NORTHWOOD — There was no cupcake waiting for the Northwood-Kensett girls’ basketball team in its season opener.

Instead, the Vikings, a Class 1A school, dove into their schedule by hosting No. 4 Class 3A Hampton-Dumont.

“You don’t get any better by playing a team you’re just going to roll over,” said Northwood-Kensett coach Daryl Love. “Yeah, those are always more fun, but they don’t always make you a better team.”

Hampton-Dumont jumped out to a 12-2 lead in the first quarter and extended that advantage to win 67-44 Tuesday at Northwood-Kensett.

The game exposed flaws — like 35 turnovers — but the Vikings also showed character. Despite being out-sized by the Bulldogs’ 6-foot-1-inch senior center, Kennedy Wohlford, Northwood-Kensett post Shelby Hagen fought for position and grabbed 14 rebounds: four defensive and 10 offensive. Calli Christiansen, a sophomore guard, added nine boards: six defensive and three offensive.

“I couldn’t believe how many offensive rebounds we had, and that’s just hustle,” Love said. “I was happy with the effort the whole time. It was just the decision making in the first half that was not good at all.”

Hattie Davidson posted a team-high 18 points to go with seven rebounds, four blocks, three steals and an assist. Hagen was one point away from a double-double, Sammi Butler added eight points and two rebounds and Jenna Schaefer had five points and five rebounds.

After being outscored by 10 points in the first quarter, the spread shrunk each quarter until both teams scored 16 points in the fourth. The Vikings trailed 30-12 at halftime, but were only outscored 37-32 in the second half.

The Vikings are a young team this season with two seniors, five juniors and four sophomores.

Next, Northwood-Kensett will play at 7:45 p.m. next Tuesday at Clarion-Goldfield. The Cowboys are coming off a 58-53 win in their season opener Tuesday at West Hancock.