The North Branch Vikings kicked off their season on the road on Tuesday and hit a couple of potholes. They fell 57-47 to Sauk Rapids-Rice. North Branch lost against Sauk Rapids-Rice in their previous head to head back in February, too, but the margin this time around was much wider than the 55-47 score last time.
North Branch's loss came despite strong showings from Ella Kuhlman and Kayla Diedrich. Kuhlman scored 24 points, while Diedrich scored 17 points.
Sauk Rapids-Rice can attribute much of their success to Courtney Paulsen, who scored 15 points along with 9 rebounds. Lauren Schloe was another key contributor, scoring 6 points along with 17 rebounds.
North Branch's defeat dropped their record down to 0-1. As for Sauk Rapids-Rice, their victory bumped their record up to 1-0.
Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. North Branch will square off against Denfeld at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. As for Sauk Rapids-Rice, they will head out on the road to face off against Willmar at 7:15 p.m. on Thursday.
