The No. 5-ranked Wahpeton Huskies fell to the No. 3-ranked Kindred Vikings, 70-60, in a Region 1 home loss Thursday. The victory solidifies Kindred’s No. 2 seed in the region and leaves Wahpeton fighting for the third spot.
Kindred (13-3, 6-2) was led by Brooks Bakko’s massive night. The 6’6″ sophomore point guard collected 30 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists. Gabe Whipple and Gabe Iverson added 12 and 11 points, respectively.
Wahpeton (12-5, 5-4) was led by improved backcourt efficiency in the second matchup, as Brayden Steffens (20 points) and Jack Gilbertson (19 points) shot 14 of 30 from the field and 5 of 11 from three-point range. Gilbertson added a team-high four assists to the box score.
Treyton King’s strong play in the post earned him Essentia Health Player of the game alongside Bakko. The Wahpeton sophomore tallied 10 points and six rebounds on 5-of-8 shooting.
The Huskies trailed by 13 at the break before cutting the Kindred led to four in the final quarter.
