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Chisago Lakes 62

Mora 47

It never fails, the Chisago Lakes boys basketball team always has one bad quarter. Last Tuesday, that bad quarter came in the first meaning Mora was able to stay close for roughly ten minutes before the Wildcats took control.

Trailing 7-5 after one, the ‘Cats switched gears, flying past the Mustangs in the second by outscoring them 18-11, taking a 23-18 lead at the half. Todd Froberg and David Olson led things offensively for Chisago in the first, scoring seven and five respectively, however, it was the Wildcats defense that put a smile on Herb Jangor’s face.

“It was a solid game for us,” mentioned Jangor, Chisago Lakes boys basketball head coach. “We seemed to have one bad quarter every game and it’s never the same quarter. We were able to weather the storm and we picked away from there. We played solid defense, that’s what really turned things around for us and got us going offensively.”

Things definitely got going on offense in the third quarter for Chisago as the ‘Cats added 24 more points. Olson struck for 12 alone, including going 6-6 from the free throw line. Froberg, Levi Secord. Blane Maher, and Tony Corradi also got into the scoring act.

“We had good balance scoring in that game,” explained Jangor. “Todd (Froberg) had an outstanding game for us, the big guys really dominated in the middle, they played great, and everyone else played their role. It was a good team effort.”

Leading 47-35 after three, Chisago stretched their lead to 15 in the fourth, completing a 62-47 win. Sophomore Trevor Johnson scored six in the fourth giving him a game total of 10 points while Froberg hit for five. Olson led the team in scoring with 17 when it was all said and done followed by 16 from Froberg. Johnson and Secord each finished with 10 points.

The win once again evened the Wildcats overall record, this time bringing them to 9-9 on the season, 7-5 in conference.

Chisago Lakes 62

Mora 47

1 2 3 4 F

Chisago Lakes 5 18 24 15 62

Mora 7 11 17 12 47

Scoring:

Olson 17, Froberg 16, Secord 10, Johnson 10, Corradi 4, Golv 3, Maher 2.

Chisago Lakes 56

Milaca 47

If you ask Chisago, of their nine losses this season, which one hurt the most? The answer might be January 13, 2004, a 54-51 heartbreaking setback to Milaca. However, on the flip side, the Wildcats won five of their next seven games after that setback, so maybe the revenge factor wasn’t that big of a deal after all. Was it?

It was, just not right away.

After struggling through the first half, Chisago tightened the screws on defense in the second, propelling them past Milaca last Friday, gaining a sense of revenge in the process.

The first was in a word, uneventful, as the Wolves jumped in front 10-9 after one and 27-20 at the half. Levi Secord did his best to keep his team in the game, scoring nine of the teams 20 points in the first. Secord and the play of senior Cameron Lallier seemed to be the only two bright spots that Jangor took away from the first 16 minutes of play.

“No effort, no energy in the first half,” said Jangor. “We didn’t play as a team at all. Cameron Lallier’s energy kept us within striking distance, he really gave us a spark.”

In the second half, the spark came from Chisago’s defense as it turned the game completely around. Led by Mike Golv, the Wildcats began to force turnovers, strike for fast break lay-ups, and more importantly, trim the deficit, eventually taking the lead for good at the end of the quarter, 38-32. The ‘Cats outscored Milaca 18-5 in the third.

“We got it going with the defense. Mike Golv did an outstanding job on defense, he really got us going,” mentioned Jangor. “Everything really fell into place after that. We got some steals which led to fast breaks. It was just boom, boom, boom.”

Also turning things around with his defense was junior David Olson. After scoring three points in the first half, Olson hit for 13 in the third quarter before adding nine more in the fourth. Secord, Froberg, and Trevor Johnson also were active in the fourth, helping the Wildcats outscore the Wolves 18-15, enabling them to steal a 56-47 win.

“David got going with his defense, just like the whole team did,” said Jangor. “He settled down in the second and so did we. Also, Levi had a nice game inside, he really dominated. His presence in the middle is a big key for us. The boys did a nice job doing what they had to do to get a win. We weren’t happy with our start but stepped up, worked hard, and got it done in the end.”

Olson finished with a game high 25 points, 22 of those points came in the second half. Secord also reached double figures, finishing the game with 15. Todd Froberg added nine.

The victory moved the Wildcats overall record to 10-9 and their conference record to 8-5.

Chisago Lakes 56

Mora 47

1 2 3 4 F

Chisago Lakes 9 11 18 18 56

Mora 10 17 5 15 47

Scoring:

Olson 25, Secord 15, Froberg 9, Johnson 5, Lallier 1, Corradi 1.

Fridley 55

Chisago Lakes 41

There is never really a good time to play Fridley. Most likely the sections number one seed, the Tigers are a handful. Now throw in the fact that Chisago was coming off a win in Milaca 24 hours earlier and that handful became more of a armful.

Simply put, the ‘Cats were tired, an element of their game that become evident as the game wore on.

Chisago Lakes spent most of their energy in the first where they jumped in front 15-11 with all 15 points coming from Olson and Froberg.

However, things slowed down in the second and third for the Wildcats while Fridley heated up. The Tigers put up a 15 spot of their own in the second quarter, charging back to take the lead 26-19 at the half. Fridley than added to their lead in the third by outscoring Chisago 15-7, increasing their lead to 15, 41-26.

“We were a little slow coming off that Milaca game, but Fridley is a good team, maybe the best team in our section and one of the better teams in the state,” commented Jangor. “The kids competed. Our defense was decent. We had a few little breakdowns, but the main problem was that we had trouble scoring in the middle quarters, the second the third.”

By the time Chisago found their stroke again in the fourth, the game was already well in hand. Despite 15 fourth quarter points by the Wildcats, Fridley matched the ‘Cats with 14 of their own, en route to a 55-41 win.

Once again, Olson and Froberg led things offensively, both reaching double figures for the second time in three games. Olson finished with 14, Froberg had 10. The loss snapped a two game Wildcat winning streak, dropping their season mark back to .500, 10-10 overall.

“They’re (Fridley) probably the best team in the section. They are big and physical and they play well together,” mentioned Jangor. “That game showed us that we can compete, but we still have some work to do in order to pull off some upsets come section time. The kids played well but they know they can play better.”

Speaking of sections, tourney time is three weeks away and counting. The Wildcats finish the regular season with five of their final six games against Rum River opponents. Their only remaining non-conference game is a road match-up with Cloquet March 4.

Fridley 55

Chisago Lakes 41

1 2 3 4 F

Fridley 11 15 15 14 55

Chisago Lakes 15 4 7 15 41

Scoring:

Olson 14, Froberg 10, Swanberg 6, Golv 3, Brelje 3, Maher 2, Lallier 2, Johnson 1.

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