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NORTH BRANCH BOYS
The Vikings took advantage of their one contest last week,  clobbering Simley 66-46 on Saturday, December 17 at Simley High School.

North Branch jumped out to a commanding 36-20 lead at halftime and then kept the Spartans at bay throughout the second half.

Tyler Minke led the Vikes with 17 points, and the sophomore now leads the team in scoring at 17.5 per game. Senior guard Carson Klein had 15 points, Brody Beaver had 11 and Noah Thorsen chipped in 10. Mason Young added eight points in the winning effort for North Branch.

The Vikings hosted Pine City on Tuesday December 20 and then host section rival Hermantown on Thursday, December 22 at 6 p.m. in their last game before taking a week off for Christmas break.

NORTH BRANCH GIRLS
The Lady Vikes had two games last week, and they started well with a win over Rush City Friday, December 16 at home.

“We got off to a really great start, but then got into some foul trouble and let the lead get away from us,” Head Coach Alison Trampe said after the game.

That lead was eight at halftime with NB up 30-22, but then the aforementioned fouls piled up and the Tigers made a comeback. But, the Vikings held on to beat RC by two points. “Despite the fouls and playing through some injuries, the girls battled all night and we were able to pull out the win in the end!” Trampe said excitedly.

Ella Kuhlman had 18 points and 12 rebounds, Chloe Lattimore had 11 points and eight rebounds and Johanna Bartkey added eight points from the post.

The second game of the back-to-back wasn’t very pleasant. The Vikings took a trip up to Grand Rapids to take on defending section champion Thunderhawks. They returned all of their starters from that state team, and they are the big favorite to repeat this year.

Led by star Taryn Hamling, the ‘Hawks had a 25 point lead at halftime and they continued to build it in the second half, allowing only 29 points for the Vikes overall in a 72-29- shellacking.
“They showed they are one of the top teams in the state,” Trampe said. “It was a game we will learn from as we continue to improve.”
Kuhlman had 20 of NB’s 29 points in the loss.

CHISAGO LAKES BOYS
Chisago Lakes 75, Hill-Murray 45
The boys split a pair of non-conference games, including one that was pushed back a week because of the snow storm from last week.

The first game was a commanding win over Hill-Murray on Tuesday, December 13 at Hill. The Pioneers were 1-2 heading into the game, with their lone win a close one coming against Twin Cities Academy.

For as good as they are in hockey, the Pioneers are struggling in basketball this year, and it showed as the Wildcats raced out to a 49-18 halftime lead behind Patrick Rowe, Zander Schmidt and Jack Walker.

CL continued to build their lead in the second half before taking their foot off the gas and emptying the bench. They cruised to a 75-45 win.

Rowe had 21 points, Schmidt had 14, Walker had 11 and Luke O’Malley had nine points. Five other Wildcats registered points in the blowout.


Osceola 72, Chisago Lakes 65
The Wildcats played in their second overtime game of the year, but this time they came out on the losing end after using all their energy on a second half comeback.

The Braves, who are undefeated on the year at 4-0, used a balanced offense to gain a 36-25 edge at halftime. Chisago Lakes was led by Rowe, who ended the game with 32 points, but they weren’t getting great secondary scoring as they fell behind.

In the second half, Walker heated up, hitting three three pointers, and CL battled all the way back to tie the game, erasing the 11 point deficit. The game eventually went into overtime, but the Braves were able to shut down CL in the extra period while their offense got hot again and they outscored them 12-5.

Rowe led the Wildcats with 32 points, five boards, four assists and three steals. Walker had 13 points. Ian Larsen had five points and eight rebounds.
The ‘Cats host Mora on Thursday, December 22 before they are off for a week for Christmas. The game is at 6 p.m.


CHISAGO LAKES GIRLS
The Lady ‘Cats had only one match up last week because of weather cancellations, and it was a tough match up against Bemidji at home on Saturday, December 17.

The Lumberjacks have a deep and talented team, and the waves just kept coming at CL. They had gotten some Herculean efforts from senior Emily Erickson early in the season, but she only managed 12 points in this one as the ‘Jacks won 52-24. Marissa Peterson added eight points for CL, but that was about the extent of their offense.

Erickson’s 12 points was actually a game high, but Bemidji had three girls score nine points and nine girls overall score points as CL couldn’t key on one girl.

The Wildcats traveled to St. Paul Como Park earlier this week to take on the Tigers and they host Milaca on Thursday, December 22 at 4:30 p.m. to finish out their schedule before a lengthy Christmas break that doesn’t see them play again until January 5.

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