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Bucs slip away from Knights, 48-42

BLUE EARTH — The Blue Earth Area Bucs girls basketball team used a six-point lead in the first half to escape the Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial Knights, 48-42, during nonconference action on Monday night.

“I’m happy we figured out a way to make that happen,” Bucs head coach Al Cue after the win. “I’m really disappointed in our energy and our lack of hustle. We didn’t play with any emotion, any spirit.”

Eighth grade forward Lakesha Carter scored the first four points for the Knights, who got up early on the Bucs. Bucs sophomore forward Caitlin Rorman laid in a quick bucket to tie the game, 11-11.

Knights sophomore guard Kaitlin Ewy got off a shot to retake the two-point lead before the Bucs ran away with six unanswered points. Bucs junior center Lindsey Norman made one of her free throws and senior forward Sofie Blair completed a 3-point play with 5:45 remaining in the half.

Lindsey Norman added a putback to further increase the team’s lead. Senior guard Samantha Barslou turned junior guard Alissa Norman’s steal  into points for the 19-13 Bucs lead.

Knights junior guard Lilly Snow stopped the team’s run with a much-needed basket.

Bucs junior forward Reegan Howard used her steal to get the Bucs to a 25-17 lead with 27 seconds left in the frame.

Carter fed junior center Kierra Wilson in the paint for a quick two, but the Bucs maintained the six-point lead to end the half.

“I think the way we finished the half was good,” Cue said.

But Carter and Wilson combined for nine points in the first five minutes of the final half to get the Knights within four. Carter then completed the outlet pass to senior forward Amanda Sickler for the open 3-pointer.

Wilson used five points points to get back the lead.

Bucs junior forward Grace Mensing netted a midrange jumper to end the team’s nearly six-minute scoring drought. Howard stripped the ball away from the Knights for a fastbreak bucket for the Bucs’ first lead since the 10:53 mark of the half.

Rorman connected with Barslou for a trey, and Barslou made both of her free throw shots with 2:43 left in the game for a 47-41 advantage.

The teams were evenly matched in the second half, scoring 23 points apiece, but the Bucs were able to come out on top.

“I give them (Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memoria) a lot credit. They did what they needed to do to beat us,” Cue said. “Luckily, they missed a few when they had been hitting and we finally made a few.”

Wilson led the Knights with a double-double’s effort of 17 points and 10 rebounds, while Carter recorded 11 points and four rebounds in addition to four steals and three assists. As a team, the Knights outrebounded the Bucs, 41-29.

Barslou topped the Bucs’ scoring with 13 points to complement four rebounds, and Rorman finished with eight points and five rebounds. Howard came off the bench to chip in eight points on 4-for-5 shooting with three rebounds and three steals.

“We’re going to have to crank up the intensity at practice because that’s what we need, or it won’t be pretty in Fairmont,” Cue said.

Blue Earth Area (2-1) plays at Fairmont at 6 p.m. Friday.

LCWM  19-23–42

BEA       25-23–48

BLUE EARTH AREA (48)

Samantha Barslou 3-10 5-6 13, Caitlin Rorman 3-9 2-2 8, Reegan Howard 4-5 0-1 8, Lindsey Norman 3-10 1-4 7, Grace Mensing 2-3 0-0 4, Sofie Blair 1-2 1-1 3, Alissa Norman 1-2 0-1 2, Samantha Ripley 1-2 0-0 2, Ryanne Klabunde 0-4 1-2 1, Hannah Johnson 0-1 0-0 0, Sidney Blair 0-0 0-0 0, Brittany Johnson 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 18-48 10-19 48.

LAKE CRYSTAL-WELLCOME MEMORIAL (42)

Kierra Wilson 7-12 3-8 17, Lakesha Carter 5-15 1-3 11, Paige Sittig 1-1 0-1 3, Amanda Sickler 1-2 0-0 3, Kaitlyn Brown 1-10 0-0 2, Reese Goeringer 1-7 0-0 2, Kaitlin Ewy 1-2 0-0 2, Lilly Snow 1-5 0-0 2. Totals 18-54 4-14 42.

3-pointers: Blue Earth Area 2-15 (Barslou 2-9, Rorman 0-4, Howard 0-1, H. Johnson 0-1); Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial 2-19 (Sittig 1-1, Sickler 1-2, Brown 0-8, Goeringer 0-5, Carter 0-2, Snow 0-1). Fouled out: None. Rebounds: Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial 41 (Brown 11, Wison 10, Sittig 7); Blue Earth Area 29 (Rorman and A. Norman 5 each). Steals: Blue Earth Area 8 (Howard 3); Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial 5 (Carter 4). Assists: Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial 6 (Carter 3); Blue Earth Area 3.

Granada-Huntley-East Chain/Truman/Martin Luther 59, Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton 16 — Macy Quinn and Alexis Brummond combined for 22 points equally in the Jaguars’ dominant win over the Bulldogs during Valley Conference action on Monday night in Truman.

Brummond also pocketed four steals for a Jaguars’ defense that limited the Bulldogs to seven points in the first half. Kenlie Pytleski contributed nine points and five rebounds, while Hanna Geistfeld ended the game with six points, 11 rebunds, three steals and three assists.

The Jaguars connected on 4 of 11 shots from 3-point range, 19 of 29 baskets from 2-point range and made 9 of 16 at the free throw line.

Granada-Huntley-East Chain/Truman/Martin Luther (3-1) plays at Blue Earth Area next Tuesday in Blue Earth.

JWP                7-  9–16

GHECTML  38-21–59

BOYS BASKETBALL

Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial 44, Blue Earth Area 38 — Blaid Friedrichs proved to be the Knights’ go-to scorer, finishing with 25 points in the six-point win during nonleague play on Monday night in Lake Crystal.

The two teams were tied at halftime, but the Knights engineered a 30-point half to close out the game.

Cole Merrill added six points while Jake Ebargary had five for the Knights.

Jacob Vaske led the Bucs with 13 points. Collin Bell and Caelan Sanders chipped in six apiece, and Chris Sanders and Blake Barnett each recorded five points.

Blue Earth Area (1-1) plays at Fairmont at 7:30 p.m. Friday.

BEA      14-24–38

LCWM 14-30–44

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