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At Albert Lea Tournament

The Viking boys played outstanding defense to beat both of their opponents at the Albert Lea Holiday Basketball Tournament December 28 and 29. North Branch took home the championship by defeating Prescott, Wisconsin 44-43 and Albert Lea 51-42.

"Overall I thought the kids really bought into our defensive philosophy," said Viking head coach Bill Baumann. "We talked about how we can be off on the offensive end but, if we are playing good defense, we have an opportunity to still win the game. From the second half of the first game through the first half of the second game we allowed only 31 points. On the offensive end, we showed real patience and got a lot of good looks at the basket."

North Branch vs Prescott

Ryan Norman's three pointer 67 seconds into the game was the only offense the Vikings could muster for the first six minutes of the game. By that time, Prescott had built a 10-3 lead.

"The ride must have affected us as we started off really slow and we were real sluggish while making a lot of mental errors," Baumann said. "At the same time, our defense wasn't too bad and we were able to stay in the game. A good example is Alex Sundley coming into the game and taking two charges."

After the slow start, Kirk Dahle found Norman open for two at the 12 minute mark. Dahle assisted John Lindstrom's three 80 seconds later as NB closed the Prescott lead to 10-8 with 10:41 left in the half. Lindstrom hit another three and Deon Farr hit for two, giving the Vikings their last first half lead.

The 13-12 advantage didn't last long as Prescott outscored North Branch 15-8 before the break. Farr, Lindstrom, Dahle and Eric Sampson each scored two for the Vikings, as Prescott pulled away to a 27-21 halftime lead.

The Vikings gradually cut into the Prescott lead in the second period. Norman scored twice and Farr once as the Vikings came within three (31-28) with 10 minutes left in the game. Over the next five minutes, Kyle Grote scored the only Viking points. He hit a three, a two and two freethrows. With 5:34 left, it was tied at 36.

"In the second half we turned the defensive pressure up and took away what they were trying to do," Baumann added. "We tied the game at 39 when Deon Farr hit a shot and we took our first (second half) lead with 50 seconds left when Eric Sampson scored on a nice cut and pass from Deon."

That Sampson basket was the last score of the game and gave the Vikings the one-point win. Norman led the Viking scorers with 13. Dahle had a fine all-around game with five steals, four assists and three rebounds from his guard spot.

SCORING SUMMARY

North Branch 21 23 44

Prescott 27 16 43

Viking Scoring

Ryan Norman 13

Deon Farr 9

Kyle Grote 8

John Lindstrom 8

Kirk Dahle 2

Eric Sampson 4

Total 44

NB vs. Albert Lea

Against the host Tigers, John Lindstrom hit a three and Dan Ginal hit for two and then three in the first 90 seconds. The Vikings took an 8-0 advantage as their defense put the clamps on Albert Lea.

"We talked about coming out and setting the tone right away and Kirk Dahle stepped in and intercepted their first pass," coach Baumann commented. "We forced them into eight turnovers before they could get their first shot at the basket.

"We knew they would want to pound it inside because of their height advantage. But we felt, if we pressured them on the perimeter, it would help our interior people and that is exactly what happened," the coach continued.

Eight Vikings scored in the first half as the swarming North Branch defense limited the host school to 15 points before the intermission. At the break, the combination of tough defense and balanced scoring resulted in a 14 point halftime lead.

The Vikings continued to dominate in the second half. Every time the Tigers growled, NB answered as the Vikings maintained a double-digit lead through most of the period.

"I think we really frustrated them with our defense and our offense was very patient. I felt we were in control of the game the whole way. Even when they cut the lead to five in the second half, there was no panic on our part and we just tightened up the defensive end and cut the game down offensively," Baumann explained.

SCORING SUMMARY

North Branch 29 22 51

Albert Lea 15 27 42

Viking Scoring

Ryan Norman 3

Deon Farr 3

Kyle Grote 6

John Lindstrom 6

Kirk Dahle 10

Eric Sampson 2

Bryce Hunter 4

Dan Ginal 11

Alex Sundley 3

Mike Dahl 3

Total 51

"We are gradually getting all the pieces back and working them in together. With Eric Sampson and Bryce Hunter back and Jake Chambers due back, we will be at full strength for the first time this year. With our players out, it has been a work in progress and we gained some valuable experience. It may take a couple of weeks to get us meshed together and find a consistent lineup, but I'm really pleased with the direction we are heading," Baumann said, summming up his team's performance at the tournament.

