thought we executed well offensively and defensively. Today, we were a little sluggish with things not going our way. We found a way to pull through, which is what we have been preaching to our guys. I could not be more proud of them.”