BEMIDJI β With less than a minute left on the clock, the Lumberjacks finally ran out of shots.
The Bemidji High ΝαΝαΒώ» boys basketball team had gone blow for blow with Hibbing on Tuesday night, answering punches with counterpunches and staying neck-in-neck until the very end of its final home game in a 68-61 loss.
ADVERTISEMENT
When the Bluejackets took a 55-52 lead, junior Jeron Huseby cashed in on a strong pass from senior Kobe Brown by hitting a huge triple to knot things back up with roughly four and a half minutes to go.
When Hibbingβs Jack Bottoms splashed a tough 3-pointer through strong defense to retake the lead, junior Jaxon Boschee nailed a 3-point basket of his own to tie it at 58-58.
When the Bluejackets scored back-to-back 2-pointers for a 62-58 lead, junior Austin Riewer β who, up to that moment, had one point β knocked down a huge triple to keep the Lumberjacks within reach.
But when Hibbing tacked on one more 2-point basket for a 64-61 lead, BHS couldnβt find the game-tying basket. Despite 3-point attempts from Boschee and Riewer, the Bluejackets managed to cling onto their lead, tacking on a pair of free throws and a layup to close out a seven-point victory over Bemidji.
βThey hit one or two more shots at the end,β head coach Steve Thompson said. βThey made a couple of tough shots with good defense. A shot here or there was really the difference.β
βBall just didnβt bounce our way tonight, and that will happen,β Brown said. βWith playoffs coming up, we have to be at our best here. During playoffs, our recordβs 0-0, and itβs win or go home. Kind of got to just wipe this one and get back to our normal level of play.β
By halftime, the game seemed poised for a wire-to-wire finish.
ADVERTISEMENT
The Lumberjacks opened the game on a 7-0 start, finding 2-point baskets from senior Charlie Zellmann and Brown and a 3-pointer from Huseby.
The Bluejackets erased the deficit quickly, embarking on a 12-5 run to capture the lead. Hibbing pressed the advantage to 18-13, until Boschee knocked down a triple and Huseby finished a tough layup at the cup to tie it up.
Hibbing and BHS were even down the stretch, entering the locker room tied at 33-33.
That deadlock resumed as soon as the second frame started and didnβt quit until the very end. Bemidjiβs backcourt was especially impressive despite the final results β namely, Brown and Boschee. The duo wound up leading the team in points, as Boschee finished with 18 and Brown with 17.
βIβm feeling really positive about the way weβre playing in the backcourt with Kobe and Jaxon, and all the guys that contribute,β Thompson said. βI think weβve solidified those roles as the seasons went along here. Kobe is really a glue guy, he does all the things you need.β
Brown flexed his play on the defensive end throughout the night, forcing multiple turnovers with his strong pressure at the perimeter and occasionally cashing in with quick transition buckets.
βIβve always been a defensive guy,β Brown said. βLast couple years I got my offense going, just nice to have the mix of the two. But I like the defense way better.β
ADVERTISEMENT
Huseby was also a key piece of the offense, finishing on physical drives to the net and bagging a pair of 3s to finish with 12 points.
Defensively, the Lumberjacks had a tough time contending with Bottoms and Raymond Brau. The shifty guard and the lengthy forward combined for 48 points.
Brau was a major presence in the paint, posting up for gritty baskets around the rim, grabbing boards and contributing stout defense on the other side of the court. He earned a team-high 26 points for the Bluejackets.
βTo start out with, we wanted to double (Brau),β Brown said. βAfter a while, we stopped doubling him and weβre trying to just win a one-on-one battle with him. And then near the end, we were trying to dig it again from him. It kind of just depends on how the game is going, how hot the player is.β
With the playoffs starting next week, the Lumberjacks are wrapping up a tough slate to end the regular season. Bemidji has played the top two teams in 7-3A β Hibbing and Duluth Denfield β Alexandria, the top-ranked team in Class 3A, and the top two teams in Section 7AA, Esko and Pequot Lakes, since Feb. 7.
The Section 8-4A Tournament doesn't start until early March, but for several weeks, BHS has competed against playoff-level talent.
βI think the stretch that weβve played in the last two weeks, itβs all playoff basketball,β Thompson said. βWe havenβt had a light game in that stretch. β¦ You want to come out on top, but all those things are good for preparation.β
ADVERTISEMENT
Hibbing 68, Bemidji 61
BHS 33 28 β 61
HHS 33 35 β 68
Bemidji β Boschee 18, Brown 17, Huseby 12, Riewer 4, Zellmann 4, Sneide 4, McNallan 2.
Hibbing β Brau 26, Bottoms 22, Reckmeyer 14, Bexell 4, Eskeli 2.
The Trust Project
