SILVERDALE — A weaker team would have lost by 20.

But in erasing a 17-point halftime deficit Tuesday in a 62-61 loss against Olympic, the North Kitsap Vikings proved once again how dangerous a boys hoops team they can be — even if they don’t have a win yet to show for it.

“We always believe,” NK coach Tony Chisholm said. “My team has character, man. We never think we’re gonna lose. That’s what good teams do. They proved it.”

Trailing by 17 at the contest’s midpoint, the Vikings came out a different team in the second half, as a Taylor Hoffer jumper spurred a 10-2 NK run to open the third quarter.

After Oly (4-0) pulled back ahead to lead 54-41 into the final frame, the Vikings (0-6) knew their time was the present.

“I just told them to keep it up,” Chisholm said. “Just take it to the next level. That’s all it was. I knew they’d get us back into the game.”

After Oly stretched its lead to 18 (61-43) with 6:47 seconds to play, the North Kitsap defense clamped down. The Vikings would then go on a 18-1 run to finish the game.

The only problem was that one.

After a Jordan Coover jumper pulled NK within a pair, two free throws from Viking Brian Cleaver tied it up with 11 seconds left. But a foul with 5.5 seconds to go sent Oly’s Rich Smith to the line. After missing the first, Smith hit the second and left the Vikings with one last chance.

On a great inbounds play that perfectly dissected Olympic’s press, the Vikings got their chance as Dietrich Rios went strong to the hoop for a lay-in. The shot rolled on the rim and looked like it was going to fall before it slipped out, allowing the Trojans Smith to nab the rebound and let the last second tick off the clock.

“I thought it was going in,” Chisholm said. “I’m ready to jump up and down, scream, everything else. The play we drew up worked perfect.”

Despite the loss being the most recent in a number of narrow defeats this year (the Vikings have lost four games by five points or less), Chisholm said his kids have been able to maintain a positive attitude.

“I think because we’ve got a great group of kids,” he said. “I preach to them always about letting go. It’s a game of fun. But somebody has got to lose, somebody’s got to win. If you hold on to (close losses), it’s gonna eat you up.”

Chisholm praised the work of a number of his players in the game, as well as his coaching staff. But what he liked most was that everyone that saw action had a hand in at least one key play in the Vikings’ comeback run.

“As a coaching staff, we had fresh bodies in all game. Everybody contributed,” he said. “Kyle Erickson, no doubt. Steven Kirk, no doubt on defense. Everybody; it was a bench effort. Everybody.”

Erickson scored a team-high 16 to lead the Vikings while Coover had 14 and Rios chipped in 11.

The effort was so strong that Chisholm called it the “best” he’s seen from his young, tall team.

“I tip my hat to the boys,” he said. “They were incredible. That’s the best effort I’ve seen yet. It’s what building a successful program is all about.”

The Vikings stacked those building blocks to the state Capitol the Dec. 20, but the Bears knocked them back down with a 61-47 victory. Olympia outscored the Vikings by a count of 22-10 in the final quarter to seal the Narrows League contest.

North hosted a co-ed double header against Bainbridge Island Friday, but results were unavailable at press time. Next up, the Vikes will travel to face Wilson Jan. 3 before visiting Foss Jan. 10 — both games start at 7 p.m.