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Chisago Lakes 73

St. Croix Falls (Wisc.) 50

They didn't waste any time that's for sure.  Hosting St. Croix Falls (Wisc.) last Tuesday, Chisago Lakes welcomed the Saints with 22 points in the first quarter and 22 in the second.  Again, they didn't waste any time.

Six different players scored for the Wildcats in the first quarter alone, led by David Olson who struck for nine.  Chisago also made their presence known from beyond the arc by hitting four three-pointers in the opening frame, leading to a 22-14 advantage after the first eight minutes. 

Far from finished, the Wildcats padded their lead in the second, cruising in front 44-28 at the break behind 22 more points.  Once again, Olson produced most of the offense, scoring 12 in the quarter, giving him 20 in the half.  Trevor Johnson, Levi Secord, and Kyle Collins also scored points in the second.  The game was never close.

“It was good to play some kids,” said Herb Jangor, Chisago Lakes head boys basketball coach.  “Our two big men (Johnson and Secord) had a nice game inside.  David was solid as usual.  Once again, our depth played a big part in the game, that's a strength of ours.”

And they continue to show that in the second half. 

Leading by 14, the ‘Cats extended their lead to 28 after three after outscoring the Saints 18-6.  Thirteen of Jangor's 14 players saw action in the third and six different players scored points, making the score 62-34 heading into the fourth.  Although the Saints managed to outscore the ‘Cats 16-11 in the fourth, the outcome of the game was never in question as the Wildcats rolled to an easy 73-50 win.

“I thought it was a nice win for us against a up and coming team,” replied Jangor.  “Give St. Croix credit, they never quit working, they kept coming at us.”

A total of 11 'Cats scored in the game, led by Olson who finished with 28.  Johnson and Secord also struck for double figures, scoring 11 points apiece.

Chisago Lakes 73

St. Croix Falls 50

1 2 3 4 F

St. Croix Falls 14 14 6 16 50

Chisago Lakes 22 22 18 11 73

Scoring-

Olson 28, Secord 11, Johnson 11, Collins 5, Kellum 5, Tschida 3, Froberg 3, Claeson 2, Bowens 2, Golv 2, Sill 1.

Chisago Lakes 63

Mora 52

Things didn't start off quite as well last Friday versus Mora on offense.  Fortunately, the 'Cats had their defense to fall back on.

The Wildcats hit just three field goals to start the game, all three-pointers, putting them in tie with Mora at the end of the first quarter, 9-9.  Then in the second, Chisago Lakes put it together on both ends of the court, turning the corner with a barrage of baskets.  David Olson and Trent Froberg did most of the damage, scoring six and seven respectively, while on defense, the ‘Cats man-to-man pressure helped them build a 29-19 lead at halftime.

“Our defense kept us in there.  We played good defense except for about a three minute span in the fourth, and that was my fault for trying some different things,” remembered Jangor.  “Overall, our defensive intensity was good.”

And it looked like Chisago was going to roll from there. 

After outscoring the Mustangs 13-9 in third quarter, the 'Cats built their lead to 14.  Ten of the Wildcats 13 third quarter points came from inside the paint as Secord and Cameron Lallier began to heat up. Everything was going according to plan until a stretch in the fourth where Mora made it interesting- a little too interesting.

Down 42-28, the Mustangs all of a sudden got hot, draining shot after shot, including five three-pointers in the fourth.  Mora's shooting touch actually put them within three midway through the fourth before Mike Tschida answered back with a three of his own, one of two in the quarter for him.  Olson then added a clutch shot, followed by Secord. The seniors picked the perfect time to make their move, building Chisago's lead back to 11 at the end of the game, 63-52.  The win was the 'Cats third in a row and their second conference victory of the year.

“Tschida hit some big shots for us and Levi came up huge.  Also, that might have been David’s (Olson) best overall game of the year in terms of passing the ball, playing defense, getting everyone else involved,” remarked Jangor.  “We just fought back by playing solid man-to-man defense.  We got back to doing what we do best in the fourth and that's playing “D”.  The kids really responded when Mora made their run.  They accepted the challenge.  And as always, our bench was big.  They really sparked us and played some good minutes.”

Three players scored in double figures for Chisago.  Olson led the way with 21 while Tschida added 15, on five three-pointers.  Secord finished the game with 12 points.

The win improved the Wildcats season record to 5-2 overall.  Up next, after six days off, Chisago returns to the court next Tuesday for the CL Invite. The tourney runs through Wednesday.

Chisago Lakes 63

Mora 52

1 2 3 4 F

Chisago Lakes 9 20 13 21 63

Mora 9 10 9 24 52

Scoring-

Olson 21, Tschida 15, Secord 12, Froberg 7, Lallier 6, Johnson 2.

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