The Vikings clinched an undefeated record and top seed in the upcoming state championships after a down-to-the-wire battle on February 17 against the Apponequet Lakers.

"It feels great," said Head Coach Kevin Brogioli. "It's just satisfying when you and the team set a goal and work for them and actually achieve them."

The Vikings, who went 20-0 in the season, now have the bragging rights of being the only undefeated team in the whole state of Massachusetts, not just the South Coast Conference, Brogioli said.

The win over Apponequet also gave Brogioli his first undefeated season as head coach of the team. But the achievement doesn't just belong to him. It also belongs to his father, Jim Brogioli, who was head coach for 25 years until the younger Brogioli took over in 1997. The elder Brogioli was not able to achieve an undefeated season during his tenure.

"To be undefeated you have to be good, but you have to be a little bit lucky," Kevin Brogioli said with a humble laugh. He added: "No one cares if you're undefeated once you start ... the tournament. As cliche as it might sound, everybody starts at 0-0 once the tournament begins."

Teams will be paired for the upcoming state tournament on Friday, February 24, and the games will begin at the end of February or the beginning of March, according to Brogioli.

Being undefeated means that the Vikings will have home court for their first game. If they win that game, they will then have home court for their second game. They will also play the 16th seed for the first game, Brogioli said.

"You want to be playing your best basketball at this time of year, and I think the past few games we have stepped it up and are playing well," said Brogioli.

The win against Apponequet for the undefeated record was a battle, however.

At half-time the Lakers led 34-32 after junior Darien Fernandes closed the margin with a 2-point field goal right before the buzzer.

The second half followed the pattern of the first -- with plenty of fouls and missed shots. The tide started to turn in the fourth quarter.

With Apponequet leading 56-55 in the fourth quarter, Viking players Stefan Monteiro, Aaron Baptiste, Mason Vasconcellos, and Fernandes all came up big with three pointers for Wareham. The defense also came up big with stolen balls and blocked shots to give the Vikings the 76-59 win.