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Cambridge-Isanti 62

North Branch 53

Knowing how to win is an attitude. Last year’s team had it, which had a lot to do with their perfect conference record. This year’s North Branch boys basketball team is still trying to figure it out.

Teams that know how to win find a way to do it. Whether it’s a player making a clutch shot or a defensive stand, it’s the difference between a good team and a great team. More often than not, it’s also the difference between an experienced team and an inexperienced one.

“We’re making progress but it’s hard to convince the kids of it because we haven’t been able to get in the win column,” said Bill Baumann, North Branch head boys basketball coach.

Last Tuesday, despite being tied with the Bluejackets early in the fourth quarter, the Vikings couldn’t get over the hump. Down the stretch, Cambridge outscored North Branch 19-10 en route to a 62-53 win. The Vikings managed only two field goals in the fourth and turned the ball over four times. The learning period continues.

Up until that point, it was anybody’s ballgame. The Vikings and Bluejackets were tied eight times in the game and the lead changed hands eight times as well.

North Branch began the game by scoring the first four points before Cambridge went on a 5-0 run. The first went back and forth. Throughout the first there were three lead changes. The last of which went to Cambridge as the Bluejackets got hot late in the quarter, pushing their lead to eight on the heels of back-to-back three-pointers. However, the Vikings closed the gap to two with a three-point attack of their own. Nick Perrin and Greg Moriarty each struck from downtown with less than a minute left, making the score 18-16 after one.

The Vikings continued their charge into the second, opening up the quarter with five of the first seven points, taking a one point lead. But then things went cold. The Vikings managed only two field goals the rest of the quarter, falling behind by as many as six points with 30 seconds left. Four quick points turned the deficit into two at the half, 31-29.

As close as things were in the first half, in the third, the battle really heated up. In the third alone, there were three ties and three lead changes. Down by four, Tony Beaver and Matt Warren tied the game just two minutes in. Then, after Cambridge went back up by five, Warren, Perrin, and Jake Chambers all ratted off baskets, bringing the score even. More than a minute later, Travis Peterson’s put-back gave North Branch their first lead since early in the second quarter, 40-38. North Branch held on, leading 43-42 at the end of three.

Then came the fourth.

Cambridge blew the doors off the gym the second the clock started ticking. The Bluejackets scored the first 13 points of the quarter, turning a one point deficit into a 12 point lead. Game over. The closest the Vikings got after that was seven. A Peterson three-pointer with 28 seconds left was the final basket of the game, making the final score 62-53 Cambridge.

“We played vastly better over the Duluth Central game but we still have a long way to go,” remarked Baumann. “We are playing hard, now we have to learn how to win.

For the game, the Vikings shot just 37 percent from the field while Cambridge shot 41 percent. The biggest disparity came in the rebounding department where Cambridge out-rebounded the Vikings 48-26.

“We’re still giving up too many easy baskets and we need to take better care of the basketball,” replied Baumann. “We still have too many unforced errors because we are not playing strong enough. We have to concentrate on the little things while we are gaining experience. We have taken a few baby steps and we just have to keep building on what we are doing. It’s going to take some time, but if we keep building on what we are doing, and as soon as we learn to focus on the whole game and not have any letdowns, we are going to be a force to be reckoned with.”

Cambridge-Isanti 62

North Branch 53

1 2 3 4 F

North Branch 16 13 14 10 53

Cambridge-Isanti 18 13 11 20 62

Scoring:

Perrin 12, Moriarty 10, Beaver 7, Chambers 6, Warren 6, Peterson 5, Moore 3, Novak 2, Olson 2.

Princeton 64

North Branch 61

Last Friday, the Vikings played their first home game of the season, hoping to pick up their first win in the process. Instead, North Branch once again found themselves on the short end, once again a play or two away from a win.

The Tigers controlled the first, taking the lead from the start and never losing it. Even though the Vikings tied the score three times, Princeton stayed one step ahead of North Branch, thanks in large part to their inside game. At the end of one, the score was 18-17.

The Vikings grabbed their first lead of the game right away in the second on a Tony Beaver three-pointer. From there, the lead changed three more times in the second as both squads tried to throw the knockout punch. The Vikings largest lead was three in the second before Princeton rattled off the next six points. However, A free throw by Justin Novak and a basket by Jake Chambers pulled North Branch even at the buzzer, 32-32.

The Tigers came out of the locker room on a mission, scoring the first six points of the third quarter. This time Princeton held on, never relinquishing the lead. The Vikings got as close as three late in the third and as a close as two in the fourth. Still, it wasn’t enough. Leading late in the game, the Tigers sealed it from the free throw line, scoring their final eight points of the game from the charity stripe. For the game Princeton shot 18-7 from the free throw line, not great, but good enough to steal a 64-61 win.

“Overall we played and worked hard but we still can’t get over the hump,” remarked Baumann. “Teams have been taking advantage of their height over us and we don’t have the ability to overcome it in other ways. Our defense is improving and our shooting is getting better, but they are going to have to get a lot better to overcome our other weaknesses.”

For the first time this season, North Branch had three players score in double figures. Perrin led the way with 19 points while Warren added 15 and Beaver struck for 11. Perrin hit five three-pointers in the game and Beaver added three.

“We had to shoot a lot of three’s in the game because of the size disadvantage,” remarked Baumann. “We also worked our tail off on defense and then the other team is able to take advantage of their size and get a put-back. We’re just going to have to work on blocking out a little harder and try and eliminate our little miscues.”

The loss dropped the Vikings season record to 0-3 overall and 0-1 in conference. On tap this week is their biggest challenge so far in Chisago Lakes.

“If the kids stick with what we are trying to do and we keep improving, good things will happen in the long run,” replied Baumann.

The Vikings and Wildcats meet Thursday night in Lindstrom.

Princeton 64

North Branch 61

1 2 3 4 F

Princeton 18 14 12 20 64

North Branch 17 15 7 22 61

Scoring:

Perrin 19, Warren 15, Beaver 11, Chambers 5, Peterson 4, Novak 3, Moriarty 2, Moore 2.

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