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North Branch 51

Chisago Lakes 34

There’s something about Chisago Lakes that brings out the best in North Branch.

Playing the Wildcats last Friday, the Vikings brought their A-game, holding Chisago to just seven points in the first quarter and five in the third quarter. The third was the biggest, turning a 25-17 lead into a 39-22 advantage, putting a nail in the Chisago Lakes coffin.

The Vikings got off to good start thanks to Gabi Olson, Jenny Anderson, and Megan Stegmeir. The three combined to score all 12 of the Vikings points in the first quarter. Meanwhile, the ‘Cats struggled to keep pace, making only two field goals in the quarter.

In the second it was more of the same, only this time, the Vikings spark came from Kristen Robatcek. The rising star scored four in the second for North Branch, but more importantly, she gave Dan Schindler’s squad some added energy, energy that helped the Vikings build their lead to eight at the break, 25-17.

“I was really pleased with how we were able to execute on offense. I thought Kristen came in and gave us some nice energy. She is a player that can make things happen and she got a couple of steals and got our break going,” said Schindler, North Branch head girls basketball coach. “Megan Stegmeir also had another solid game. You don’t hear much about her each week, but at the end of the game she always has her 8-10 points and 3-4 assists. She is a real consistent player for us.”

Leading by eight at the break, in the second half, North Branch turned to another one of their consistent performers to help seal the win. Gabi Olson accepted the challenge.

Olson turned her game up a notch out of the locker room, striking for four in the third and five in the fourth. However, it wasn’t just her scoring. Olson’s versatility helped North Branch built their lead to 17 at the end of three.

“She took over the game,” replied Schindler. “Gab is a great player and she can do it all. In the first half we had her running our offense from the point, and in the second half she posted up and scored to put the game away. Whatever we need on a given night Gab can do.”

As for Chisago, they struggled to find an answer, scoring just five points in the quarter as things began to slip away.

With North Branch leading big in the fourth, the Vikings coasted the rest of the way, matching the Wildcats point for point the rest of the way. Led by Megan Corradi, the ‘Cats had their best quarter of the game in the fourth in terms of offense, scoring 12. However, it didn’t make a dent in the Vikings lead as Olson and company put the finishing touches on a 51-34 win with 12 points of their own. Five Vikings scored points in the fourth.

The win was the Vikings sixth in a row and their 15th of the season.

“I also thought that our post players- Jenny, Jill (VandenHeuvel), and Randi (Zentner) did a good job denying Chisago easy inside passes,” commented Schindler. “We were concerned with Chisago’s inside game and the girls did a great job defending it. Jenny has really controlled the boards for us and had another 11 rebounds. Our bench came in and gave us some nice minutes. Overall, it was just a nice team win for us.”

A good win for a variety of reasons. The victory also puts North Branch at 11-2 in conference, now just a half-game behind St. Michael-Albertville for first place in the conference. Chisago Lakes dropped to 8-4 in the Rum, putting them all alone in fourth place. Head coach Ed Wachutka was unavailable for comment.

North Branch 51

Chisago Lakes 34

1 2 3 4 F

North Branch 12 13 14 12 51

Chisago Lakes 7 10 5 12 34

North Branch-

Olson 18, Stegmeir 10, Anderson 8, Good 5, VandenHeuvel 4, Robatcek 4, Zentner 2.

Chisago Lakes-

Ferris 11, Peterson 10, Reed 6, Corradi 5, Schultz 2.

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