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By Danielle Strenke
The North Branch girls basketball team finished the regular season with two more wins and ended with an 18-8 record.
The squad defeated Zimmerman 67-20 Feb. 24 and went on to down Big Lake 42-36 Feb. 27.
Against Zimmerman on parentís night, the team jumped out to a commanding 27-8 lead with less than three minutes remaining in the first half. The Thunder scored 8 quick points to end the half with a 27-16 North Branch lead.
The Vikes continued to dominate throughout the second half, holding Zimmerman scoreless until the final minutes of the third. The Thunder scored 2 points in the third and 2 in the fourth for a 67-20 Vikings win.
ìZimmerman is a young team with no seniors or juniors,î Head Coach Dan Schindler said.
The entire roster saw playing time for the Vikes. The offense was led by junior Jenny Anderson with 19 points, senior Vashaity Center with 12 and freshman Tiffany Good with 11. Seven other players scored in the win.
Schindler said the 42-36 win over Big Lake ìwas not a pretty game,î but the team found a way to win. ìPoor shooting and bad shot selection saw us score only 4 first quarter points,î Schindler said.
Fortunately, a tough Vikings defense kept the Hornets to only 4 in the quarter as well.
The squad took a 14-11 lead into the locker room at halftime. Schindler said the conversation was about being more patient on offense and getting better shots.
Both teams added 7 in the third quarter with North Branch leading 21-18 before the Vikes pulled away in the fourth with 21 points. The squad was helped by Big Lake as North Branch had 8 turns at the free throw line in the fourth quarter.
ìOur defense played solid the entire game,î Schindler said.
Anderson led with 14 points and 12 rebounds followed by senior Rachel Brown in her best offensive game of the year with 11.
The squad ends with a 14-4 Rum River Conference record for third place. St. Michael-Albertville took the conference title with a 17-1 record.
This yearís team knows it has a tradition of success in the post season backing it. North Branch has won the section title 3 of the last 4 years.
North Branch starts the tourney as the No. 3 seed and faces No. 6 seed Totino Grace at home Thursday, March 4 in the quarterfinals. A win would put them in the semifinals Wednesday, March 10 at Irondale.
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