Lakeville North built up a big halftime lead and held on to defeat Centennial, 57-45 at the Breakdown Tip Off Classic at Hopkins' Lindbergh Center. The victory was the 400th for North coaching legend Andy Berkvam, who was honored after the game.
Simone Kolander made sure her coach would earn the milestone Saturday afternoon, scoring a game-high 23 points. Taylor Stewart and Lindsey Malecha each added eight points, while Kendall Naatjes chipped in with seven.
Centennial had three players in double-figures: Paige Waytashek (12), Daizjah Morris (11) and Katie Werth (10). The Cougars actually outscored North in the second half, 24-21, but were down by 15 at the break and couldn't make up the deficit.
Score by quarter: Lakeville North 36-21--57, Centennial 21-24--45
Lakeville North: Kolander 23, Malecha 8, Stewart 8, Naatjes 7, Sjoberg 5, Augustine 2, Berkvam 2, Cerda 2.
Centennial: Waytashek 12, Dz. Morris 11, Werth 10, Gerding 6, Conrad 6.