It wasn't always the prettiest basketball being played, but Gibraltar was able to do enough to secure their first Packerland Conference victory with a 56-45 win over Sevastopol on Tuesday night in Institute.

Both teams exchanged blows after the Pioneers took an early 5-0 lead thanks to Logan Schuh and Daniel Castillo finding a way early to get to the hoop. The game started to turn in the Vikings' favor midway through the first half when Liam Lindenberg found his stroke from behind the arc with three three-pointers to lead all first-half scorers with nine points. Lucas Delsart did his part to keep the Pioneers close as he hit two threes, including one near the end of the half, to get Sevastopol within four at the break.

In the second half, the game ground down to the speed of a traffic jam with a gaper's delay as the two teams combined to shoot almost 30 free throws in the second half, 24 of which favored the Vikings. Gibraltar would grow their lead to as much as 12 points, only to have the Pioneers whittle it down. Late fouls by the Pioneers allowed the Vikings to stretch its final lead to 11. Braden Sitte led all scorers with 21 points, a third of which came from the stripe. Lindenberg finished his evening with 14 points, while three others scored at least five points. Schuh led the Pioneers with 13 points, while Delsart ended his evening with 11. Oliver Matthews chipped in seven. 

The two teams will head out on the road for non-conference matchups later this week, with the Vikings facing Goodman-Pembine on Thursday and the Pioneers battling Reedsville on Friday,