With a convincing 84-51 win Tuesday night in the state semifinals over the Hill Murray Pioneers, the Becker Lady Bulldogs have advanced to the state Class AAA title game.  The title tilt was played Friday night (April 9) at 6 p.m. at the Target Center with the Bulldogs facing Marshall. 

In the dominating win over the Pioneers, Becker raced to a 16-0 lead in the first seven minutes before Hill Murray finally scored its first points on a bank shot 3-point shot with 11:00 showing on the clock.  

Becker’s defense was stifling, both in the full court and half court, as the Pioneers had trouble at times inbounding the ball and advancing to their preferred half court offense.

The Bulldogs had an advantage in athleticism and ball handling and it was magnified by the fact the game was played at the Target Center, on a professional sized basketball court, which at 94 feet in length is 10 feet longer than a high school court.  

“We are a dangerous team on a college-NBA court because our girls are skilled fundamentally and quick athletically,” Head Coach Dan Baird said the next morning.  “They put focus on top of that and last night is the result!” 

Becker used the extra space to its advantage, winning the turnover battle 24-7, and didn’t give the ball away for the first time until 9:59 was left in the first half.

Hill Murray came in averaging 63 points per game, while the Bulldogs scored at a pace of 84 per game this season and were able to match that total.

“Our girls were 100% on point and focused in practice this week,” Baird said.  “That effort translated to the game which was nice.”

Becker led 42-19 going into the break and then came out of the locker room and went on an 8-0 run to start the second half.

Just five minutes into the second half, Becker had extended its lead to 54-28 on a Maren Westin spin move and layup.  Julia Bengtson then stole the ball on the defensive end of the court and went all the way  for her own layup, which was followed by a Courtney Nuest layup off another Becker steal.

HillMurray called several timeouts, but each time Becker came out of the huddle with more intensity than their opponent and maintained control of the game.

“Our experience the last few years in the state tournament was also a factor,” Baird said.  “Hill Murray hadn’t been there in awhile and I think that helped a lot.”

Becker dominated in the fast break category, scoring 29 points to the Pioneers’ 11, while the Bulldog bench also outscored its counterpart 28-5.

The contest was broadcast on Channel 45 and at the end of the game, Bengtson was named the Player of the Game for her 19 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds, as she narrowly missed a triple-double.

Adeline Kent added 18 points for the Bulldogs, while Courtney Nuest and Maren Westin were also in double figures.

Overall, it was a cleanly played game with Bengtson attempting and converting all six of Becker’s free throws (6-for-6), while the Pioneers attempted just five (making two).

Becker scoring: Adeline Kent 18, Courtney Nuest 13, Julia Bengtson 19, Megan Gamble 6, Maren Westin 13, Dani Nuest 9, Jackie Yoerg 2, Ayla Brown 4.

Quarterfinals

The Bulldogs started the state tournament with a March 31 quarterfinal matchup against the Alexandria Cardinals in a game played at Perham High School.  Becker used a huge turnover advantage en route to a 74-52 win.

“We did a nice job in this game only committing eight turnovers as a team and forcing 25,” Head Coach Dan Baird said.  “Our full court man press wore them down over time.”

Becker’s game was an all around gutsy performance, as they dominated the game statistically and on the scoreboard.  They led 33-21 at halftime and then Senior Courtney Nuest took over to start the second half, helping to push the Bulldogs out of range of a possible Cardinals’ comeback.

“Courtney Nuest scored 13 points and gave us a huge lift hitting two three’s to start the second half,” Baird said.  “Ayla Brown scored 14 points for us and was relentless at attacking the basket.”  

Despite the Cardinals’ height advantage, Becker was relentless on the glass and came away with a 34-30 rebounding advantage, led by Julia Bengtson’s nine boards.

Becker’s defensive strategy was to contain Alexandria’s Mataya Hoelscher and Jaya Hatlestad, with the idea that the rest of the Cardinals wouldn’t be able to pick up the offensive slack.  The plan worked to perfection, as those two players combined for just seven points.

“Jules [Bengtson] did a nice job holding Hoelscher to four points, and Addy [Kent] held Hatlestad to three,” Baird said.  “This was key for our team, because we knew the other players weren’t going to be able to create enough offense to beat us.” 

Overall , Baird was impressed with his team’s performance and energy during the win, which propelled them into the state semifinals.

“Our girls’ effort level was through the roof which was nice to see,” Baird said. 

The win set up Becker’s matchup with #1 seed Hill Murray on Tuesday at the Target Center.  

The game was Becker’s second consecutive trip to the state semifinals and it also completed the “Arena Trifecta” for the Lady Bulldogs.

“It’s pretty exciting that our girls get to experience Target Center,” Baird said.  “We’ve seen Maturi Pavilion, Williams arena, and now Target Center.”

Becker scoring: Adeline Kent 12, Maren Westin 5, Alayna Lindquist 6, Courtney Nuest 13, Julia Bengtson 9 (9 rebounds, 6 assists), Dani Nuest 7, Megan Gamble 4, Jackie Yoerg 4, Ayla Brown 14.