NB at Totino-Grace

The Vikings recorded their first conference win of the season at Totino-Grace Thursday, January 3. North Branch never trailed, led by as many as 13 and withstood a late Eagle rally to take a 49-45 NSC win.

"It was the first time this year we were at full strength and we were able to take advantage of it early," said coach Baumann. "We set the tone for the game with our defense. The kids are really figuring out what we want to do and how we can make it hard on the other team if we execute."

Ryan Norman scored the Vikings' first two hoops to give his team a 4-2 lead in the third minute of the game. Then they showed their outside shooting skills. Kyle Grote, Kirk Dahle, Jake Chambers and John Lindstrom hit three-pointers to help the Vikings build a 19-13 lead with six minutes left in the half.

Deliberate offense resulted in numerous Totino fouls and the Vikings capitalized. They hit nine shots from the foul stripe to extend their lead to 28-19 at the half.

"We are also showing great patience on the offensive end and are taking advantage of what the defense is giving us. The outstanding part is our balanced scoring. We have someone different lead us each night and we are getting balance across the board," Baumann continued.

After the intermission, Dan Ginal and Grote scored from beyond the arc and Eric Sampson scored two from the paint to give the Vikings a 13 point advantage at the 12 minute mark. Totino gradually closed the gap as the clock ran. The Eagles converted two freethrows with 11 seconds remaining to cut the Viking lead to one. But, Ginal scored three from the line in the final seconds, securing the win.

"This game was really physical and we did have our team at full strength until Kirk Dahle sprained an ankle late in the game. I also think we became too conservative late and let them have an opportunity to win the game. We had a couple of mental lapses, but, at the same time, we fought off their rally and we were able to pull it off."

SCORING SUMMARY

North Branch 28 21 49

Totino-Grace 19 26 45

Viking Scoring

Ryan Norman 6

Jake Chambers 10

Kyle Grote 6

John Lindstrom 6

Kirk Dahle 5

Eric Sampson 5

Bryce Hunter 3

Dan Ginal 8

Total 49

NB at Duluth Denfeld

Jake Chambers became the fourth player in NB boys basketball history to break the 1000 point mark as the Vikings beat the Hunters 69-47 Saturday, January 5 in Duluth.

"Jake came into the game needing one point to break 1000 and he got that with a three pointer in the first couple of minutes of the game," coach Baumann said. "Even though he hasn't had a big scoring game, it makes things a lot easier for everyone else as they concentrate on Jake. He's averaging about five assists, which is as important as scoring."

This game was close for the first three minutes. But, from there the Vikings used a balanced scoring attack to pull away from Denfeld. Nine Vikings scored in the first half as they raced to a 40-21 halftime lead.

"We were a little beat up and sore going into the game but we loosened up as the game went along," the coach added. "Danny Ginal, Kirk Dahle and Eric Sampson are doing a lot of the dirty work that needs to be done. Ryan Norman and Kyle Grote are giving us a great 1-2 punch on the point offensively and defensively."

The Vikings lead in the second half varied from 18 to 26 points as they cruised to an easy win. "We're a little out of sync because we haven't had a chance to play with everyone for extended period of time, but we should get better as we get that opportunity," Baumann concluded.

Norman (14) and Grote (12) led the Vikings scorers. Chambers and Sampson each grabbed nine rebounds Chambers, Norman and Deon Farr dished off four assist apiece and Grote and Mike Dahl each stole the ball three times.

SCORING SUMMARY

North Branch 40 29 69

Denfeld 21 26 47

Viking Scoring

Ryan Norman 14

Jake Chambers 9

Kyle Grote 12

John Lindstrom 7

Eric Sampson 4

Bryce Hunter 5

Dan Ginal 7

Mike Dahl 8

Deon Farr 1

Aaron Good 2

Total 69

The Vikings play at Columbia Heights Friday, January 11 and host Robbinsdale-Cooper Tuesday, January 15 and Chisago Lakes Thursday, January 17. All three conference games begin at 7:15

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