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Chisago Lakes 43

North Branch 33

One glimpse at the Wildcats game plan last Friday versus North Branch and it’s easy to see what their strength is. Facing a Viking team who had yet to lose, the ‘Cats began the game and ended the game with defense. In between, they managed just enough offense to grab a 43-33 win.

Chisago set the tone from the start. Packing the inside, trying the keep the ball out of the hands of Jenny Anderson, the Wildcats controlled the tempo early with solid defense and patience on offense. While the Vikings were only able to muster one field goal from the field in the first quarter, Chisago countered with nine points from four different players, leading to a 9-5 advantage after one.

“We worked worked hard to keep the ball out of the inside, and the other key was our rebounding, limiting them to one shot,” said Ed Wachutka, Chisago Lakes head girls basketball coach. “We weren’t letting them do what they wanted to do.”

“We were never able to get in any offensive rhythm,” said Dan Schindler, North Branch head girls basketball coach. “Give Chisago credit for playing some great defense. They were doubling Jenny Anderson quite a bit and we never made good adjustments to that.”

After scoring one point in the first, Anderson was able to strike for two baskets in the second, still, the Chisago defense kept her in check. Meanwhile, Katie Reed and Caitlin Cunningham each sank three-pointers and Megan Corradi and Kayla Ferris also scored for the Wildcats, giving them 10 more points in the second. Thanks to two three-pointers from Tiffany Good and some solid defense of their own, North Branch continued to weather the storm, actually pulling even with Chisago at the half, 19-19.

“Our defense kept us in the game. We made a little run in the second with Tiffany (Good) hitting a couple of three point shots to tie the game,” replied Schindler.

However, the Wildcats defense reigned supreme once again in the third, allowing the ‘Cats to move ahead by four. Chisago held the Vikings to six points in the period, four coming from Good. On the other side of the court, Jess Peterson and Genna Wachutka provided the damage for the Wildcats, combining for 10, helping the ‘Cats to a 31-25 lead with one quarter to go.

In the fourth, Peterson made sure the Vikings wouldn’t stage a comeback, striking for eight more in the quarter, which was as much as the entire North Branch team scored. Good sank the only two field goals for the Vikings as they could never mount a charge, falling 43-33. As for Chisago, in addition to Peterson’s eight, Reed, Wachutka, and Ferris also scored, helping the Wildcats outscore North Branch 14-8 over the final eight minutes. The loss was the Vikings first of the season, dropping their conference record to 3-1.

“It was by far our best game of the year,” added Wachutka. “The kids played with patience on offense and they were good on defense. It was the best team basketball I’ve seen”

“We had some chances down the stretch, but every time we got close, Chisago hit a big shot and never let us back in it,” commented Schindler. “We are disappointed with the loss, but we will learn from it and hopefully make adjustments to become a better team. Give Chisago credit, they outplayed us and deserved the win.”

Meanwhile, after losing their first three games of the season, the win was Chisago’s third over their last four games, moving their conference record to 3-1 as well.

“We’ve always been excited about what we’re doing, it’s always just been about building confidence,” replied Wachutka. “I expect us to continue to improve. Anytime you can beat North Branch, it’s definitely a feather in your cap.”

Chisago Lakes 43

North Branch 33

1 2 3 4 F

Chisago Lakes 9 10 10 14 43

North Branch 5 14 6 8 33

Scoring:

Chisago Lakes-

Peterson 17, Wachutka 8, Cunningham 6, Reed 5, Ferris 5, Corradi 2

North Branch-

Good 14, Anderson 7, Stegmeir 7, Olson 3, VandenHeuvel 2

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