Grayling plays with heart in road win at Kalkaska

Grayling may not have the biggest team.

With no starter standing above 6’ the Vikings find other ways to win basketball games.

That includes a tenacious defense, sharp shooting, and a team with heart.

“We lost two all-state athletes last year and we knew we had to step up,” Starter Justin Nicholas said. “We’ve been playing since we were little and it’s been really fun.”

On Tuesday night Grayling (10-7) traveled to Kalkaska (12-4) for a Lake Michigan Conference matchup.

The first quarter saw the teams trading buckets as Kalkaska scored with five seconds to give the team what they thought was a 15-14 lead then Trey Moffit raced up the court and threw up a near half court shot to beat the buzzer giving the Vikings a 17-15 edge over the Blue Blazers after the first.

The second quarter Moffit started out the same way he ended the first drilling two early threes sparking the Vikings who turned up the defensive pressure taking a 38-24 lead into the locker room.

After the half both teams struggled to get the ball in the basket as the third quarter was slow with the teams combining for only nine points as Grayling was hanging on to a 40-31 advantage going into the fourth.

Justin Nicholas came out in the fourth and left no doubt.

“I was sitting most the game with four fouls, and Moff (Coach Moffit) said, ‘you gotta do something, be a leader do something.’ I was feeling it a little bit and just put them up.”

The senior scored 16 of his game high 22 points in the final quarter including four three’s as the Vikings came alive for a 68-53 victory against a strong Kalkaska team.

Grayling was led by Nicholas with 22 points and Moffit with 13. Kalkaska was led by Seth Riddle with 10 points.

Grayling (11-7) now comes home for a Friday matchup against Boyne City in what will be Coach Moffit’s last game in the Grayling gym. Kalkaska (12-5) looks to rebound as they take on Elk Rapids at home on Friday.