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Chisago Lakes 57

Princeton 45

Winning ugly is still winning, no matter how painful it is to watch.

Last Tuesday night versus Princeton, the Chisago Lakes boys basketball team flirted with ugly on more than one occasion, but when it came down to securing the win, the ‘Cats knock-out blow was powerful and precise.

Offensively, the game started out fast and furious, mainly from beyond the arc where 12 of the Wildcats 16 first quarter points came from beyond the arc. Sophomore Jason Kellum provided the spark this time, accounting for three three-pointers in the first, helping Chisago Lakes to a 16-13 lead after one.

Then, in the second, things got ugly, really ugly, even though the Wildcats were able to hold the lead. Kellum again hit from three-point land providing the outside attack while Junior Levi Secord chipped in with six inside. Meanwhile, the Tigers clawed back to within two at the half sparked by their balance with five different players scoring points, 27-25.

“The first half was ugly,” remarked Herb Jangor, Chisago Lakes boys basketball head coach. “We didn’t do a very good job on defense and we didn’t execute on offense but we still had the lead. That showed the kids that even though we weren’t playing that well, it was a game we had a chance to win.”

Chisago looked to their defense to spark things in the third. The strategy worked. The Wildcats held the Tigers to 11 points in the quarter, while on offense, Chisago Lakes slowly added to their lead. Mike Golv scored four in the third, one of six ‘Cats to score in the quarter, giving the Wildcats a 43-36 lead after three. One of the six ‘Cats to score in the quarter was Kellum who notched his fifth three-pointer of the game.

“We played better defense in the second half with a little more intensity, that always helps you on offense,” said Jangor. “We got better balance on offense in the second half. It was nice to see Jason Kellum shoot the ball well. We got some balance scoring and that’s what we need this year on offense.”

That balance continued in the fourth as four different players combined for 14 points, pushing the Chisago lead to double digits for the first time in the game, leading to a 57-45 win. The win was the ‘Cats first conference victory of the season and their first win since the first game of the season.

“Levi (Secord) had a nice game, he was big for us down the stretch, scoring nine points and getting nine rebounds. He had a nice game,” said Jangor. “We have to have nine to 10 guys get between two and 15 points a night for this system to work. We got eight so I was happy with that. It was good win for the kids to get their confidence back.”

Paced by five three-pointers, Kellum led all scorers with 15 points followed by David Olson who had 13. Secord scored nine and Golv chipped in with eight.

Chisago Lakes 57

Princeton 45

1 2 3 4 F

Princeton 13 12 11 9 45

Chisago Lakes 16 11 16 14 57

Scoring:

Kellum 15, Olson 13, Secord 9, Golv 8, Corradi 4, Johnson 4, Swanberg 2, Lallier 2.

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