The Becker Bulldog girls basketball team dropped to 1-3 this season with a win over Willmar and losses to Delano, Simley and Big Lake.

 

Delano 35, Becker 32

The Bulldogs hosted Delano Dec. 1 and lost by three points.

 

Becker's leading scorer was Courtney Nuest with 11 points.  

 

“Courtney played with a lot of energy the entire game,” said Head Coach Dan Baird.  

 

Madi Kerzmann had nine points and five rebounds.  Lexi Masog finished with six points and six rebounds.  Renee Tripp led the team with four assists. 

 

The Bulldogs got off to s alow start but battled back at the end before time ran out.  

 

“We easily could have given up in this one,” said Baird. “We were missing shots and struggled with turnovers.  However, the girls kept fighting which is great to see in a young team.”  

 

Erin Norling was Delano's leading scorer with eight points.

 

Simley 56, Becker 48

The Bulldogs traveled to Simley Dec. 1 and Baird’s girls played a valiant game. The contest was close throughout  (27-27 at halftime) and it see-sawed until the contest was knotted up in the last two minutes.  Smiley converted a three point play and  a free throw down the stretch to put it away. 

 

“Our girls played a good athletic team very well,” said Baird.  “We competed the entire 36 minutes, which is all I ask.”

 

Madi Kerzmann had an excellent game, leading the Bulldogs in scoring with 18 points and six rebounds.  

 

Renee Tripp played excellent defense and scored 11 points.  

 

“Renee was an excellent leader in this game both on and off the court for our young players,” said the head coach.

 

Simley was led by four players in double figures including Rayvn Miles’ 13, which led the squad.

 

Becker scoring: Kerzmann 18, Tripp 11, Julia Bengtson 7, Courtney Nuest 4, Lexi Masog 3, Kristen Fitzgerald 2, McKenna Anderson 2 and Claire Thorn 1.

 

Simley scoring: Miles 13, Jenna Paulsen 11, Sydney Stensgard 10, Aejah Lockett 10, Guresi Mena 5, Tiwah Danso 4 and Bonita Franco 3.

 

Becker 71, Willmar 61

Kerzmann once again led the Bulldogs in scoring, this time netting 22 points in Becker’s first win of the season at home Tuesday night.

 

“This was a huge section win,” said Baird.  “Willmar is expected to compete for the section title.  We played excellent team defense and rebounded well which helped start our fast break.”  

 

Baird said Kerzmann’s inside post play was difficult for Willmar to defend.  

 

“Once she started hitting three's, the game was in Becker's hands,” he said.

 

Kerzmann scored 16 points in the second half to spark an excellent half for the Bulldogs who scored 43 points in the final frame.

 

Willmar had all 10 starters make the score sheet with Cayle Hovland leading the way with 10 points.

 

Becker got big scoring from Kerzmann underneath the basket and three others tallied double figure scoring from the outside in the 10-point win.

 

“I was very excited about the way we played for multiple reasons,” said Baird.  “Our effort and attitude was where it needed to be.”

 

Becker scoring: Kerzmann 22, Tripp 14, Masog 13, Bengtson 12, Thorn 4, Alyssa Gruenes 2, Alayna Lindquist 2 and Nuest 2.

 

Willmar scoring: Hovland 10, Heidi Sellman 9, Grace Sawyer 9, Carly Wedel 8, Jordyn Swodoba 7, Abby Berskow 6, Carly Magnuson 4, Brielle Thorpe 4, Grace Marti 2 and Hannah Johnson 2.

 

Big Lake 70, Becker 51

The Bulldogs traveled to Big Lake Thursday. This was a game that came down to handling pressure and making shots.  

 

In the Willmar game, Becker shot 67% in the second half and over 50% for the game.  At Big Lake, Becker’s shot-making wasn't there.    

 

“Shooting can really spark a team at times,” said Baird.  “It actually allows teams to pick up their defense and excel in all areas of the game.  We needed someone to step up and make shots.”  

 

However, it never really came.  

 

Baird says Big Lake deserves a lot of credit for the win they captured.  

 

“They had an excellent press that gave us fits,” he said. “Offensively, they attacked the basket — always answering our baskets.”

 

Paige Domyahn led Big Lake with 20 points.  Emma Anderson scored 17 points and Tayla McClagn had 11 points on three, three-pointers.

 

For Becker, Bengtson led the Bulldogs with 14 points. Tripp added 10 points as well as Kerzmann.  

 

“Big Lake did an excellent job limiting Madi's looks,” said Baird.  “Their swarming defense made things tough all night.”  

 

The Bulldogs travel to Mora Thursday for their only game of the next week.