The Becker Bulldog boys basketball team went 1-1 in the Granite City Classic tournament held at Sartell High School and St. John’s University last Friday and Saturday.

In Friday’s opener in Sartell, the Bulldogs lost to West Fargo, 60-77, in a game played against a North Dakota team with state tournament contender expectations.

“This game was a painful learning game for us and for me as a coach,” Head Coach Cory Nuest said.  “The game plan and adjustments were not where they needed to be from a coaching standpoint, and the competing and charisma was not where they needed to be to compete against a very solid team.”

West Fargo’s offensive weapons were aplenty, as they strung together a couple of 10 point runs to claim a 42-25 halftime lead.  

After the break, Becker found itself with Landon Peterson in foul trouble and West Fargo continued its strong play.  A Nuest timeout provided a spark as several Bulldogs answered the call, including Denlan Harmoning, who came off the bench and played with passion.

“Senior Denlan Harmoning entered the game and gave us a spark, as he took two charges, set multiple back screens and provided intense defense,” Nuest said. 

This allowed Bryce Paumen and Sawyer Brown to put up some key jump shots, and a deep three by Nathan Weiss that cut the lead to 15 with five minutes to play. Troy Nuest added a big steal and a nifty layup, but the hole was too deep.

Stats:  Mitchell Soltau two pts; Peterson five pts; Paumen 15 pts, nine rebounds; Brown 18 pts, seven rebounds; Nate Weiss five pts;  Nuest seven pts, six rebounds, six steals/deflections; Isiah Boyer five pts; Denlan Harmoning two pts; Alex Kinney one pt.

SW Christian 

Academy

In Saturday’s finale, Becker used a better overall performance to take down the Class AA #8 ranked team from Southwest Christian Academy, 83-79.

“The boys played so unselfishly with 30 team assists and great cutting off the ball,” Nuest said.

“Our defensive communication and intensity was at the level needed to beat a great team.”

Nuest was impressed with the team’s rebounding, as the Bulldogs held a 12 board advantage despite giving up height across the lineup.

Mitch Soltau came off the bench and added nine first half points, helping the Bulldogs fight back to a 24-23 lead after an early deficit. Sawyer Brown and Bryce Paumen each added eight points in the first half receiving some great passes from Troy Nuest and Landon Peterson. The game was tied at 36 going into halftime and the Dogs came out in the second stanza with tenacity, as the teams battled throughout 11 lead changes after intermission.  

The game eventually went to overtime with the score tied at 69, with Brown opening the scoring in the extra period on a hard drive to the hoop, and Weiss hitting a deep three for a 74-71 lead.

Following another score by Southwest Christian, Troy Nuest came off a screen and dropped a huge three point shot giving the Dogs a 77-73 lead. Southwest scored on two possessions in a row and with a full court press on the Bulldogs, Peterson dribbled between three defenders and found Weiss for another three point make and a sealed victory..

The Bulldogs had four players scoring in double figures.  

Stats: Soltau 14 points; Peterson six points, eight assists; Paumen 13 boards, 17 points; Brown 16 points, seven steals/deflections, eight assists; Weiss 20 points; Nuest five boards, seven points; Isiah Boyer three pts.

Becker was at STMA on Thursday night and then at Cathedral for a Friday night game.  Tuesday, the Dogs will host Zimmerman.