By By ERIKA PICKLES / Niles Daily Star
NILES - Most were in disbelief after Saturday evening's basketball game between the Niles Vikings and visiting Penn.
Niles, which came off of a hard loss Friday in overtime against Battle Creek Central, faced an even tougher battle as the Vikings dropped a 61-17 decision to the 10th ranked Kingsmen.
Niles, now 7-7 overall, only trailed Penn by eight points, 15-7, after the first period, but were only able to add two points in the second, as Penn walked into halftime with a 35-9 lead.
The second half was even worse for Niles. Tom Robson was the only player to score all of Niles' eight points in the third and fourth periods. Robson was the top scorer for the Vikings.
If all of this wasn't tough enough, one of Niles' top scorers, Nick Etzcorn, was held to only five points on the night.
Brandon Thomas, who scored an impressive 32 points against Battle Creek and averages over 20 points a game, was held scoreless the entire game.
Penn was led by Tyler Brown who poured in 24 points, while Caleb Laidig added 17.
Niles will hope to move back in the right direction this week. The Vikings have Tuesday night off and will return to the court on Friday when they travel to Marshall. Tip off is set for 7:30 p.m.
Junior varsity game
Niles' JV basketball squad was also winless against visiting Penn Saturday night.
Paul Dreher led the Vikes in scoring with 13 points, while Bradley Thomas added 11.