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The area boys basketball teams kicked off the doubleheader early last week between North Branch and Chisago Lakes, and the game was very similar to the first go-around.

Chisago Lakes utilized their size and speed and ran circles around the North Branch defense for some early baskets, including a big Arran Hickcox dunk.
And when North Branch gets behind, they try to force some things and it didn’t work out.

Chisago Lakes was up by 25 at halftime and coasts to a 38-point victory 75-37.

Plenty of Wildcats saw the floor with Dylan Wood leading the scoring charge with 12 points and nine rebounds.  Trevin Nelson had 11 points and Carter Duncan added 10.

Nick Franklin led North Branch in scoring with 11 points.

Girls
The girls game was much more competitive than the first go-around. Chisago Lakes, although still struggling to get wins, has learned to play a bit harder and together in the absence of their top three players.

Chisago Lakes went with their new small ball lineup, and while that provided a bit of a spark on offense, they struggled to rebound against the twin tandem of Kalley Hartmann and Megan Becklin, who both ended up with double digit boards.

North Branch also took advantage of some carelessness with the ball on Chisago Lakes’ part. Morgen Coleman had four steals on the night, mostly coming in the first half which led to some easy transition baskets.

The Vikings built a 13 point lead at halftime, mostly due to the second half chances and fast break opportunities, before Chisago Lakes played things much tighter in the second half.

“I expected Chisago to be a much improved team since facing them the first time,” North Branch Head Coach Jerome Huselid said. “I was pleased with our rebounding and offense.  We didn't move our feet well at times as they penetrated to the paint more than I would like.  However, we did have good ball pressure and did a good job rebounding.  It was a nice win on the road.”

Most of North Branch’s offense came from the trio of Coleman, Hartmann and Courtney Selbitschka. Coleman had 18 points but struggled from the three point line. Hartmann scored an efficient 16 points on 11 shots to go along with her 11 rebounds. Selbitschka scored 15 points with eight rebounds.

For Chisago Lakes, Sally Nelson scored 14 pints on six-of-nine shooting and Julia Clarin had 10 points. Alli Carlson scored nine and Hannah Gillach netted eight for CL.

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