It’s been over two years since the boys basketball team lost at home, and despite some early season struggles this year, the Vikings made sure the streak continued with a 51-37 win over Cupertino.

After starting off 5-2, the Vikings ran into tougher competition during the winter break, losing 3 of 4, before beating Fremont, 41-37, on Tuesday in the first league game of the year. The Vikings depth was boosted during the break with the arrival of senior Nick Goodspeed and juniors Mike Scott and Jordan Jefferson, all of whom played football.

"We got such a late start with Mike, Jordan, and Nick coming so late," said head coach Peter Diepenbrock. "We’re improving every day."

The Vikings (8-5, 2-0 league) returned home nearly four weeks after defeating Woodside 44-30 in the home opener. Standing in the Vikings’ way was the Cupertino Pioneers. The Pioneers (14-3, 1-1) came in winners of 5 straight. In their two other losses, the Pioneers lost by one and three points to Gunn and Leigh respectively.

The Vikings took the early advantage, going on an 11-0 run after a Pioneer 3-pointer to start the game. The Pioneers slowly crept back into the game, cutting the first quarter lead to three with a field goal at the buzzer.

The Pioneers gained momentum in the second quarter, taking the 17-16 lead three minutes into the quarter. The teams exchanged the lead, but the Vikings ended the half on a 7-0 run, culminating with a tip-in from junior Dominick Powell with only seconds left in the half.

Though the first half was sloppy at times, the Vikings looked and played more like a team than a group of individuals. The passes were crisper, the double-teams were stronger and the overall demeanor of the team showed a greater chemistry than was seen in the home opener.

The third quarter saw mostly an equal exchange of field goals with the Vikings ending the quarter with the 39-30 lead. In the fourth quarter, the Vikings slowly began to pull away with the Pioneers seeking desperation 3-pointer in the game’s final minutes.

With about three minutes left in the game, play was stopped for nearly five minutes when Cupertino guard Ryan Matsuoka fell to the hardwood, dislocating his left shoulder. The medical staff rushed to Matsuoka immediately and worked carefully to relocate his shoulder without causing further damage or pain. After several tense minutes, Matsuoka stood up and walked to his bench under his own power to a standing ovation from the entire gym.

With the game safely in hand, Diepenbrock emptied his bench. Senior Paul Reamey took advantage of his playing time, scoring four points in less than a minute. Cupertino hit a long 3-pointer at the buzzer, making the final score 51-37.

It wasn’t always pretty, but the struggling Vikings were glad to take a victory anyway possible. The win completed the four game sweep of Cupertino on quad night.

"The crowd gets us so pumped up," senior Christian Bakken said. "We feel like we can’t lose at home."

Bakken’s teammate and point guard agreed.

"We wanted the sweep," Scott said. "We wanted to give the fans a show."

Bakken finished with 14 points while Scott had eight. Nick Goodspeed added seven points and Powell scored nine along with 11 rebounds.

The Vikings will look to carry the momentum of Friday’s win into next week when they head to Los Gatos on Tuesday before returning home on Jan. 16 against Saratoga.