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CITY (NewsDakota.com)–After three meetings between Viking and Jimmie basketball teams this season, no one can claim a decisive win, and the fans have to love every minute.
Eleventh-ranked Jamestown College backed up their overtime win in womens play with a 49-47 victory over Valley City State Wednesday night in Jamestown, while #17 Valley City State won the first meeting of the season with the #7 Jimmies 86-83 in overtime in the nightcap of the double header.
Jimmie juniors Amber Ramlo (Jamestown, ND) and Bridget Schuneman (Lino Lakes, MN) fueled a late surge to run their team past a Viking club that gave up the first 10 points of the game, did not score a point for the first 5:35 of the game, then took a four-point second half lead.
True freshman A.J. McDonald (Killeen, TX) had a bust-out night in the mens matchup for the Vikings, scoring 18 of his 20 after halftime, including 10 in overtime, capping the night on a three-point shot that beat the buzzer and the Jimmies in the extra frame.
In womens’ play, the Jimmies started the night white-hot, scoring the first 10 points and hitting five first-half shots from beyond the arc, taking a 25-13 first half lead.
Viking post Alyssa Hummel (Jr., West Fargo, ND) led the Vikings back, scoring 19 points, a game high, with a combination of range-extending perimeter jump shots and plays on the interior. The Vikings used a 29-12 run to take a 41-37 lead into the late portion of the second half.
Ramlo and Schuneman then lifted the Jimmies, hitting every second half field goal Jamestown College would earn. Kellie Schuneman (Sr., Lino Lakes, MN) added four straight from the line for a 48-45 edge.
Valley City State opted for a basket inside from Katie Ralston (Jr., Dahlen, ND), cutting the lead to one. The Vikings would then get a miss from the line by Bridget Schuneman, and would have a chance for a shot to tie or win. But Sadiqah Jihad (Fr., Minneapolis, MN) traveled on the game’s final possession sealing the win for the Jimmies.
Bridget Schuneman led the Jimmies with 13 points, 11 in the second half. Courtney Titus (Jr., Hankinson, ND) added 14 for the Vikings in the loss.
The men’s game started with both teams establishing their offense, as the Jimmies used dribble penetration to break down the Viking defense, while Viking John Raquel (Jr., Hawthorne, CA) had early success from the field. Two big three-point shots by Mark Hoge (So., Ironton, MN) gave the Jimmies their biggest lead at 26-20 in the first half.
It was all Vikings for the remainder of the first half and into the second. Sekani Milligan (Jr., Fort Lauderdale, FL), the leading scorer among independent teams across the nation, drained three well-defended threes, starting a run that reached 36-11 spread, pushing the Viking lead to 56-37 with just over 13 minutes to play in the second half.
The Jimmies responded by closing regulaion on a 35-16 run, led by Byron Jones (Sr., Glenarden, MD) and Travis Burley (Sr., Warrenton, GA) who combined for 24 of the Jimmies 38 second-half points, with Burley, the Jimmies leading scorer this season, not scoring till the second half and Jones scoring 14 of his 16 after halftime.
B.J. Mertens then kept the game alive, splashing a three four feet beyond the arc in front of his team’s bench with 17 seconds to play, tying the game at 72-72. The Vikings came up empty on their final possession of regulation, and for the second straight game, they played to overtime.
McDonald then took over. Already scoring eight on four field goals in the second half, he hit a crucial and-one three-point play to start overtime, giving the Vikings the first lead after regulation. He would drive to the basket and score twice more, and Milligan added four straight from the line, building a five-point Viking edge. 
Again, the Jimmies had an answer. Davon Thomas (So., Gaffney, SC) knocked down a base-line look, then hit another huge three in nearly the same locale as Merten’s tying shot in regulation, cutting the Viking lead to two. Burley would eventually tie the game at 83-83 with a pair from the line with six seconds left.
The Vikings inbounded to McDonald, but as he drove up the floor, he saw a Jimmie defender back to prevent a layup. The freshman pulled up on the top of the key, and drove home a Viking win with a three-point shot as time expired, with his team rushing the floor to celebrate. 
The Viking women fall to 15-11, while the men improve to 19-6. The Jimmie women improve to 22-3, while the men fall to 20-5. The Vikings face Mayville State, while the Jimmies match up with Dickinson State this Saturday.