Two 41-point losses result in two different reactions

St. Louis Park 81, North Branch 40

North Branch took on two of the better teams in the North Suburban Conference last week, and they came away with the bumps and bruises to prove it. In the first contest of the week, the Vikings got blasted by the St. Louis Park Orioles, who are now 13-3 overall and sport a 7-0 record in the NSC.

But it wasn’t necessarily the big loss that had Head Coach David Anderson upset, it was his player’s effort in the game that left him seething. “Tonight, we did not show the effort and energy that represent North Branch basketball,” he said. “We came out very flat against a very good St. Louis Park team and never made the game competitive. It was very disappointing especially since we have been so competitive in every game this season. “To have a game where we played without energy, focus or passion is very disheartening.”

As evidenced by Anderson’s reaction, North Branch never kept the game in hand against the Orioles at home, and they were down 45-18 by halftime. In the second half, even as a steady stream of reserves poured in for St. Louis Park, the Vikings still couldn’t get anything going offensively and struggled to contain the high-flying Orioles on defense. The final horn eventually sounded to the 81-40 beatdown and the Vikings dejectedly left their home court looking for answers.

Travis VanElsberg was the leading scorer for North Branch, netting 13 points. He was the only Viking in double digits, though. Cody Knobbe added eight and Aaron Biederman had seven points. Forward DJ Pollard led the Orioles with 18 points on the game. They had four players in double figures and seven players score seven or more points. “We will have to have a much better effort if we want to continue to compete against the top teams in the conference,” Anderson said.

Spring Lake Park 76, North Branch 35
Despite the same huge 41 point gap in the final score, Anderson was much more pleased with his team after their performance against Spring Lake Park late last week.

The Vikings were down by 28 at halftime, but it didn’t stop them from playing hard. “Tonight we played with more effort and energy than we did on Tuesday,” Anderson explained. “However, Spring Lake Park played at a higher level than we did. They played faster, more aggressive, with more poise and with more confidence.”

The formula for the game was very similar to the St. Louis Park match up though. The Vikes fell behind early and despite a parade of substitutes filling in towards the end of the game, the Vikings still couldn’t chip away at the gigantic lead the Panthers had built.

“It showed that we still have a lot of work to do in order to become a top tier team,” Anderson said. “Our guys played hard, but it was never a close game because of the different speed that Spring Lake Park played at.” The Vikings eventually succumbed to the home team 76-35. Knobbe led the Vike’s limited offensive attack with 14 points, and this team he was the only North Branch player in double figures. VanElsberg had eight points.

“We need to start practicing at a much higher speed so we are prepared for it during games against very good teams,” Anderson said after the two big losses. The Vikings next contest is against the St. Francis Saints where one team will bust their slump. North Branch is currently on a six game losing streak and St. Francis is on a five game losing streak after starting the season 11-0.