The Vikings welcomed in the Wildcats this past Friday night for a double header, it was not just a Mississippi 8 Conference game but a section game as well.
The girls played first and North Branch got off to a bit of a slow start. Albeit they did hold a double digit lead early, they still would've like to have had a better start. Midway through the 1st half the Vikings lead started to slip away as the Wildcats started to mount a comeback. They would get as close as 5 points before the Vikings once again pulled away with their offense finding its stride. The Vikings went into halftime leading 39-19.
North Branch began the 2nd right where they left off in the 1st, their offense playing at a high level and the defense shutting down any chance for Chisago to get back into the game. Late in the half with the game in hand the Vikings were able to work in their backups and they showed a lot of growth. They showed their ability to run the game like the starters and even put more points on the board to sustain the lead. The backups put 16 points on the board for the Vikings helping the girls to cruise to a 76-43 victory.
The Lady Vikings improved to 3-6 on the year 3-2 in the section and grab their first conference win. They'll play conference rival Cambridge-Isanti tonight.
Scoring
North Branch
Ella Kuhlman 30
Kayla Diedrich and Maria Damiani 11
Katelyn Lattimore 8
Johanna Bartkey 7
Isabella Folkema 4
Payton Staneart 3
Natalia Rosales 2
After the girls game concluded the boys teams took the court and this game proved to be much closer.
The Wildcats got off to a good start and held the lead throughout much of the 1st half. But the Vikings refused to go through the first half without a lead. It wasn't long before the Vikings were able to not only tie the game but even take over the lead, with under 6 minutes left in the half. The last few minutes of the half North Branch did a good job holding onto the lead, but they Wildcats soon found a new rhythm on offense and lead would change hands multiple times. As the half came to an end the Vikings found themselves down 40-35.
The 2nd half couldn't have started any better for North Branch. They would retake the lead within a couple minutes of the half beginning and proceeded to go on a 9-1 run. And from that point on it was an absolute battle between both teams. The lead changed more times than a winter forecast in Minnesota. Late in the game the Vikings clung to a two point lead, but that's when momentum shifted in the Wildcats favor. They were able to make key shots late and pick up more from the free throw line, while the Vikings were still able to score it wasn't as often as they needed. The Wildcats came out on top 79-71.
For the Viking Boys the loss was their 6th in a row and they fall to 4-6. They'll have another opportunity tonight to grab a win as they host conference foe Cambridge-Isanti.
Scoring
Brody Beaver 24
Noah Thorsen 14
Tyler Minke and Evan Overson 13
Chazz Johnson 4
Owen Link 3
