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Irondale 63, Chisago Lakes 43

With a four game losing streak in hand, the Chisago Lakes girls basketball team was itching to get out of the slump.

They had to try and get out of that slump against the third place team in the North Suburban Conference, however, and Irondale wasn't going to play streak-buster for the Wildcats.

In the early stretch of the game, the Wildcats were doing everything right. They were getting good looks, knocking down open shots, and frustrating the Knights defensively. Freshman Whitney Tinjum and the post tandem of Kasie Shoberg and Zoe Hansen combined for 16 points in the first half.

But, the inconsistent play that has plagued the Wildcats all season set in before the buzzer sounded for the opening half, and the Wildcats missed their last seven shots of the half. Irondale made good on their opportunities, and turned a close game into an 11-point lead at halftime.

Although they knew they could hang with Irondale, the Wildcats came out flat in the second half -- much like they ended the first -- and Irondale came out on fire, and the game was essentially over.

The 20-point loss marked the fifth straight for the slumping Wildcats, and their 11th loss in their last 13 contests.

Head Coach Craig Walker does see the silver lining, however. "We are seeing more production in the post with Shoberg and Hansen getting the majority of the playing time, and they're producing on both ends," he said. "We are excited that the players have stepped up when given the opportunity and are contributing."

Hansen is a freshman and Shoberg is a sophomore, leaving the Wildcats' top three varsity scorers against Irondale -- Tinjum, Shoberg and Hansen -- all 10th grade or younger.

GAME SUMMARY

Chisago Lakes 22 21 43

Irondale 33 30 63

Scoring: Tinjum 12, Shoberg 10, Hansen 6, Young 5, Ristow 4, Sylla 2, Sells 2, H. Trandahl 2

Chisago Lakes 69, Mahtomedi 62

The slow transformation that has been this season's Chisago Lakes girls basketball team started to reach an apex against the Mahtomedi Zephyrs.

In the beginning of the year, Tinjum was the one and only trustworthy cog in the CL offense. As the young posts have developed, however, they have taken the burden off of her, and have given the outside shooters better looks.

It all finally paid off with a big victory over Section 3 AAA foe Mahtomedi.

Mahtomedi played a box and one, which is man-to-man on one player (Tinjum) while everyone else plays zone defense. The strategy worked for a little bit, frustrating Tinjum for most of the first half. But, junior Kelsey Ristow kept the Wildcats in the game as the bigs inside figured out a way to solve the defense. With eight first half points, Ristow kept the 'Cats afloat, and after Tinjum started to break down the defense and netted 12 first half points, Chisago Lakes was down only four at halftime.

 In the second half, Hansen, who had been in foul trouble in the first half after getting three quick fouls, went to work. Although she picked up her fourth foul early in the second stanza, Walker left her in, and she rewarded the decision by leading the 'Cats with 10 points in the second half and avoiding that fifth foul until late in the game.

Shoberg and Tinjum kept pounding the ball down low with Hansen, scoring nine and six points in the second half, respectively, and that opened up lanes and shots for Summer Young, who scored all eight of her points in the second half.

With the big win, the Wildcats are yearning to carry that momentum with them over the last two games of the season and into sectionals. "Our job in the next two games before sections is four our outside players to learn how to play as a team with our inside players," Walker said. "Especially now that we are getting increased contributions from them in the paint."

GAME SUMMARY

Chisago Lakes 30 39 69

Mahtomedi 34 28 62

Scoring: Tinjum 18, Shoberg 15, Ristow 10, Hansen 10, Young 8, H.Trandahl 3, Sylla 2, Monson 2, Sells 1

The Wildcats played host to the always-powerful Benilde-St. Margaret's Red Knights on Tuesday, and they wrap up the regular season by traveling to heated rival North Branch on Friday. Sectional pairings are announced on Wednesday, check out next weeks County Press for information on section seedings and if the Wildcats can even up this year's Chisago County clash, since North Branch toppled them earlier this year.

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