The Wareham Vikings ended their season with a crushing defeat on Monday night against the Jeremiah E. Burke Bulldogs in Taunton. The final score of the semi-playoffs game was 85-57.

“Burke was the aggressor tonight,” said Vikings Head Coach Steve Faniel. “We were much to passive.”

The Vikings, who had won the small division South Coast Conference championship title in February, had secured their semi-final bid in the state tournament on March 1 with a victory over Old Rochester Regional.

In that game, the Vikings bested the ORR bulldogs 65-56; but the Burke Bulldogs proved to be an entirely different breed.

“They hit hard on offense,” Faniel said. “We just couldn’t keep up.”

The two teams hit the court hard in the first quarter the game with the Vikings trailing Burke 15-11.

Impressive plays from Senior captain Taylor Carlson and Destine Haywood-Gomes kept the two neck and neck, but soon the Bulldogs carved out a ten point lead.

By the end of the third quarter, that ten point lead grew into a thirty point lead, and the Vikings had all they could do to keep up.

“They were very physical,” said Faniel. “We made strides this year, but we need to make more in the weight room this off season.”

The Vikings will graduate three seniors from their ranks this spring, including Carlson, who was the game’s highest scoring player with 18 points. 

Carlson had four 3-pointers, one of which scored him his 1,000th point overall. Fans up in the stands came prepared to cheer him on, waving signs which read “TC1K.”

“It was an absolutely incredible goal for him to accomplish,” Faniel said. “When you see the way these boys embrace each other on the court, you can really feel the love. It’ll be hard to say goodbye.”

The Vikings overall record for the season is 16-4.