In a Friday afternoon and evening that saw Lynbrook host four separate games for the visiting Firebirds of Fremont High School, Lynbrook Boys split with Fremont on the wins and losses.

In the JV game, the Boys managed to overcome a roster hit hard with injuries and illness this past week. Like many teams on Lynbrook's campus, a seasonal flu has blown through the basketball roster and left many players reeling from the bouts of sickness. Additionally, in a Thursday night practice Sophomore Tanush "TNA" Agrawal rolled his ankle and was thought to be out for the game, but he was able to get an effective wrap on it and play though the pain. The Vikes came out of the gate slowly and Fremont led during the first quarter. As the second quarter began, the Vikes had found more of their groove and had the score back to only a one-point deficit at 12-11. The Vikes were able to hold the Firebirds scoreless over the final three minutes of the first half, extending a lead to 25-19.

Lynbrook then blew open the game by starting the third with a 9-0 run, pushing the score to 34-19. FHS would counter with a splash of points to pull within nine, but in the final minute of the quarter, Aiden Fang would drop a nice 2 point FG, and Charlie Loper hit a trey six feet behind the arc at the buzzer to end the quarter at 45-31. From their the Vikes cruised through the fourth quarter eventually winning 56-43.

Contacted about the win, Coach Ajit Vijayakumar simply commented, "I'll take it."

The Varsity Vikes were depleted well ahead of the game as the flu had wiped out a decent section of the team earlier this week. With less that a full roster, the task was already large as Fremont had overwhelmed the Vikings in their first matchup of the year with speed and athletic enthusiasm on the boards. While the Firebirds didn't have the greatest offensive game, they jumped on the Vikes quickly and built a 10-0 run before settling into a slower game where they never lost the lead. Harsha "Free" Kadiyala, out the entire week ill, managed to put down a quiet 10 point, 4 rebound performance, but the team only could produce 17 total field goals for the night along with a solitary free throw.

Fremont would win it 49-37 in a game that while seemingly close actually felt secure as a win for Fremont the entire game. The game rolled by quickly, taking from opening tip to ending buzzer only 67 minutes.

The loss for the Vikings keeps them in a very precarious position for playoff eligibility. Entering the game, the Vikes needed to win one of their final three games to be eligible for the CCS playoffs. All three opponents won their first matchup with the Vikings. With the L, the win now needs to come in the rivalry game (Battle for De Anza Blvd) against Monta Vista on Tuesday away at the Purple Palace, or on Senior Night home against Cupertino who beat the Vikes by 32 points in their first matchup.

JV plays Saturday in a rescheduled game at MacDonald high school, the first of two meetings between the teams. That game will be at 4:00 PM.