FRANKLIN FURNACE — If the Symmes Valley Vikings play this well sick, maybe coach Alvin Carpenter should ban all flu shots.

Despite battle illness all week, the Vikings recovered well enough to beat the Green Bobcats 65-54 Friday in a Southern Ohio Conference game and remained tied for first place.

“(Chris) Capper and (Jacob) Johnson sick all week. Matt Tibbs hasn’t felt good. I was just hoping to get through the game. I was afraid we’d have to make a pit stop at the hospital,” said Carpenter.

Johnson made the Bobcats ill in the first quarter with seven points as the Vikings took a 17-8 lead.

Tyler Smith scored nine points in the second quarter to offset eight points by Green’s Patrick Pierce and Symmes Valley took a 36-18 halftime lead.

Green cut the deficit to six points in the third quarter, but Capper scored six points as the Vikings opened up a 47-38 lead.

“(Green) it some shots to start the third quarter. It wasn’t anything we weren’t doing. Then we recovered and started to open it back up,” said Carpenter.

Smith scored eight points and converted five foul shots in the fourth quarter as the Vikings improved to 12-5 overall and 10-2 in the SOC.

Smith had 21 points and four assists. Capper got 14 points and nine rebounds while Johnson added 10 points and four assists.

Pierce scored 16 points to lead Green (7-11, 5-8). Randy Ratcliff had 13 ponts and Austin Pollard 12.

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SYMMES VALLEY (12-5, 10-2): Tyler Smith 2 3 8-8 21, Jacob Johnson 1 2 2-4 10, Kris Tibbs 3 1 0-0 9, Chris Capper 6 0 2-4 14, Matt Tibbs 2 1 2-2 9, Hunter Boggs 1 0 0-0 2, Ryan Stanley 0 0 0-0 0, Jesse Graybeal 0 0 0-0 0, Justin Wilson 0 0 0-0 0. Totals: 22-47 14-18 65. 3-point goals: 7-14. Fouls: 14. Fouled out: None. Rebounds: 29 (Capper 9, K. Tibbs 8). Assists: 13 (Johnson 4, Smith 4, M. Tibbs 4). Steals: 13 (M. Tibbs 5, K. Tribbs 4). Turnovers: 13.

GREEN (7-11, 5-8): Matt Clarke 1 0 0-0 2, Josh Tyler 0 0 0-2 0, Pat Pierce 2 4 0-0 16, Austin Pollard 6 0 0-2 12, Randy Ratcliff 6 0 1-3 13, Nathan Pinkerton 2 0 0-0 4, Wes Bailey 2 1 0-0 7, Chris Willard 0 0 0-0 0, Zane Poe 0 0 0-0 0. Totals: 19 6 1-7 54. Fouls: 17. Fouled out: Clarke.