By Steve Morris

The North Branch boys basketball team fell to the North Suburban Conference St. Louis Park Orioles 54-45 on March 7.

It was the Vikings final home and regular season game of the year and they finished the season 8-18 overall and 3-17 in the NSC.

Right: Guard Ryan Norman races down the sideline during the Vikings game against St. Louis Park March 7.

The Vikings ended the season on an 11-game losing streak. North Branch’s last win was against St. Paul Harding Jan. 24.

Senior Jake Chambers led the team with 19 points on 5-12 from the floor while senior John Lindstrom added nine points.

“We played hard again but just couldn’t catch a break,” head coach Bill Baumann said.

At the halfway mark, North Branch was down by just two points, 21-19.

The first half the game followed the template the boys have traced all season: They stay with their opponents for the fist 18 minutes of play and then slowly let the game slip out of their grasp as the seconds and minutes tick off the second stanza.

“We were down two at half but we couldn’t make a shot to start the second half,” Baumann said.

Jake Chambers 5-12 7-12 19; John Lindstrom 4-8 0-0 9; Kirk Dahle 3-5 0-0 7; Bryce Hunter 2-3 1-1 5; Kyle Grote 1-3 1-2 4; Aaron Good 0-1 1-2 1; Ryan Norman 0-6 0-0 0; Dan Ginal 0-4 0-0 0; Mike Dahl 0-1 0-0 0; Eric Sampson 0-1 0-0 0; Totals 15-44 10-17 45.

North Branch 19 26 45
St. Louis Park 21 33 54

3-point goals-North ßranch 5-21 (Jake Chambers 2-4; Kyle Grote 1-3; John Lindstrom 1-5; Kirk Dahle 1-2; Ryan Norman 0-2; Dan Ginal 0-4; Mike Dahl 0-1) , St. Louis Park 8-21 (StLP 8-21) . Fouled out--North Branch-None, St. Louis Park-None.  Rebounds-North ßranch 28 (John Lindstrom 6) , St. Louis Park 30 (StLP 27). Assists-North ßranch 8 (Kyle Grote 3) , St. Louis Park 0 () . Total Fouls-North ßranch 15, St. Louis Park.

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