A win would mean that the Vikings would clinch a spot in the playoffs as well as a Big 8 Conference championship.

Standing in their way, however, were the Consumes River Hawks, who came into Pleasant Hill Feb. 11 as the only team to hand the Vikings a loss in league play this season.

The Vikings started fast with an 8-2 run, draining two three-pointers and working their ball movement around the perimeter with crisp passes.

The Hawks mounted a run after a few good offensive series, causing Viking head coach Steve Coccimiglio to call a timeout and talk to his team.

Out of the timeout, the message seemed to be slow the game down because the Vikings slow methodical ball movement help free up guardJordan Estrada for a three ball.

Estrada caught fire from downtown by hitting three after three.

With Coccimiglio barking instructions, they continued shooting the ball well from beyond the arc.

The Vikings started to build a lead in the midst of a 17-0 run that had the score at 27-9. With the Hawks struggling on the boards, DVC’s big men dominated with turnovers and blocked shots on the rare occasion that Consumes River penetrated.

Even when the Hawks were able to get a rebound and run with it, a trailing defender caught up and was able to set his feet and draw the charge.

Despite the Hawks’ solid run to end the half, the Vikings held a 43-27 point lead thanks in part to great shooting from guards Brian Goins and Jordan Estrada.

After the first half, Consumes came out shooting but, despite a few missed opportunities including a fast break that was cut off with an excellent block, they still trailed by double digits.

Five minutes in, Consumes River was pushing and penetrating with good strength and points in the paint, bringing the lead down to only six.

The Consumes defense blanketed Jordan Estrada, not allowing him to get any open driving lanes or open shots.

“They had a guy staying on my jersey, coming off screens,” Estrada said, “but it leaves guys like Brian Goins open, and he had a great night. I don’t care how much I score as long as we win.”

 A few costly turnovers by Consumes slowed down the Hawks’ momentum and handed it to the Vikings.

Goins stepped up and hit a few key jumpers, including a stomach punching three ball that extended the lead back to nine after Consumes had cut it down to a two possession game.

That’s when Goins took over.

With Estrada being double teamed, Goins was able to step up and hit jumper after jumper eventually giving the Vikings their conference championship with an 81-66 win.

After the game head coach Steve Coccimiglio said that he was very proud of his team’s accomplishment, but that didn’t mean that his team would coast through the two remaining games.

“The momentum is something you don’t ever want to give up,” Coccimiglio said. “We have a lot of room for improvement, and we gotta keep our foot on the gas pedal.”

Payne reiterated Coccimiglio’s thoughts, saying “We want to finish off strong and see what [playoff] seed we get. The goal is to head down to Ventura and get to the Final Four.”