Story by Jack O'Donnell
Photo by Lyndsie Moore
In a back-and-forth affair, the Oakmont Vikings (20-6) basketball team defeated the Bear Creek Bruins 62-51 Wednesday night in the a first-round playoff game.
The Vikings fell behind in the first quarter, but Junior John Adenrele scored 12 points in the first to bring the Vikings to a 16-13 lead.
To start off the second quarter 
Adenrele had a huge block, followed with a powerful dunk just a minute later. Adenrele, who finished with five blocks, Senior Tony Gill, and Senior Fred Mobley all had huge blocks, and Bear Creek did not have enough of an underneath presence to stop the big men. The length of the Vikes held Bear Creek to seven points in the second.
The Vikings went into the half up 25-20.
The game was a closer contest than the final score would make it seem, with the Vikings lead getting up to the double digits a couple times, only to have Bear Creek then battle back and cut the lead or even take it.
But Bear Creek came out playing well in the third quarter, scoring the first six points of the final half and taking a one point lead. Gill kept the Vikings in the lead through the third, scoring 10 of his 21 points.
The teams continued to battle and then with a little over two minutes to go Adenrele tipped in a missed shot by a teammate to put his team back up by eight, and he immediately followed his tip in by a huge defensive play when he blocked another shot.
With 1:45 to go, Gill made a play that helped secure the game with a great offensive rebound and put back shot, all while getting fouled. Gill, who finished with 18 points, seven rebounds, and three steals, made the bonus shot, and the lead was back up to eight for the Vikings.
Adenrele finished with 23 points, 10 rebounds and five blocked shots. Grady added nine points for Oakmont.
Oakmont now faces Jesuit today at 7 p.m. in the Oakmont gymnasium.
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