The Cadillac Vikings entered Alpena as one of the top teams in the entire state, looking to dominate the Wildcats.

To the team’s surprise, the Wildcats came out hot and kept the game tight until the end.

This win for the Vikings extended its undefeated season, as Cadillac is now officially 7-0 overall and 4-0 in the BNC.

“Against an undefeated team and the best in our conference, we did a lot of things right and really came together and played strong as a team,” Alpena coach John Pintar said. “We’ve struggled to knock down our shots, and just about every guy shot the ball well tonight, which was huge. If we can play like this going forward, we have a chance in every one of our upcoming games.”

News Photo by Steve Jakubcin Alpena High School’s Connor Cameron, right, takes a shot over a pair of Cadillac players while Alpena’s Tucker Bright covers during the contest on Friday night at Alpena High.

While the Wildcats have hung with most opponents offensively this season, a solid 16-point quarter allowed Alpena to stick with the Vikings.

Great inside play from Oliver Duthler and three-point shooting from Tucker Bright and Connor Cameron combined for 12 of the 16 points.

Cameron’s three-point shot came after an incredible poke-away steal, which led right to an open corner-three that he made.

After the first, Alpena was tied 16-16 as Cadillac got a majority of its production from Charlie Howell, who finished the quarter with eight points alone.

Both offenses slowed in the second quarter because of better defense.

Cadillac held Alpena to six points while scoring 12 and taking a six-point lead going into halftime.

Coming out of the half down 28-22, the Wildcats needed to maintain their high intensity and effort to have a chance.

That intensity came from its shooters, Cameron and Bright, who both sank two three-pointers each during the third quarter.

That shooting ability has come few and far between for the Wildcats, so putting things all together got the momentum rolling.

Despite that effort from Alpena, the Vikings’ offense kept up, only being outscored by two points during the quarter.

Howell finished with a spectacular third, scoring 11 points, only missing one shot.

Heading into the final quarter, the Wildcats were down four points by a score of 45-41.

In the most pivotal time of the game, Alpena’s offense began to run cold, and Cadillac continued to play outstandingly.

Holding the Wildcats to just 10 points and doubling its scoring during the period, Alpena lost in a 65-57 final.

Once again, Howell led the way with double-digit points, finishing with 31 overall.

“Tonight, we took on a very big and physical Cadillac team, but our next matchup will be the opposite,” Pintar said. “Going into (Traverse City) Central, they just returned their best player and the best player in the conference in Anthony Ribel, and our goal is to limit him and shut everyone else down.”

Alpena plays Traverse City Central on Thursday.

Alpena’s leading scorer on the night was Bright, who scored 20 points. The Wildcats’ second-highest scorer was Cameron, ending with 12.