BEMIDJI 鈥� It鈥檚 not often that any basketball player can be legitimately compared to Stephen Curry.
Yet Bemidji High 歪歪漫画鈥檚 Jaxon Boschee reached that rarified air on Friday night at the BHS Gymnasium. The Lumberjacks鈥� sophomore guard drained 3-pointer after stunning 3-pointer, raining seven treys in all and 31 total points.
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鈥淵ou never tell a player like that not to shoot the ball,鈥� said BHS head coach Steve Thompson. 鈥淭here were a couple of times where I was like, 鈥楴o!鈥�, and then it goes in. He's a special kind of shooter.鈥�
Bemidji pulled away from Duluth Denfeld for a 86-62 win 鈥� its first home victory this season.
Not only did Boschee drain a high volume of deep attempts, but several individual shots stood out. Boschee swished one triple from well behind the line, a couple off of step-back moves and a transition bomb after he picked up a loose ball and rose up immediately for the shot.
鈥淚 trust my teammates to give me the ball when I'm there,鈥� Boschee said. 鈥淚 keep moving around. We do a really good job of sharing it and getting each other to open spots. And when I'm open and I get my feet set, I let it fly every time.鈥�
When Boschee enters this realm, Bemidji becomes a different team. He led a personal 11-0 run that featured three consecutive 3-pointers, two of which would be advised against by almost any coach. Yet they both fell, stirring the Lumberjacks to a 15-0 first-half finish.
鈥淵ou don't see these kinds of players very often,鈥� Thompson said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 pretty special what he can do. I (tell people), 鈥榊ou鈥檝e got to come down and watch.鈥欌��
Boschee鈥檚 Friday night showcase electrified the home crowd and delivered the Jacks (5-6) their first win at the BHS Gym. After an 0-4 start, Bemidji turned around its campaign thanks to some hard-fought road wins. The confidence and habits built from those victories are translating at home.
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鈥淚t feels really good,鈥� Thompson said. 鈥淲e had a plan on counterattacking out of their doubles and their traps, and we did a really nice job of doing that and executing it. In a couple of games this year, we weren't executing those things. We're finding ourselves in game 11, and now we're executing plans. So I'm really excited about where we're at.鈥�
The Lumberjacks got a big-time boost from Boschee, one they won鈥檛 soon forget. And while he was two points shy of his career high, Friday鈥檚 shot-making performance may have surpassed that contest in brilliance.
鈥淚f I see my guy backpedaling, then I know I'll have enough space to get a shot off,鈥� Boschee said. 鈥�... It really just varies on what they鈥檙e doing. It鈥檚 really trusting the coaches. They believe in me, my teammates believe in me and I keep believing in myself too. I put the work in, and I know what I can do.鈥�
Boschee also splashed all four free throws he attempted and converted a left-handed floater to round out his star turn. He had plenty of scoring support from his teammates, as 10 other Lumberjacks got on the scoreboard.
But Friday was Boschee鈥檚 night, and it served as the ideal manifestation of his full potential as the emerging ace of this young Bemidji team.
鈥淎nytime you make (a 3), you get a good feeling and your confidence goes up,鈥� Boschee said. 鈥淎nd then you hear the crowd go off, and then you start feeling it a little bit. Then you feel like everything's going in after you make a couple.鈥�
Bemidji 86, Duluth Denfeld 62
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DD 25 37 鈥� 62
BHS 40 46 鈥� 86
BEMIDJI 鈥� Boschee 31, Riewer 13, Luksik 9, Frazer 8, Huseby 8, Brown 7, Gish 2, Oelrich 2, Pink 2, Sneide 2, Zellmann 2.
DULUTH DENFELD 鈥� Ferguson 18, Starstead 14, L. Brooks 7, Persaud-Davis 6, Rock 5, Powell 5, Messel 4, Moore 3.
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