Champs!

When Ivanhoe basketball players first joined Minneota, they had a tradition of playing in the “Candy Cane” holiday tournament with teams like Westbrook-Walnut Grove and Heron Lake-Okabena.

When the two schools became one team — the Minneota Vikings went naturally into the Candy Cane Tournament, which is held at various sites.

This year it was at Okabena — and the Minneota Vikings waltzed their way past Heron-Lake Okabena 91-54 to set up a title game with Westbrook-Walnut Grove, a 66-60 winner over Lakeview.

The two teams tangled themselves in a high-scoring thriller that included 23 three-pointers between the two squads.

When the dust cleared, Minneota had an 88-84 victory over Westbrook-Walnut Grove.

And for just the second time since Ivanhoe and Minneota came together — the Vikings took home the championship trophy. The Vikings are undefeated at 7-0 on the year.