Becker High School was the place to be last Saturday for high school hoops fans, as the top ranked Bulldogs hosted #2 Holy Angels in a battle of Class AAA basketball powers.  And while the game itself didn’t disappoint, the Bulldogs almost made it look easy in the second half as they ran away with a 78-59 win that cemented Becker’s top ranking.

“This was a great game and there’s a good chance we’ll meet again in the near future,” Becker Coach Dan Baird said, referring to a possible rematch if both teams make the state tournament as expected.  

With the win, Becker hit the 20 win mark for the season, versus just four losses.

Holy Angels came into the game with a decided height advantage, but the determination and grit of the Bulldogs, not to mention some amazing three-point shooting, led to the impressive win.

“We showed toughness by out-rebounding Holy Angels 39-33, and this was impressive as they had a significant height advantage,” Baird said.

The Bulldogs’ fundamentals were too much for the Stars, as Becker continually boxed out well and ended the game with a 28-16 advantage on the defensive glass.

Because of the height disparity, Becker was launching the ball all night from the outside and they were obviously in the zone, hitting an amazing 15 of 28 shots from beyond the arc.  

The Bulldogs hit seven treys in the first half, including four from Maren Westin, as the team built a 31-28 halftime lead. The second half brought another offensive explosion, as the Bulldogs pinned 47 points on their opponent, including another eight triples.

Westin was unstoppable all night, as she hit for 28 points on an unbelievable 8-for-10 performance from beyond the three-point line.

“Maren Westin put on a shooting display,” Baird said. “Many of her shots were bombs from NBA distance, as Holy Angels’ long arms forced us back a little.”

Holy Angels managed just a 3-for-14 performance from long range, while the Bulldogs also shared the ball better than their opponents, netting 21 assists to the Stars’ 11.

Becker had a total of four players in double figures, as Adeline Kent (19), Alexis Rose (15) and Dani Nuest (10) joined Westin in having fine offensive games.

Tuesday night, the Bulldogs were scheduled to face other state power in a game against Como Park, but inclement weather forced a cancelation. Their final regular season game was set for Thursday night, as they hosted St. Francis in a Senior Night matchup.  From there, the Bulldogs area headed to the Section playoffs.

Becker scoring: Nuest, 10 (seven rebounds); Westin, 28 (six rebounds); Ayla Brown, four (10 rebounds, six assists); Kent, 19; Rose, 15 (eight rebounds, seven assists); Liz Mackedanz, two.