White Bear Lake trailed by as much as eight points in the first half before whittling back to 23-20 at halftime.

An 11-0 Bears run over the first 5 minutes, 30 seconds of the second half sent shockwaves into their opponent.

“Relentless is the word to describe it,” White Bear Lake coach Jeremy Post said.

White Bear Lake has held 11 of 13 opponents under 60 points and surrenders just 44.5 per night. Defense is the constant.

Getting shots to fall at a great enough rate will determine if the orange and black can remain in the conference title race as the back half of the season looms.

“Our shots weren’t falling in the first half, so it was just a matter of time,” White Bear Lake senior co-captain Lauren Eckerle said. “They’ll start dropping, and they did. Our defense fuels our offense, and when the shots fall it’s a confidence booster.”

Eckerle was the poster child for the team’s “just a matter of time” mantra on Friday. She poured in 12 of her game-high 16 points in the second half, hitting a pair of timely threes on the way to helping her team coast to victory down the stretch.

White Bear Lake led by as much as 18. Roseville pulled within nine in the final four minutes thanks to standout efforts from backcourt duo senior Gabrielle Kopp and sophomore Kendall Barnes. Kopp hit three triples on the way to a team-high 13 points. Barnes penetrated the lane for 10 points, all in the second half.

The Raiders, ranked No 7 in the Jan. 5 Minnesota Basketball News Class 4A rankings,  were bogged down by the Bears’ preferred slower tempo. Roseville began to get out and run for more transition points late, but only after the deficit was too large.

Senior co-captain forward Nevaeh Hughes chipped in four points and made an impact on the glass and patrolling the paint.

“It’s exciting. I got to be with my teammates and feel that excitement,” Hughes said. “We came back after a couple tough games, but we definitely came together and did our thing.”

Sophomore forward Jordyn Schmittdiel was a force inside and attacking the hoop for White Bear Lake. She added 15 points.

“Jordyn had an awesome game,” Eckerle said.

The Bears’ third co-captain, Addie Bachmeier, contributed four points and was a steady hand as a press breaker.

“She’s solid for us at point guard,” Eckerle said. “Roseville has a tough press, so it’s good to have people like that to help us out.”

Added Hughes: “When she gets pressured, she pushes right through it.”

So did the Bears.