The Becker Lady Bulldogs basketball team defeated the Zimmerman Thunder Tuesday on the road by a score of 74-53.

 

Becker was led in scoring by Adeline Kent's 20 points —18 coming in a second half that she dominated at times.  

 

“She was constantly attacking the basket and hitting runners,” said Head Coach Dan Baird.  “Her offense really sparked the team.”  

 

It was Becker’s fifth straight win after losing a nail-biter to Willmar to kick off the season three weeks ago. Zimmerman is the two-time defending Granite Ridge Conference champions.

 

Jules Bengtson did a great job in this contest as well, scoring 11 points, four assists, and nine steals.  

 

“Her defense on  (Alyssa) Daugherty really set the tone,” said Baird.

 

The Bulldogs caused 36 turnovers with their full-court man pressure basically the entire game.  Becker only committed 13.

 

Lexi Masog added 10 points, connecting on two, three-pointers, to go with four steals.  Megan Gamble did a nice job inside with 10 points and eight rebounds. 

 

Zimmerman was led in scoring by Daugherty's 16 points.  Daugherty had scored her 2000th career point a week earlier against Monticello.  

 

“It was nice to defeat them for the second straight year in Zimmerman,” said Baird. “It’s not the easiest place to play.”  

 

The win moves Becker to 5-1 on the season, 2-1 in Section 5AAA, and 1-0 in the conference.

 

 

Last week, Becker traveled across town to face off against Big Lake Dec. 6.

 

This key Section 5AAA battle was close throughout and at halftime, the Hornets were leading 30-28.  They had jumped out to a 17-7 lead and it took a while for Becker to crawl back into it.  The Hornets were led by Reagan Sternquist who scored 21 points and grabbed 11 rebounds.  

 

Becker was led by Bengtson's 23 points, eight rebounds and three steals.  Another part of her job is containing Caila Tighe, one of the Hornets’ top scorers. Bengtson held her to just four points — way below her average.  

 

Kent stuffed the state sheet with 12 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, and five steals for an excellent all around game.  However, Courtney Nuest was the difference maker in this contest, sparking the Bulldogs in the second half.   She tallied nine points, 13 rebounds, three assists, and two steals.

 

“Courtney was relentless on the boards and really came to play,” said Baird.  

 

Megan Gamble did a nice job as well with eight points, seven rebounds, and three assists.  Becker's defensive stalwart Alayna Lindquist contributed nine points and a huge three-pointer when Big Lake was starting to make a run.  

 

This rivalry will be fun in years to come as Becker will move into the Mississippi 8 next year leading to a possibility of three contests between the rivals.  

 

 

The Bulldogs hosted St. Cloud Apollo Friday night (full report on game in next week’s Citizen-Tribune).

 

They then host Little Falls Thursday then shoot up to St. Cloud Friday to take on Cathedral.