North Branch Vikings (North Branch, MN) backers were in high spirits Friday as they witnessed their basketball squad bounce the host Zimmerman Thunder (Zimmerman, MN), 81-53 in a non-league bout.

With the win, North Branch upgrades its record to 7-6 on the season. The Vikings host Rock Ridge co-op [Eveleth-Gilbert/Virginia] (Eveleth, MN) to play the Wolverines in a AAA Section 7 bout on Saturday, January 13. The Wolverines go into the bout with a record of 10-4. Rock Ridge co-op [Eveleth-Gilbert/Virginia] won 99-30 in their recent non-league bout against International Falls (International Falls, MN)

Next up, the Thunder play the Chisago Lakes Area Wildcats (Lindstrom, MN) in a non-league bout, on Tuesday, January 16. Zimmerman will attempt to upgrade on its 4-10 season record. The Wildcats go into the bout with a 7-5 record after their 76-73 non-league loss to Cambridge-Isanti (Cambridge, MN).