A sweet victory came for Gibraltar Friday night as they captured their first win of the season in tight fashion, 45–43. The Vikings defended their home court, locking down on the defensive end to pull off the two-point win.

 

The back-and-forth affair saw the Vikings take a 25-23 lead into the break. The Bulldogs held a lead late, but Marco Jauregui triggered two steals in the final three minutes, setting up Kayin Jackson to score six straight points to take the game away from its visitors.

 

"Our defensive effort was tremendous, battling all game and coming up big down the stretch," said head coach Travis Ward after the game. He applauded the defensive effort of Aaron Brey, who held one of the Bulldogs' top players, Dominik Baxter, to just five points. It’s the lowest point total allowed by Gibraltar this season and couldn’t come at a better time, as they play three more games in the next week before breaking until the New Year.

 

Jackson led the way with 24 points for the Vikings, with Jauregui adding 13 points. Levi Hodgins tallied up 19 points for the Bulldogs in the loss.

 

Gibraltar returns to its home court tomorrow for a contest with Florence at 2 p.m.