BEMIDJI 鈥� A youthful Bemidji High 歪歪漫画 boys basketball team ran into a seasoned buzzsaw on Tuesday night at the BHS Gymnasium.
Facing a senior-laden team from Brainerd, the Lumberjacks fell down 44-27 at the half, and it only got harder from there. The Warriors鈥� size and speed was too much, and the Jacks were left licking their wounds after a 89-51 defeat.
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鈥淲e really have to watch film,鈥� said Bemidji head coach Steve Thompson. 鈥淲e have to see what we were and we were not doing, and we've got to be better the next time. This is the time to really self-reflect at what each individual has to bring. That's me as a coach, and that's the players as well. And then in order for us to put a better product out, we've got to be more disciplined in our assignments and get better each day.鈥�
The Lumberjacks (0-2) were coming off a 69-67 defeat at Sartell in the season鈥檚 first game on Friday, and Bemidji nearly completed a big comeback in that contest. The Jacks required a much larger run on Tuesday, and they couldn鈥檛 find it against Brainerd鈥檚 intensity and execution.
鈥淭heir point guard (Eli Hoelz) is really dynamic,鈥� Thompson said. 鈥淚 mean, he was tough to keep out of the lane. They have a lot of length, and they can shoot it well from the perimeter. That鈥檚 a good basketball team. Brainerd has a great team, so we knew that coming in. And I was hoping that we鈥檇 perform a little bit better, but credit to them. They're a good team, and they played well tonight.鈥�
Brainerd (1-1) lists six seniors on its varsity roster, including Hoelz, while Bemidji boasts just three. The Lumberjacks lost two college basketball players 鈥� Isaac Severts and Matthew Matheney 鈥� and other college athletes in Ethan Biehn, Dan Clusiau and Ben Corradi from their 2022-23 roster.
Thus, as the Jacks move forward, relief is largely going to have to come from younger players forced into bigger roles.
鈥淲e're going to be learning about them as the season goes along,鈥� Thompson said. 鈥淭his is just one of the tests along the road. This is game No. 2, so I know we're going to get better. We are young, and I know we're gonna get better as it goes. But we're not where we need to be right now.鈥�
Thompson emphasized the importance of quick improvement on the defensive end, citing lapses in focus as an indicator of where Bemidji lost control of the matchup. He鈥檚 confident that his group can take steps to fix it, noting he鈥檚 seen positive developments in the Jacks鈥� nine practices so far this year.
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鈥淚 really like the way we work in practice, and I like the way we prepare,鈥� Thompson said. 鈥溾�漇o we can definitely build upon that if we can bring that same energy every day to practice and prepare to get a little bit better. I know that from beginning to end, looking at a full picture, there's going to be a lot of improvement that takes place.鈥�
Sophomore Jaxon Boschee, who poured in a career-high 27 points against Sartell, was held to just five on Tuesday. He will be one of the Lumberjacks鈥� keys offensively, and adjusting to his newfound responsibility as a top scoring option will take more than two games.
鈥淗e's getting pushed around,鈥� Thompson said. 鈥淭hey were playing him physically, and we knew that that's probably what would happen. But he's going to get better too, as (will) we. He's a great player, and teams have to honor him. And as a sophomore, that shows that there's a lot of respect for his game.鈥�
Bemidji found scoring from sophomore Austin Riewer, who contributed 16 points, while senior Braden Luksik added 14. Brainerd鈥檚 Luke Diem led all scorers with 27 points, and Hoelz chipped in 23.
Brainerd 89, Bemidji 51
BRD 44 45 鈥� 89
BHS 27 24 鈥� 51
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BRAINERD 鈥� Diem 27, Hoelz 23, Gilbert 15, Rushin 6, Merseth 5, Tautges 4, Hendrickson 3, Johnson 3, Sypnieski 2, Roseman 1.
BEMIDJI 鈥� Riewer 16, Luksik 14, Boschee 5, Gish 5, Huseby 4, Zellmann 3, Brown 2, Oelrich 2.
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