BLUE EARTH - In the winter, it's always nice to have a reliable Carr.
Nate Carr's controlled stops and starts, fast breaks, precision passes and impressive drives led the top-seeded Blue Earth Area Buc boys cagers to a 69-48 win over the No. 4-seeded United South Central Rebels in the Section 2AA, South Sub-Section semifinals Thursday in Blue Earth.
Blue Earth Area (23-4) plays No. 2-seeded Maple River - a 66-52 winner over No. 3-seeded New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva - in the sub-section final at 8 p.m. Monday at Minnesota State University in Mankato.
United South Central ended its season at 16-11.
During the regular season, the Bucs edged the Rebels, 56-53.
Carr's 15 points, four steals, two rebounds and two assists at halftime, turned into a game-leading 26 points, six boards, five steals and three assists by the time it was all said and done. Carr made 10 of 11 field goals in the game.
"We keep track of deflections and he had seven, five steals and 26 points and he was a warrior on defense," said Buc head coach Gary Holmseth.
Holmseth noted Carr played ill in the first half of the Bucs' quarterfinal win over Kasson-Mantorville on Tuesday.
"I don't know where his energy came from," said Holmseth.
Carr started off with plenty of energy, scoring the Bucs' first basket of the game at 16:15, rebounding a teammate's miss for a 4-0 lead.
The Bucs maintained their lead throughout the game, but USC kept the contest close early.
The Rebels' 6-foot-7 sophomore center Kyle Bauman spun for two points in the paint before marching past the defense down the middle of the lane for key buckets, leaving the Bucs with an 11-9 lead at 12:35.
Bauman finished with a team-best 19 points and nine rebounds, but he and the rest of the Rebels were contained the remainder of the first half.
"Next year, Bauman could possibly be the best player in southern Minnesota. Thankfully, we had Nick (Lee) to answer him," said Holmseth.
Lee and Garrett Anderson combined to shut down the Rebels' inside threat and played their part in the ensuing 9-0 Buc lead to turn the tide in their favor for good.
Lee's close-range jumper from Carr at 12:05 was quickly followed by a steal and layup combo from Carr, before Carr flipped a pass to Anderson in the lane for two more at 9:15 for a 17-9 lead.
Carr then swiped another steal, took it the other direction and was fouled at 8:57. On the other end of a Rebel timeout, he sank the free throw for the traditional 3-point play and 20-9 Buc edge.
The Rebels cut their deficit to six points via a Riley Swearingen steal and layup at 8:30 and a Taylor Ovrebo trey at 7:10, before the Bucs embarked upon a 13-0 run.
Garrett Anderson converted underneath at 6:15, Carr added another layup off a steal at 5:55 and Anderson hit again at 5:15, forcing another USC timeout, trailing by 28-16.
Brady Anderson's 3-pointer was followed by buckets from Garrett Anderson and Carr for a 35-16 lead at 1:30 and the Bucs led 39-18 at the break.
The Rebels were unable to get any closer than 14 in the second half.
Garrett Anderson scored 18 points and grabbed seven caroms, while Brady Anderson scored 12 to complement three rebounds. Lee added eight points, seven rebounds and seven assists.
Section 3AA Playoffs
Pipestone Area 59, Martin County West 58 - Eric Stark sank the front end of a two-shot foul situation with 2.3 seconds remaining in regulation to propel the No. 3-seeded Arrows to a one-point sub-section semifinal victory over the No. 2-seeded Mavericks on Thursday night in Luverne.
Pipestone Area (11-12) advances to face No. 1-seeded Windom Area (17-7) for the Section 3AA, South Sub-Section championship at 12:30 p.m. Saturday at Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall.
Martin County West ended its season with a 19-7 record.
The Arrows utilized the 3-point shooting prowess of Tate VanRoekel and Shandon Jones to overcome an 11-point deficit with seven minutes remaining in the second half.
VanRoekel, who finished with a game-best 20 points, connected on three of his four trifectas down the stretch, while Jones also made three of his four treys during the second half to help pace his 16-point performance.
Jason Nettik supplied nine points behind three 3s for Pipestone Area, which made 11 of 30 from behind the 3-point arc - including five during its final 19-7 run.
Conner Grupe connected on three 3-pointers to help pace his 18-point performance to top the Mavericks' balanced scoring effort.
Mitchell Olson produced 16 points, Steven Zehms tallied 12 points, while Austin Krumwiede scored eight points for MCW.
The Mavericks scorched the nets on 23 of 32 field goals for an incredible 72 percent, including 6 of 8 from behind the arc.
Pipestone 31-28-59
MCW 31-27-58
