The Becker Bulldog boys basketball team put forth an overall solid performance last Thursday in Chisago Lakes, downing the Wildcats 82-55.

Coach Cory Nuest said he had confidence going into the game that his team could put forth a dominant performance and the Bulldogs did just that. 

Nathan Weiss led Becker in the first half, nailing five three-point shots en route to scoring all 17 of his points in the first half. The Bulldogs’ aggressive offense also allowed Bryce Paumen to be open down low, as his savvy play around the rim created multiple opportunities for scoring that led to his 19 first half points.

Sawyer Brown added nine in the opening stanza, while Landon Peterson added eight, as the Dogs went into halftime with a comfortable 18 point advantage.

Nuest said one of his team’s goals was to keep the Wildcats under 59 points and his crew delivered. 

Troy Nuest was stellar all night in the intangibles, as he chased loose balls, grabbed rebounds, and caused deflections that led to many layups and Wildcat turnovers. Meanwhile, Isiah Boyer and senior Denlan Harmoning provided key minutes and incredible play on both ends of the court. 

Paumen led all scorers with 25 points (and 17 boards) on the night, while Brown added 14 (and 11 steals/deflections).

The win pushed Becker over the .500 mark on the season to 8-7.

Saints

Tuesday night, Becker hosted St. Francis, as the Saints came to town with a 3-11 record and Becker kept their M8 Conference hot streak alive, winning 68 to 31 for their fourth win in their last five games.

The game marked the team’s Parent’s Night celebration, and no one was disappointed as Becker was firing on all cylinders, building a 31-14 halftime lead and cruising down the stretch.

“From the tip, we were engaged and completely focused on the defensive end,” Nuest said.  “We rotated and worked aggressively to content every shot and grab nearly every defensive rebound.”

With the win, Becker improved to 9-7 overall and 6-3 in the M8 Conference, good enough for a tie for third place.

Becker scoring: Paumen 17, Weiss 13, Brown 11, Isiah Boyer nine, Mitch Soltau eight, Peterson six, Troy Nuest two and Hunter Youngdahl two.