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Chisago Lakes 78, Mounds View 61
With injuries and losses in their rear view mirror, the Chisago Lakes girls basketball team opened the season with a thundering win over a Class AAAA opponent in Mounds View.

The ‘Cats played the Mustangs last year in their season opener, also, and despite being healthy for that game, Chisago Lakes still lost by 25. This year was markedly different.

Chisago Lakes played even with Mounds View in the first half despite only a five-point first half showing from junior Carmen Backes, who is CL’s best player when healthy.

They got their scoring from Anna Peters scoring 10 and Alyssa Bjelland, who would record her first career double-double on the night.

At the break, Chisago Lakes led 30-28. The two green-and-white clad teams traded leads in the second half with Mounds View briefly taking the lead at 49-47 on a three pointer by Becca Balzer.

Peters flaunted the experience she earned last year and returned volley with a cold-blooded three pointer of her own to put CL back on top 50-49. From there, Backes exploded and was the catalyst to a 31-12 run to end the game. “It was good to see us answer when Mounds View did something good,” said Head Coach Craig Walker. “Anna’s three was one of many where we hit a big shot when it looked like they could go on a roll.”

The second half explosion from Backes was not only key to the win, but it got her over 1,000 career points. “Its a great accomplishment for Carmen and really her current and former teammates as well,” Walker said.

Backes was one point short with the ‘Cats in clock-killing mode to make sure they escaped with the win, and that made her a bit hesitant, but she got a nice look at a layup on a drive down the lane with 1:30 left, and she nailed it, giving her 1,001 career points.

“I was nervous to take any more shots since we were trying to finish up the win,” she said. “But it felt great that I got it in a win.”

She did say she was relieved to hit the milestone late in the game and not carry it over into the next game, especially since she started this one out tentatively in the first half. She ended the night with 29 points, six rebounds and four assists.

Bjelland’s aforementioned 12 points and 13 rebounds were her first double-double. Peters had 18 points and was efficient from the three point line and the charity stripe.

Sophomore Hannah Gillach had a phenomenal game with nine points and five assists. She took on a bit of a leadership role last year with the ‘Cats devastated by injuries, and her supporting play this year will be a big.

Chisago Lakes 72, Superior 54
The Wildcats continued their yearly match up with Superior, a tradition that started back in 2012 when both teams had just come off state tournament runs in their respective states.

Chisago Lakes came out on top last year, and it was one of their two wins on the year, but again, they were healthy for that contest.

The Wildcats made sure to keep their winning streak in tact by reigning down a program-record 13 three pointers in the game.

Backes and Peterson each hit five, going a combined 10-of-12 from the three point line. Backes also added 20 rebounds, which is incredible seeing as she was near the perimeter often.

In this game, Chisago Lakes played with a sizable lead for the most part, but the fact that they never allowed the Spartans to threaten their lead was a big achievement. “We were ahead by six to eight points most of the game and when they ran out of gas, we were able to pull away at the end,” Walker explained.

The fast start has been a huge relief for the program and fans of it after last season’s disaster. “Playing well in these first two games has been important,” Walker said. “The girls have been able to come together and be successful early and that has fueled their confidence in themselves and each other.”

The ‘Cats will host Little Falls in a non-conference match up on Friday, December 9 with a chance to eclipse their win total from last year.

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