Defensive Intensity Fueling Brainerd Girls’ B-Ball’s Best Start in Over 15 Years

Brainerd girls’ basketball is firing on all cylinders so far this season, running out to an 11-2 start and ranking ninth in Class AAAA. Now in the second half of their season, the Warrior girls have upped the ante, going from 58 points a game last year to 70 points per game this year.

“With last year, I think not losing as many people was kind of nice, sticking with our same group,” said sophomore forward Addison Bjorklund. “The plays that we run work really well for our team. Screen and rolls or screen and slips. Everyone isn’t very selfish, they care a lot about everyone else, getting good looks and shooting smart.”

The uptick on offense is a byproduct of a heightened emphasis on sharing the wealth, leading to more than half of the Warrior roster showcasing career highs in points.

“[We’re] moving the ball a lot, not much of a one-person game,” Bjorklund added. “I think we’ve all worked as a team and passed the ball around and gotten inside looks and kick outs, which have really helped us.”

However, it’s the other side of the court that’s fueling the Brainerd girls to their best start in over a decade and a half.

“Defensively, a lot of teams definitely have scored a lot less on us this year,” Bjorklund said.

“We really focus on anticipating instead of reacting, especially on defense really helps,” explained senior guard Kylee Soens. “Especially with those better teams, it can be really nice to get those easy steals from passes to get those easy buckets on defense. So, it’s just really nice to have that good, solid-foundation defense.”

While the increased offensive firepower is netting big returns, the saying does indeed go “Defense wins championships.” So far in the 2024-25 season, Warriors’ girls basketball has stymied its opposition, holding teams to under 47 points a game all through prioritizing sticking to their assignments.

“We’ve chosen to stay with our screens and I think also everyone being vocal, and not very quiet,” Bjorklund said. “We can vocalize on not switching, staying.”

“Not switching unless we need to,” Soens added. “If we do switch, say guard-to-big, switch back to guard-to-guard or big-to-big, but at the most opportune time.”

The Warriors look to tally win number 12 on Friday when they go on the road to face Detroit Lakes. Mya Tautges hopes to keep leading the charge offensively for the blue and white and is averaging 16 points a game so far.