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Two wins help Vikings retain lead in RRCThe North Branch boys basketball team continued its undefeated conference win streak with a pair of wins last week against Pine City and St. Michael-Albertville. The Vikings improved to 6-0 in the Rum River Conference after defeating Pine City 64-41 Jan. 13 and St. Michael 65-54 Jan. 16. North Branch 64 Pine City 41 Early foul trouble put starter Matt Fletcher on the bench nearly 4 minutes of the first half against Pine City, after he chalked up 8 of the teamís 16 points in the first quarter and added 3 in the second quarter. Fletcherís three fouls in the first half forced bench players to step up their game. Seniors Bo McClaskie and Ben Stenberg and junior Greg Moriarty stepped up their game, seeing the team to a 28-23 halftime lead. Head Coach Bill Baumann said the whole team stepped up its game in the third quarter. ìWe went from a 35-34 lead with 4:34 left to a 52-35 lead at the end of the quarter,î he said. ìBut more important we stepped it up on defense and on the defensive boards.î The offensive onslaught from the Vikings included 5 three-pointers ñ two from Fletcher, 1 from McClaskie and 2 from senior Britt Baumann. The Vikes added 12 in the fourth quarter while allowing only 6 to Pine City for the 64-41 win. ìPine City has a very good team and they really gave us some problems but we hung in there and eventually took over the game,î Baumann said. He is impressed with the hard work exhibited by the players, including seniors Baumann, Fletcher, Matt Nelson and Jake Anderson and junior Tony Beaver. Fletcher led the offense with 23 points, followed by Baumann with 16 and Nelson with 10. McClaskie led the team in rebounds with 6. North Branch 65 STMA 54 The Vikes fell behind 13-11 after the first quarter before taking over the lead at 31-23 at the half against the Knights. ìLooking at the recent scores we knew STMA had been getting out to fast starts, so we knew we had to be ready right from the start,î Baumann said. North Branch took advantage of St. Michael fouls in the third quarter, sinking 9 free throws in the quarter and extending its lead to 50-35. St. Michael narrowed the gap slightly by outscoring the Vikes 19-15 in the final quarter, but North Branch retained the commanding lead and took the 65-54 win. ìWe did not shoot the ball really well this game but we were effective when we needed to be,î Baumann said. ìThe last few games we have reverted back to our old school roots and becoming methodical in our attack.î Fletcher improved on his place in the record books for NBHS, adding to his 1,000+ point total with 26 in the game. Baumann and Nelson added 11 each, while Beaver added 7. The wins improve the Vikesí record to 6-0 in the conference, 10-3 overall, good for sole possession of first place in the RRC. This week, the squad was scheduled to take on Zimmerman Tuesday and will travel to Big Lake Friday, Jan. 23 in two conference games. ©ECM Post Review |