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The Vikings boys basketball team notched two more wins over Rum River Conference opponents last week to remain undefeated in the conference with only one game left in the regular season.
The squad came away with a 74-21 win over Zimmerman Feb. 24 and then went on to defeat Big Lake Feb. 27 by a score of 82-51.
In its first year as a new high school, Zimmermanís squad struggled with an inexperienced roster.
North Branch led 26-2 after the first quarter and 49-10 at the half.
Head Coach Bill Baumann was able to go to his bench for much of the second half and every player saw some court time in the game.
ìWe came out and played great defense again,î Baumann said. ìOffensively we didn"t shoot that well but we really hit the offensive glass and got some put backs.î
The Vikes added 25 in the second half for the 74-21 win.
ìIt is hard to maintain your focus during a game like this but the kids came out and executed well,î Baumann said. ìWe had set some goals for the game and one of them was for the varsity players to only have two turnovers or less and that group only had two.î
Senior Matt Fletcher led the team with 15 points, followed by seniors Britt Baumann and Jake Anderson with 9 each. Senior Ben Stenberg had 10. Senior Bowie McClaskie added 8 points and sophomore Matt Warren had 7. Five other players put points on the board for the Vikes.
Big Lake came out and took a 19-16 lead after the first quarter against the Vikings last Friday. ìWe didn't execute on the defensive end and we gave up too many good shots,î Baumann said.
North Branch utilized its depth to overcome the Big Lake starters in the second quarter, ending it with a 12-2 run for a 42-32 Vikes lead at the half.
ìWe continued to apply the pressure offensively and shut them down defensively and really opened up the game late in the third period,î Baumann said. ìEven though we had a big lead it didn't seem like we were up by that much. Big Lake has a good team, that has decent size and talent. It was a good test for us at the end of the seasonî
North Branch extended its lead with a 22-8 third quarter to lead 64-40. Another 18 in the fourth gave the Vikes the 82-51 win.
Four players were in double figures for the Vikings ñ Baumann with 23, senior Matt Nelson with 19, Fletcher with 16 and Anderson with 10.
Baumann was also pleased with solid play from the bench. ìBowie McClaskie is giving us that change of pace we need and providing an offensive spark, Ben Stenberg is doing a great job on defense and giving us some inside play and Greg Moriarty is giving us defensive pressure on the perimeter. Tony Beaver continues to do the little things and the dirty work,î Baumann said.
He said Fletcher, Anderson, Nelson and Baumann all pick up the slack when one of them is struggling.
The Vikings look to defend a 17-0 RRC record against Foley Friday, March 5 to end the regular season. The team will start the section 6AAA playoffs with a quarterfinal game Thursday, March 11 at home.
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