Last Tuesday night, the Becker Bulldog boys basketball team moved into sole possession of third place in the Mississippi 8 Conference by defeating the Big Lake Hornets, 87-80.  

Both teams came into the game with identical 8-5 conference records, but the Bulldogs hit their shots down the stretch to pick up the rivalry win.

“It was a great team win, as everyone contributed,” Coach Cory Nuest said after the game.

Becker led 43-39 at halftime, as the Bulldogs continued to hit on all cylinders offensively.

Five Bulldogs scored in double figures in the win, including Nathan Weiss who led the team with 23 points.  Landon Peterson also had the hot hand, as he poured in 20 points for Becker. 

“Josh Groskreutz gave us a great speak off the bench with his offensive rebounding and energy on defense, while Nathan Weiss did an excellent job guarding the post while being undersized.”

Kyan Blomquist added 17, Sawyer Brown had 13 and Josh Groskreutz chipped in 10 points for Becker.  For the game, the Bulldogs hit 14 shots from beyond the three-point arc.

“Landon Peterson was excellent on offense, shooting very well, while Kyan gave us huge buckets in the paint whenever we needed a basket,” Nuest added.  “Sawyer Brown did a great job guarding their best player after he got going and kept him in check down the stretch.”

The Hornets were led by Trevor Maruska, who scored 30 points, including four, three-point field goals.  Owen Wilczek chipped in 17 points for the Hornets, while teammates Isaiah Terlinden (11) and Aidan Johnson (12) also reached double figures.

Big Lake also had a nice game at the free-throw line, hitting 10 of 11 shots.

Bluejackets

On Feb. 16, the Bulldogs honored their program’s legacy by hosting a reunion night for the 1991 and 2001 state tournament teams.  On the court, however, the Bulldogs just missed knocking off the conference leaders from Cambridge-Isanti, falling 65-63 in a nail-biter..

“It was a defensive battle from the beginning,” Nuest said.  “We continued to put pressure on their top scorers throughout the game.”

Becker led 30-28 at halftime, but the Bluejackets went on a run in the second half, claiming a 12 point lead. After five straight defensive stops, the Bulldogs turned that deficit into a two point lead with around five minutes left in the game.  Becker had the ball with 22 seconds left and the game tied at 62, but the Bluejackets forced a turnover. Despite great defense by the Bulldogs, Cambridge-Isanti hit a shot in the waning seconds to pick up the win.

Scoring: Nathan Weiss 17 (nine rebounds), Kyan Blomquist 20, Mitch Soltau three, Zach Bengtson two (three assists), Sawyer Brown nine, Landon Peterson eight, Connor Gass four.

Final Two

The Bulldogs fell in their final two games of the regular season last week, falling 67-82 to Monticello and 84-95 to Chisago Lakes.

Blomquist led the offensive attack against the Magic with 17 points, while Soltau chipped in 15. 

The same pair teamed up with 23 points apiece to lead the offense in the loss to the Wildcats.

Becker was off this past week as they prepare for the Section Tournament, which begins Tuesday evening.