Tuesday night, the Becker Bulldogs boys basketball team was firing on all cylinders as they downed the Cambridge-Isanti Bluejackets 97-67 in a M8 Conference showdown.  

Becker electrified the home crowd with great performances on both ends of the floor to end their two game conference losing streak.

“The boys played unselfish and focused basketball for a full 38 minutes,” Coach Cory Nuest said.

The Bulldogs started the game with a three point shot by Nathan Weiss followed by another by Landon Peterson. Becker went up eight before the Jackets narrowed it to three, but a Coach Nuest timeout reset the Bulldogs’ composure and led to eight points off three Becker defensive stops.

The Dogs entered into halftime with a 49-37 lead, as the team made seven three point shots in the first half with Bryce Paumen scoring 13 points and Peterson adding 10 going into the locker room. 

During the break, Nuest told his team to focus on their defense in the opening minutes of the second half and the Bulldogs responded.

Paumen hit a two and Weiss nailed a three to set the tone and a Troy Nuest steal and bucket led to a Bulldog 57-39 lead, and the defense was smothering.

The entire Becker roster contributed in the second half, as Isiah Boyer and Mitch Soltau brought some energy, assists and rebounds.

Becker scoring: Bryce Paumen 23, Nathan Weiss 18, Mitch Soltau 11, Isiah Boyer two, Denlan Harmoning three, Troy Nuest five, Sawyer Brown 15, Alex Kinney three, Landon Peterson 15, Saul Kreft two.

Vs. Princeton

Last Friday, Becker fell to Princeton in a home game, 94-91.

After trailing by six at the half, Becker was more focused on the offensive end and put up 51 points after halftime.

“I was proud of our players for not giving up and battling back with a chance to tie at the end of the game after being down,” Coach Cory Nuest said.  “Mitch Soltau provided an excellent second half spark as well as Nathan Weiss.”

Becker led by as many as seven points early, as Landon Peterson started the game off with a big three pointer, and Bryce Paumen had 12 first half points.

Princeton was able to carve out a 12 point lead halfway through the second stanza, but Becker wasn’t done and mounted a comeback despite trailing by 15 points with 5:32 left in the game.

The Bulldogs strung together three point shots from Weiss and Peterson, as well as a pair of turn around jumpers from Peterson to close to within just four points with under three minutes remaining in the game.  But in the end, Princeton was able to hang on for the win.

Paumen and Weiss each had 25 points for the Bulldogs, and they were joined in double figures by Soltau (14), Sawyer Brown (12) and Peterson (11). 

Becker’s passing was a strength, as the team combined for 30 assists, including nine from Brown, eight from Weiss, five from Troy Nuest and four from Isiah Boyer.

Paumen and Weiss each had eight boards, while Nuest led the team with six steals/deflections.

Hornets

Friday night, Becker was on the road for the latest rendition of the Hwy. 10 border battle.  Full details in next week’s Patriot.