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The North Branch boys’ basketball team survived an early three point barrage at St. Francis Tuesday, January 3 and won its North Suburban conference opener 71-61.

The Saints hit three consecutive three pointers in the first 2:17 and built an early 10-2 lead. Over the next five minutes, the Vikings fought back and, with 10:25 remaining in the half, took a 17-16 lead on a Travis Peterson to Nate Perrin three.

That was the last lead the Viukings would manage for the next 17 minutes. St. Francis hit more three’s as they took back the lead and controlled the game for much of the rest of the half. During that span, the Saint lead grew to as much as 11 (three times) and St. Francis finished the half on top 37-28.

The Saints had hit their first five three pointers and seven in the half. Yet, the Vikings were still in the game.

“We talked about our defensive intensity in the first half at the intermission. We challenged the kids to play at a higher level in the second half and they answered that challenge,” said North Branch head coach Bill Baumann.

The Vikings turned up the defensive pressure in the second half. That forced the Saints into mistakes. “We were able to force 18 turnovers.  Our pressure and depth has been paying off in the second half and later in the game,” Baumann continued.

North Branch scored the first five points of the second half and never let up. The Vikings took a 42-41 lead at the 11:11 mark. Over the next four minutes, the lead changed hands nine minutes until a Matt Warren assist set up Jeff Olson with an open three that he converted for a 52-50 North Branch lead.

That basket, with 7:19 remaining, gave the Vikings the lead for good. From there, North Branch controlled the rest of the game as it built the lead to 14 with two minutes to go. St. Francis, forced to foul to get the ball back, put the wrong Viking on the charity stripe. Nick Perrin calmly drained seven free throws down the stretch and the Vikings put one in the right column.

“We have become more patient on offense and we are reaping the benefits.  By taking better care of the basketball we are getting good looks and are starting to finish off around the basket.  Also, being aggressive, we have been able to get to the free throw line.  Even though our free throw percentage isn't quite what we want yet, it is gradually creeping up,” Baumann concluded.

 Travis Peterson led the team with five rebounds to go with his two assists. In addition to a very productive scoring night, Warren had four rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block. Perrin was the Vikings’ leading scorer, had three 3 pointers, two assists and two steals.

Scoring Summary vs St. Francis

North Branch 28 43 71

St. Francis 37 24 61

Travis Peterson... 4

Jake Kovarik...... 2

Justin Novak...... 7

Jeff Olson.......... 3

Matt Warren...... 20

Nate Perrin........ 25

John Lindstrom.. 2

Jake Chambers... 2

David Bennett.... 6

Total.....................71

North Branch 72, Irondale 52

The Vikings and the Irondale Knights played an even basketball game for the first three minutes at North Branch Friday, January 6. At that point, with the Knights leading 8-7, North Branch started to assert itself on defense and force a lot of Irondale turnovers.

Those turnovers led to eight consecutive points by the Vikings. In the next minute and a half Jake Chambers and Nick Perrin outscored Irondale 8-0 and the Vikes were up 15-8.

An Irondale timeout failed to stop the bleeding and the Vikings continued to expand their lead. By the end of the half, the NB advantage had grown to 14 (42-28).

“We are starting to find our identity and we realize we have to come out and be aggressive from the start.  I think we are also figuring out how important defense is,” said North Branch head coach Bill Baumann. “Offensively we are starting to figure out what we need to do and where we can be successful.” 

The Vikings held a comfortable margin most of the second half, but the Knights kept chipping away and got as close as six points with about four minutes to go. Irondale tried to press the Vikings who took advantage for numerous layups in the final minutes of the contest. When they didn’t convert from the field they did from the free throw line.

“We forced Irondale to do some things they weren't comfortable with and we forced a lot of turnovers.  We are figuring out what is a good shot and we are getting to the free throw line. We are rebounding better because we are blocking out on the boards. We have to keep the other team further away from the basket to give us a chance to get the ball,” Baumann continued.

Chambers led the Vikings with seven rebounds to go with three steals and three assists. Matt Warren had a good game with four rebounds and a team high six steals.

“The box score doesn't tell everything all the time.  A good example is Travis Peterson.  Travis isn't scoring much but he is hustling all over the floor and doing the little things that can make us successful,” added Baumann. Peterson finished the game with three rebounds and four steals.

The 20 point win left the Vikings with a 2-0 record at the end of the first week of North Suburban Conference competition.

Scoring Summary vs. Irondale   

Travis Peterson................. 2

Justin Novak.....................16

Matt Warren......................14

Nick Perrin........................10

John Lindstrom................. 7

Jake Chambers..................14

David Bennett................... 9

Total 72

North Branch 42 30 72

Irondale 28 24 52

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