---

The Wildcat girls outscored North Branch 13-0 in the first six minutes of the second half. That run powered them to a 69-50 North Suburban Conference win Friday, January 18 at CLHS.

The 'Cats started the game by building an early lead. When senior Kori Sells scored with six minutes gone, the Wildcats held a 12-7 lead. Then Sells' high scoring teammate, Megan Corradi, showed her skills as a playmaker.

Over the next three minutes, Corradi assisted on three consecutive Wildcat scores. She drove into the lane and kicked it out to Summer Young, who dropped it from three-point land. Then she hit Kelsey Ristow for a short jumper from the side of the lane. Corradi followed that with another trip to the lane before spotting senior Alyssa Lundberg standing alone near the left corner. Lundberg's three gave the home team a 20-7 bulge midway through the half.

The Vikings got back into the game with a 6-0, three-minute run highlighted by a steal and one person fast break by sophomore Jessica Audette. Her layup was followed by a jumper off the finger tips of Kendra Norman. The ninth grader's shot closed the CL lead to 20-13.

Corradi then took things into her own hands, ending the Viking run with a pull-up eight-footer from the left side. The Vikings came right back with four-in-a-row. A Norman leaner was closely followed by another Viking hoop when sophomore guard Rikki Beaver found Kristen Robatcek standing open. The senior lefty hit from 12 feet, pulling the Vikings to within five. With five minutes left in the half, it was 22-17.

In the next minute of play, Wildcat senior Amanda Farrell hit a freethrow and Robatcek hit a bomb to cut the margin to 23-20. Corradi answered with a three before Viking senior Kristin Kaminski got into the scoring column. With 1:20 to go, it was 26-22 Chisago Lakes.

The veteran leaders took control of the last 80 seconds. Over that span, Corradi and Robatcek split 10 points. Corradi went three-for-four from the freethrow line and hit a 15 footer for two. Robatcek responded with another long range missile and hit a two. Her last score ended the first-half scoring. CL led 31-27.

Whatever Wildcat head coach Craig Walker told his charges during the break must have worked because they came out ready-to-play. Sells made the first basket of the new half to begin the 13-0 run. In the next few minutes, the CL defense disrupted the Viking offense and Farrell and Corradi provided the offense. Farrell hit two threes and Corradi stole the ball and scored on a breakaway and drained one from behind the arc. The six-minute spurt netted the Wildcats a 44-27 advantage.

The Vikings, led by Robatcek, tried to come back. She scored on a floater through the lane and hit a three in the next minute. However, Lundberg matched Robatcek with two field goals and, with 9:50 to play, the Wildcats' lead was 48-32.

Sophomore Miranda Charley's first basket cut the Viking deficit to 14 at the midway point of the second half. With nine minutes left, it was 48-34. However, they never got any closer. Six Wildcats scored as the clock ticked away.

Both teams substituted liberally in the final minutes and, at the buzzer, the Wildcats had earned their fifth consecutive conference win. The 19 point win, combined with a season-opening four-point win at North Branch in late November, secured a regular season sweep over the Vikings.

GAME SUMMARY

Chisago Lakes 31 38 69

North Branch 27 23 50

Wildcat Scoring

Kelsey Ristow 4

Amanda Farrell 7

Alyssa Lundberg 7

Whitney Tinjum 4

Summer Young 13

Megan Corradi 25

Kori Sells 5

Brenna Coyle 2

Cami Sells 2

Total 69

Viking Scoring

Cori Fairbanks 2

Kristen Robatcek 20

Kristen Kaminski 2

Jessica Audette 6

Kendra Norman 6

Miranda Charley 3

Megan Scherer 1

Amanda Sylla 4

Ashley Johnson 6

Total 50

The Wildcats entertain Fridley at 5:30 Friday, January 25 at 5:30. The game is the first half of a boys-girls double header against the Tigers. The boys' game follows the girls' constest. Tuesday, January 29, the girls host Bemilde-St. Margaret's at 7:15.

The Vikings play St. Louis Park Tuesday, January 29 and the Fridley Tigers Friday, February 1. Both games are in North Branch beginning at 7:15.

---