The Becker Lady Bulldog basketball team went 1-1 this past week, losing to Big Lake at home Friday night and beating Zimmerman Tuesday on the road.
Big Lake 65, Becker 64
Big Lake’s Mia Huberty hit a game winning shot with nine seconds left in a Section 5AAA game Friday night in a packed gymnasium in Becker.
Becker’s Lexi Masog launched a three-pointer as time expired, but the ball skimmed off the rim and stayed out.
“Overall, the game was very exciting and a great atmosphere for high school athletics,” said Head Coach Dan Baird.
After Masog’s long miss of the open three-pointer, Julia Bengtson got the offensive rebound with three seconds left but the ball bounced away and the Hornet players erupted in celebration.
Becker went 12-of-26 from the foul line where Big Lake was 11-of-18.
Bengtson had another incredible game as the team’s general on the floor as she stuffed the stat sheet by leading Becker with 15 points and 10 assists. Courtney Nuest had 12 points and Haley Benda added 10 points for the home team.
Big Lake improved to 2-2 on the season and Becker fell to 1-3.
Big Lake scoring: Mia Huberty 16, Annika Poe 13, Reagan Stearnquist 10, Caela Tighe 9, Kayla Domais 9, Emma Anderson 6 and Kourtney Hintz 2.
Becker scoring: Bengtson 15, Nuest 12, Benda 10, Masog 9, Madi Kerzman 9, Alayna Lindquist 7 and Adeline Kent 2.
Becker 67, Zimmerman 52
The Bulldogs rebounded from their loss to Big Lake and defeated the Zimmerman Thunder, 67-52 in a Section 5AAA and Granite Ridge Conference game Tuesday night to earn the traveling trophy.
Becker shot 41% for the game to Zimmerman's 23%. The Bulldogs also out-rebounded the Thunder 49-44.
Nuest led Becker with 20 points and nine rebounds.
“Courtney hit some key shots throughout the game, usually answering a short Zimmerman run,” said Baird.
Madi Kerzman had an excellent game as well, scoring 17 points to go with eight rebounds.
“Madi posted up well, and the rest of the team gave her excellent lob and entry passes,” Baird said.
Bengtson battled through an illness and was productive, scoring 12 points to go with seven rebounds and three assists.
Benda continued with her excellent season, scoring nine points, five rebounds, six assists, and had five steals.
Lindquist did a great job defending Alyssa Dougherty for Zimmerman, who broke Zimmerman's school record of 1,569 points. Dougherty is just a junior and well on her way to scoring 2,000 points before she's even a senior.
“Alayna made everything tough for her,” said Baird. “Dougherty was able to score 18, but they didn't come easy.”
Baird said Lindquist also attacked the basket extremely well offensively, using her ball-handling skills and athleticism to create opportunities for her teammates. She finished with six assists and four rebounds.
With the win, Becker moves to 2-3 on the season, 1-2 in section 5AAA, and 1-0 in the Granite Ridge Conference.
“This was a big win for us,” said Becker’s head coach. “We lost three times to Zimmerman last season, who is the defending conference champs and section 5AAA #1 seed.”
Becker lost in overtime last year to the #1 seed in the section semi-finals was a tough learning experience.
“Our girls really battled to earn this victory and played a complete game for two halves,” said Baird.
Becker scoring: Nuest 20, Kerzman 17, Bengtson 12, Benda 9, Masog 4, Tripp 3 and Lindquist 2.
Zimmerman scoring: Dougherty 18, Pool 9, May 6, Amman 6, Williams 5, Giffen 4, L. Haegstrom 2 and Webber 2.
Up Next
The Bulldogs played Albany at home Friday night (full report on game in next week’s Citizen-Tribune). Tuesday, Becker travels to Sartell-St. Stephens and Thursday they hit the road to Little Falls.
