The Becker Bulldog boys basketball team last Friday downed Willmar 71-62 in their final game before the Holiday break, and in the process pushed their winning streak to three games.

The Bulldogs ignited their home crowd with a 16-5 run to open the game, as Landon Peterson operated from the high post and found open teammates with his precision passing en route to a team-high seven assists.  The Cardinals are a deep and talented team and Becker found itself with a slim, 36-35 lead going into halftime.  

Sawyer Brown had 11 points in the first stanza, as did Bryce Paumen, while Peterson chipped in nine.

“Each Becker Bulldog played unselfishly and certainly filled the gym with excitement,” Coach Cory Nuest said.  

The fast-paced affair continued into the second half, as both teams played with intensity even while it was one of the lower scoring affairs so far in the Bulldogs’ season.

Mitchell Soltau hit a pair of key baseline three-pointers to help the Bulldogs carve out a 60-54 lead with six minutes remaining in the game.

Nuest was impressed with how his team never became disappointed and played with spirit despite missing several open shots and layups.

In the end, the Bulldogs relied on their defense to pull out the win.

Brown had three blocks on three possessions during the defensive spurt (led the team with nine defensive steals/blocks total) and with time running down, he made seven of eight free throws to lead the Bulldogs to the victory. He ended the game with 22 points, while Paumen added 21, Peterson contributed 11 and Soltau gave the Bulldogs four players in double figures with 10 points.

Paumen grabbed seven of his team-high 13 boards on the offensive end of the court, while Soltau just missed a double-double and pulled in nine boards.  Nathan Weiss grabbed eight rebounds, while Brown chipped in seven as the Bulldogs rebounded well as a team.

Weiss was also credited by his coach with some physical defense to wall up his opponent, and he took the Bulldogs’ only charge in the game.