POULSBO — The North Kitsap High School gym was filled with devoted fans Jan. 15 and the highly competitive rivals each had something to prove.

The Vikings were on their home court, undefeated in the Olympic 2A league and No. 1 in the standings (6-0, 12-2). They had already beaten the Buccaneers 64-45 at Kingston earlier in the season and another win would solidify their league dominance.

For Kingston (3-2, 6-6), the team had momentum with back-to-back wins against North Mason and Port Angeles. A win was critical for their path to state and school honor was at stake. The Buccaneers had not prevailed against the Vikings for over two years and it was an opportunity for pay back. All the pieces for a historic basketball rivalry were in place.

The opening jump tipped toward Kingston but the Vikings quickly took control and moved the score to 5-0 in just 32 seconds. The initial shock to Kingston stepped up to awe four minutes later as the Buccaneers energized its defense and crawled up the boards to even the score 8-8. After that, it was a horse race; first quarter 18-16 Bucs, 31-29 Vikings at the half, and 43-42 Bucs closing Q3. In the fourth quarter, Kingston junior Gavin Veilleux tied the score 53-53 with 17 seconds on the clock and forced the game into overtime.

Overtime opened aggressively with two back-to-back baskets by Kingston juniors Veilleux and Andrew Shaw but North Kitsap sophomore Zac Olmsted shaved the lead with a 3-pointer, putting the score at 57-56 with 1:32 on the clock. The 12th man had nothing on rival fans as the excitement increased.

Leading the Viking offense in points, Viking senior Cole Rabedeaux bounced a try off the rim that was handled by Kingston and ended up out of bounds under the basket with 5 seconds left. With North in possession, a timeout set the play and the next move would determine the game.

North Kitsap’s Olmsted put the ball back in play with a pass to senior Jarrod Felix just inside the 3-point line. Felix took the shot but found the ball rolling off the rim for a rebound into the hands of Kingston senior Ali Chiquiti. A heartbeat later, the final buzzer sounded with the underdog Buccaneers upsetting the Vikings 57-56.

The Kingston crowd erupted.

“I knew one of us had to get it,” Chiquiti said. “It changed everything. The crowd went crazy.”

As a senior, this would be the last time Chiquiti would meet the Vikings in basketball and was perhaps his best performance of the year with eight points on the board, three assists and two steals.

“Coach told us we had to get more physical and I knew I had to do something for my team,” Chiquiti said. “We’re a young team with a lot of talent but have had some trouble putting the puzzle pieces together. Tonight everyone stepped up. We have what it takes. It’s all here.”

Top shooters for Kingston were Gavin Veilleux with 18, Liam Young at 14, and Brett Spencer tied at eight with Chiquiti. North’s point leaders included seniors Cole Rabedeaux and Joshua Benson with 16 each, and junior Kohlten Barringer-Mahitka with eight.

“We really wanted to win this game for our seniors,” said Veilleux, referring to teammates Ali Chiquiti and Max English, who haven’t been able to see a win over the Vikings. “I needed to play defense but also go out there and drive the basket to get points.”

Kingston head coach Ben Wisniewski said, “This was a big win; it was emotional. It all comes back to our energy and effort. My proudest moments are when this team battles through adversity.”

North Kitsap head coach Scott Orness credited Kingston’s defense with the win but noted the Vikings remain No. 1 in the standings.

“I knew it was going to be a pretty good game,” Orness remarked. “It’s a tough loss but that’s the game, and a game we’ll always remember. I give a lot of credit to the Kingston defense. They shut down Cole Rabedeaux in the second half and we only scored three points in the last eight minutes. I think they wanted it more than we did.”

With three consecutive wins, Kingston (4-2, 7-6) lines up with Olympic (5-2, 9-6) and Bremerton (4-2, 6-6) with two league losses and North with one, keeping the league title up for grabs. Coming up on the calendar, Kingston hosts the Sequim Wolves (1-9, 5-10) Jan. 19 in Kingston. North Kitsap visits the Olympic Trojans the same night.