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CHISAGO LAKES BOYS BASKETBALL

Chisago Lakes 71, Osceola 59

Crossing the border into Wisconsin did nothing to hamper the hoops game of the Chisago Lakes boys basketball team.

The Wildcats took on the Osceola Chieftains on Tuesday, December 19 and came back across the St. Croix River with a double digit win and a 5-1 record.

Patrick Rowe led the Wildcats with 25 points, but a nice balanced attack behind him was huge in the victory. Zander Schmidt had 17 points and Ian Larsen had 14. Ben Paulsen also chipped in eight  as the ‘Cats attacked from all angles.

Chisago Lakes led 31-26 at halftime and then turned it up a notch in the second half, outscoring the Chieftains 40-33 to come away with the 71-59 win.

Mounds View 92, Chisago Lakes 80

The Wildcats did a good job spreading the scoring around again, but when they jumped up a class to take on the Mounds View Mustangs, they couldn’t come away with the victory in their last game before the Christmas break on Thursday, December 21.

Chisago Lakes stuck with the Mustangs in the first half, down only 41-36 at the break, but Mounds View never relented in the second half, running away with the 12 point win when they converted their late free throws.

Rowe had 28 points, Schmidt had 23, Larsen had 14 and Kellen Meissner had 11, but they were overshadowed by MV’s top trio of Jack Dahl, Eli Roe and Alex Kriauciunas, who combined for 74 of the Mustangs’ 92 points, with Dahl netting 32 himself.

The ‘Cats take on another big school this week when they host Coon Rapids on Thursday, December 28 before taking on Irondale on Tuesday, January 2.

NORTH BRANCH BOYS BASKETBALL

Becker 93, North Branch 87

A high-scoring affair went Becker’s way on Tuesday, December 19 as they outdueled the Vikings on the court.

The Bulldogs, who had the same 4-1 record as the Vikings coming into the game, were effective from the three point line, going 15-of-35 and getting six players to score nine points or more.

Becker had a slight lead at halftime, up 47-42 and the two teams slugged it out in the second half but the Bulldogs held off any NB charges.

Noah Thorsen led the way for the Vikings with 19 points, Owen Link had 18, Tyler Minke had 17, Brody Beaver had 16 and Evan Overson had 13, but outside of their starters, the only points NB scored were four from Blake Lelm.

Becker on the other hand, had all five starters in double digits, but also got 19 points off the bench, and that was the big difference in the game.

Hermantown 75, North Branch 65

The Vikings’ losing skid hit three games when they lost to the Hermantown Hawks on Thursday, December 21.

Minke was the offensive star for the Vikings in this one, scoring 23 points, and Thorsen had 12, but no other Viking was in double digits. 

Hermantown’s ability to lock down Beaver, the Vikings’ stud point guard, was a huge factor in a second half surge from the Hawks.

Hermantown’s star Abraham Souris, who averages just under 30 points a game, poured in 33 against the Vikings, and Peyten Menzel added 14 for the Hawks in their winning effort.

North Branch will look to snap their losing streak on Friday, December 29 when they travel to Owatonna for a holiday tournament to take on the Huskies. Depending on the result, they should have another game on Saturday, December 30.

NORTH BRANCH GIRLS BASKETBALL

Becker 66, North Branch 49

North Branch hung with the Becker Bulldogs much longer than they have in season’s past, as the Bulldogs are a perennial state title contender, but the Vikings still fell to Becker 66-49 on Tuesday, December 19.

Ella Kuhlman hit four three points and scored a team high 20 points, and Kayla Diedrich made 10 of her 12 free throws en rout to 15 points, but the Vikes only got 14 points from the rest of their players, and as the game wore on, that fatigue started to show.

NB was only down 31-26 at the break, but a tough combo of Alexis Rose, who had a game-high 28 points, and Adele Changamire, who scored 19, made a comeback in the second half tough, as Beckere ended up outscoring NB by 12 to claim the 66-49 win.

The Vikings will come out of the Christmas break by hosting Chisago Lakes on Friday, January 5 before traveling to Cambridge-Isanti, Zimmerman and Princeton.

CHISAGO LAKES GIRLS BASKETBALL

Cambridge-Isanti 66, Chisago Lakes 49

Despite matching 14 point efforts from Eva Aldrich and Annika Hall, the Chisago Lakes girls basketball team fell to 1-7 with a loss to Cambridge-Isanti on Thursday, December 21.

Claire Beaver added eight points for the ‘Cats, but it was no match for Bre Knight’s 37 point effort for the Bluejackets. Haylie Jerde added 11 for C-I, and Carley Halstengard had nine.

The Wildcats will try to get their second win of the year on the road over the next week, with away contests against Milaca on Tuesday, January 2, North Branch Friday, January 5 and Princeton Tuesday, January 9.

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