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Spring Lake Park 82, Chisago Lakes 46

Even though it was their fifth loss of the year by more than 20 points, the Chisago Lakes boys basketball team actually did some good things against the fourth-ranked team in Class AAA, the Spring Lake Park Panthers.

"We played some good basketball in the first half, but just some little things piled up together and allowed them to take a 15 point lead. At halftime, the score was 47-32 in favor of SLP, but it was expected to be much worse.

The 'Cats tried to take Sean Scott out, who is one of the top players in the metro and one of the leading scorers in the whole state. They limited him a bit, but he still knocked down three three pointers in the first half.

But, focusing on Scott left senior guard Bryce Williams alone to do what he wanted, and he made the Wildcats pay, scoring 21 points in the opening half.

SLP came out firing in the second half and continued to add on to their lead. "That's what the fourth ranked team in the state does, and that's something we need to take note of," Head Coach Herb Jangor said. "They weren't happy with their first half performance and they came out with a vengeance and turned it up a notch."

That second gear for Spring Lake Park left Chisago Lakes in their dust, as the game ended at 82-46.

Vinnie Gorski led the 'Cats with 12 points and Per Gulbranson added 11 in the losing effort.

St. Louis Park 63, Chisago Lakes 46

The Chisago Lakes basketball team continued to struggle through the North Suburban Conference gauntlet when they lost to St. Louis Park after only playing one good half.

The Wildcats, behind some good three point shooting, stayed close to the Orioles in the first half, only trailing 28-21 at halftime. "I thought we just didn't play well in that half," Head Coach Herb Jangor said after the game, however. "But, we still did some things to keep it close."

But, St. Louis Park quickly expanded that lead in the second half and began to run away with the game as Chisago Lakes was heading for another conference loss. "It was the worst half of basketball we've played," Jangor said. "It's the first time this season that we lost our composure, and we just can't allow that to happen."

Although the Wildcats were only outscored by 10 in the second half, the Orioles are only 6-7 and not one of the top teams that Chisago Lakes has faced so far.

Senior Peter Tengwall led the Vikings with 11 points in the eventual 63-46 loss. "We basically have seven kids in our rotation who have never played varsity basketball before this year," Jangor explained. "That's not an excuse, but a reality. It's a process, and we're hoping to get there. The three seniors, including Eli Trochman who's out for the year with a concussion, are showing great leadership. We are going to keep working and tweak some things. The kids will get better, we'll have to coach better, and we'll continue to battle."

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