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It’s never easy playing the top team in the conference, and even tougher when that top team is Becker, who is a perennial challenger to the Class AAA state championship.

Becker 75, North Branch 30
The Bulldogs were able to cruise most of this game as they built a huge lead early and just hit the Vikings with wave after wave of talented players, even most of the back ups.
Becker led 47-15 at the break and then continued the onslaught after the break to finish the game 75-30.

Ella Kuhlman had 12 points for North Branch and Johanna Bartkey had 11. The Lattimore sisters, Katelyn and Chloe, each did some dirty work, grabbing a combined 15 boards.

Princeton 48, North Branch 34
The Vikings have traditionally had close battles with the Tigers, and it was shaping up to be that way after a close first half in the match up on Thursday, January 19.

But, a big second half from Princeton extended the lead to double digits and made the final score not so close.

In the first half, the inside-out game of Bartkey and Kuhlman was effective, and the Vikings played tough defense, and they were only down 20-18 at the break.

The offense didn’t quite get going in the second half, though, and Princeton made some adjustments on offense that allowed them to get a few more buckets and get to the free throw line.
That, paired with the cold offense, allowed them to stretch the lead to double digits and win by 14.

Both Bartkey and Kuhlman had 13 points for North Branch, but there wasn’t much other offense outside of those two.

Hoops Hearings
The Vikings have lost three of four and four of their next five conference games on are on the road. They traveled to Chisago Lakes earlier this week for a rivalry match up before heading to Monticello on Thursday, January 26. North Branch will then host Cloquet on Saturday, January 28 and St. Francis on Tuesday, January 31.

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