North Dominates Burnsville in South Suburban Matchup

The Lakeville North girl’s basketball team defeated Burnsville handily, 76-28 on Tuesday night.

The Panthers showed once again that they are one of the top teams in the state by shooting well from the field and playing tenacious defense.

“I thought we did a good job defensively,” Lakeville North Head Coach Andy Berkvam said. “We like to create everything off our defense, and everyone played their role well.”

The Panthers started the game in a full-court press and pressured a Burnsville team that struggled to get the ball up the floor without their starting point guard in the lineup. Forced turnovers on defense and accurate shooting on the offensive end gave the Panthers a 20-2 run to start the game.

And the lead would only widen.

With five minutes left in the first half North lead the Blaze 34-10. By this point, North senior guard and University of Minnesota recruit Rachel Banham had put in 11 points, scoring more than the whole Burnsville team combined.

The Blaze then tried to switch things up, changing from a man-to-man defense to a zone. But that didn’t faze the Panthers, who shot the basketball even better after they were given time to shoot from the outside.

North extended the lead to 32 points by the end of the first half, 47-15.

The second half was much like the first, with North dominating at both ends of the floor. They increased their lead to 48 points halfway through the second half, pulled out their starters, and let them rest during the remainder of the game.

North’s Banham lead all scorers in the game with 17 points. North senior guard Hannah Hughes put in 12 points, senior guard Jaya Perkins scored 11, and senior guard Lindsay McCuddin dropped in nine.  

Although it was a convincing victory, Berkvam explained that there is improvement that needs to happen in the future. He said that they are working on taking care of the ball, playing better defense, and controlling the boards.

“Sometimes we are our worst enemy,” Berkvam said. “We just need to keep focusing on our team and not worry about anyone else.”

The win put the Panthers at 13-2 on the season and 7-0 in the South Suburban Conference—putting them in first place. They are currently ranked fifth in the state girl’s basketball rankings. Their next game is on Friday, Jan. 21 at 7:15 p.m. when they host the Bloomington Jefferson Jaguars.