Orioles net 18th win of basketball season
There is always room for improvement according to St. Louis Park head coach Dave Breitenbucher. But he liked what he saw from his team during two decisive North Suburban Conference boys basketball victories last week.
St. Louis Park senior forward Jeffrey Bonds attempts an inside shot during North Suburban Conference basketball action. Bonds and his Oriole teammates won twice last week to boost their record to 18-4. (Photo courtesy of Tom Dahlin)
The Orioles remain on the heels of first-place Cooper in the conference title race after defeating Chisago Lakes and Irondale. St. Louis Park is second in the league with an 11-1 record. The Orioles are 18-4 overall.
“This was the second time around for our team in conference play against Chisago Lakes and Irondale,” said coach Breitenbucher. “And we won by bigger margins than when we played them the first time around.
“Our defense is slowly getting better. And we are doing a better job offensively against many zones we have been facing.”
St. Louis Park dominated Chisago Lakes for a 71-52 triumph Feb. 12. The Orioles only beat Chisago Lakes by five points in their previous meeting.
Kashif Hayes led the Oriole offense with 22 points. D.J. Pollard came through with 17 points. Other leading SLP scorers were Grant Donald (8), Makhi Moore (7) and Marshall Cullen (6).
St. Louis Park defeated Irondale 86-69 Feb. 15. The Orioles pulled out a four-point win over Irondale earlier this season.
Pollard had a big offensive night scoring 28 points. Bonds (15), Moore (14) and Hayes (11) also scored in double figures. Andrew Johnson and Cullen scored seven points each.
“Pollard missed about seven minutes after injuring his ankle in the first half,” said Breitenbucher. “But he recovered and managed to finish with 28 points.”
St. Louis Park will play host to Fridley at 7:15 p.m. Friday, Feb. 22, before meeting visiting Cooper at 7:15 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 26, in a game that will probably decide the North Suburban championship.
Henderson leads Oriole squad
St. Louis Park lost 59-45 to Irondale Feb. 15 as Mara Henderson netted 12 points. She had scoring support from Katelyn Ederer (11) and Amy Schulz (10),
St. Louis Park, 4-19 overall, lost 54-27 to Chisago Lakes Feb. 12. The Orioles’ balanced scoring attack featured Sklyer Nagorski (6), Henderson (5), Abigail Olson (4), Schulz (4), Ederer (4) and Lauren Resnick(4).
St. Louis Park, 2-12 in the conference, travel to Fridley for a 7:15 p.m. conference game Thursday, Feb. 21.
Contact Greg Kleven at greg.kleven@ecm-inc.com
