UP & UNDER — Blue Earth Area guard Austin Thielfoldt (right) works his way up and under Maple River’s Teien Murphy (23) for two points during their Section 2AA, South Sub-Section basketball semifinal Saturday in Blue Earth. (Photo by Greg Abel)

BLUE EARTH — Braden Gudahl topped a balanced scoring attack to help propel the No. 2-seeded Blue Earth Area Bucs to a 63-59 victory over the No. 3-seeded Maple River Eagles during Saturday night’s Section 2AA, South Sub-Section basketball semifinals in Blue Earth.

Gudahl generated a team-best 15 points, including a pair of 3-pointers, and doled out three assists for Blue Earth Area, which handed Maple River (18-2) its only losses of the season. The Bucs downed the Eagles, 75-66, on Feb. 2.

Blue Earth Area (15-4) advances to face No. 1-seeded Waseca (18-1) in a 7 p.m. South Sub-Section championship game Wednesday night in Waseca. The Bluejays flattened Kenyon-Wanamingo, 101-58, in Saturday’s other semifinal.

Austin Thielfoldt scored 12 points and doled out a team-best five assists for Blue Earth Area, which rallied from a 27-25 halftime deficit.

Gavin Storbeck hit two 3s to highlight an 11-point effort to complement grabbing a team-high seven boards and dishing out four assists for the Bucs.

Cameron Anderson tossed in 10 points, Ashton Lloyd drained three 3s en route to nine points to go with five rebounds and three assists, while Sam Keister chipped in six points.

The Bucs made 22 of 54 field goals overall, including 11 of 19 from 3-point range.

Teien Murphy scorched the nets for six 3-pointers to pace his 20-point performance to go with a game-best nine rebounds to top the Eagles.

Mason Schirmer also neared double-double territory by netting 11 points and dishing out nine assists for Maple River, while Will Sellers chipped in 11 points.

The Eagles sank 21 of 43 field goals, including 7 of 13 behind the arc, and 14 of 18 free throws.

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Section 3AA

Pipestone Area 64, Fairmont 57 — Dawson Kellen produced a game-best 23 points to power the No. 2-seeded Arrows to a seven-point triumph over the No. 3-seeded Cardinals during Saturday night’s Section 3AA, South Sub-Section semifinals in Pipestone.

Pipestone Area (10-10) advances to play host to No. 4-seeded Windom Area in the South Sub-Section finals at 7 p.m. Tuesday night in Pipestone. Windom Area upended No. 1-seeded Luverne, 63-56, in the sub-section’s other semifinal.

Jacob Crissinger blistered the nets for a game-leading six 3-pointers en route to scoring a team-best 20 points for Fairmont, which ended its season with a 7-11 overall record.

Zach Jorgensen delivered 15 points and garnered six rebounds for the Cardinals, Levi Pooley chipped in eight points and dished out three assists, while Gavin Junkermeier added eight points.

David Maakestad grabbed six rebounds and doled out three assists for Fairmont, which made 23 of 57 field goals — including 9 of 31 from 3-point range.

Connor Zephier connected for three 3-pointers en route to a 14-point performance for Pipestone Area, while teammate Aaron Lingen chipped in seven points.

The Arrows, which trailed 33-31 at intermission, outscored the Cardinals by a 33-24 margin in the final 18 minutes.

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Section 2A

St. Clair 51, Martin County West 44 — The Mavericks trailed 43-42 late in regulation only to watch the Cyclones go on an 8-2 run to close out the seven-point Section 2A, South Sub-Section semifinal Saturday night in St. Clair.

No. 1-seeded St. Clair (13-2) plays host to No. 7-seeded Waterville-Elysian-Morristown at 7 p.m. Wednesday night for the South Sub-Section crown in St. Clair.

Connor Andree topped the Cyclones’ balanced scoring attack with 10 points, while teammate Devin Embacher chipped in nine points.

Mitch Weber tossed in 14 points to top the Mavericks’ effort, while Zach Anderson delivered 12 points and pulled down seven boards.

Tanner Sinn generated a double-double performance of 10 points and 10 rebounds for MCW, which ended its season with an 11-9 record.

Cash Owens grabbed seven rebounds and pocketed three steals for the Mavericks, which made 11 of 37 shots from 2-point range, 5 of 19 behind the 3-point arc and 7 of 9 at the line.

The Cyclones built a 22-17 halftime lead over the Mavericks before staving them off during the final minutes of regulation.