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No. 2 Becker holds on, upsets No. 1 Benilde-St. Margaret's in Class 3A clash

By Ryan Williamson, SportsEngine , 02/11/23, 9:15AM CST

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The Bulldogs withstood a late second-half charge from the Red Knights thanks to a backcourt trio of seniors.

Becker's Maren Westin (1) eyes the basket before shooting and scoring in Saturday afternoon's matchup against Benilde-St. Margaret's. Westin finished with 25 points. Photo by Aiyanna Taylor, SportsEngine

Becker's Maren Westin (1) eyes the basket before shooting and scoring in Saturday afternoon's matchup against Benilde-St. Margaret's. Westin finished with 25 points. Photo by Aiyanna Taylor, SportsEngine

Becker coach Tim Ellefson had a message for his team at halftime while the Bulldogs led by 16 over top-ranked Benilde-St. Margaret’s. 

“They are going to make a run,” he said. “It’s how we respond to it.”

Ellefson’s prediction proved to be true. The Red Knights nearly erased the Becker double-digit lead in the second half. However, the Bulldogs regrouped and held off Benilde-St. Margaret’s for an 84-78 win on Saturday at Becker High School.

Benilde-St. Margaret's Kendall McGee (30) puts up a shot against Becker on Saturday. McGee tallied a game-high 34 points for the Red Knights. Photo by Aiyanna Taylor, SportsEngine

Benilde-St. Margaret's Kendall McGee (30) puts up a shot against Becker on Saturday. McGee tallied a game-high 34 points for the Red Knights. Photo by Aiyanna Taylor, SportsEngine

First report

After leading by as many as 17 points against top-ranked Benilde-St. Margaret’s, Becker withstood a Red Knight rally, holding on for an 84-78 victory on Saturday at Becker High School.

Becker (19-3, 11-0), ranked No. 2 in Class 3A by Minnesota Basketball News, fell behind 7-0 in the first half but roared ahead thanks to some hot shooting. Senior guards Maren Westin and Ayla Brown stole the show in the first half as they combined for 30 of the Bulldogs’ 47 first-half points to take a 16-point lead into halftime. 

Benilde-St. Margaret’s (16-6, 8-2) stormed back in a big way, cutting the deficit from 16 points to just two in a matter of minutes. Sophomore Kendall McGee led the charge with a game-high 34 points, of which 25 of those came in the second half.

Besides McGee, the Red Knights also reaped the benefits of Zahara Bishop and Olivia Olson. Bishop tallied 12 points while Olson added 18.

Despite a push from No. 1-3A Benilde-St. Margaret’s, Becker did enough to earn the big-time victory. Brown led the way with 32 points, and Westin added 25. Guards Hannah Dierkes and Danielle Nuest each added a dozen points in the victory.

Becker Bulldog Danielle Nuest (0) drives under Benilde-St.Margaret's Sierre Lumpkin (24) before laying in basket in the first half. Photo by Aiyanna Taylor, SportsEngine

Becker Bulldog Danielle Nuest (0) drives under Benilde-St.Margaret's Sierre Lumpkin (24) before laying in basket in the first half. Photo by Aiyanna Taylor, SportsEngine

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