MINNEAPOLIS - It took a few minutes but the Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa boys basketball team soon had its game against Park Christian under control. And then in the bag.
The Jaguars, Class A’s top-ranked team, ended the first half on a tear and cruised easily through the second half to defeat the Falcons 85-50 and advance to the Class A state semifinals on Thursday at Williams Arena.
BBE improved to 29-1 and will face Fond du Lac Ojibwe at noon today at Target Center.
On Thursday, Park Christian, a first-time state entrant, played with the Jaguars through the first six minutes and held an 11-10 lead with 12:24 left in the half.
BBE outscored the Falcons 37-8 the rest of the first half.
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“We came out a little tight,” said BBE coach Dave Montbriand. “But once we got comfortable out there, we started getting some turnovers and playing our game.”
The Jaguars forced 23 turnovers and finished with 17 steals. Jaguars’ guard Brian Goodwin attributed much of their success to familiarity with the surroundings. BBE has played in the state tournament three of the last four years, winning the 2012 championship and placing second in 2011.
“We’ve played here twice before so we feel like we have experience,” said Goodwin, who hit 17 of 27 shots and scored 35 points. He also had 6 rebounds and 5 steals.
“We kind of got into our thing,” he said. “We locked down on defense and we started to hit some shots.”
The fact that Park Christian was new to the whole state tournament thing might have factored into the final, Montbriand said.
“Our guys really didn’t give them any open looks,” he said. “We didn’t give them a chance to get hot. I was hoping they’d be a little tight and I don’t think they’ve seen a team with length and speed like ours.”
James Kuefler finished with 13 points, 5 boards and 4 steals and Billy Borgerding had 12 points and 5 rebounds.
The Jaguars limited the Falcons to just 38 percent shooting in the pivotal first half, and BBE outrebounded them 37-19. Park managed just seven 3-point attempts.
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“We feel like we have five defensive stoppers, five guys who would be the best defensive player on a lot of teams,” Montbriand said. “It makes it really easy to coach when you have five aggressive, quick guys who understand how important defense is.”
BBE 85, Park Christian 50
Park Christian (22-10) 18 32 - 50
BBE (29-1) 47 38 - 85
PARK CHRISTIAN – 21-45 FG (3-7 3-pt); 5-9 FT; 19 rebounds; 10 fouls … Shooting (fgm-fga ftm-fta points): Matt Moberg 7-14 1-2 15, Zach Kvalog 1-4 2-2 5, Jared Olsgaard 1-3 0-0 3, Duncan Hannestad 2-3 0-0 5, Hunter Nickel 6-13 2-4 14, Mark Schwandt 0-0 0-0 0, Noah Moberg 1-4 0-0 2, Liam Huseby 0-0 0-0 0, Jordan Kerr 0-1 0-0 0, Josiah Militzer 0-0 0-0 0, Seth Heinen 0-0 0-0 0, Austin Daugherty 3-3 0-1 6 … 3-point shots: Kvalog 1-3, Olsgaard 1-1, Hannestad 1-1, M. Moberg 0-1, Nickel 0-1 … Rebound leaders: M. Moberg 5, Olsgaard 5, Nickel 4 … Assist leaders: Olsgaard 6, Kvalog 3, Hannestad 3 … Steal leaders: M. Moberg 2, Kvalog 2 … Blocks: Nickel 7
BELGRADE-BROOTEN-ELROSA – 37-66 FG (6-14 3-pt); 5-7 FT; 37 rebounds; 14 fouls … Shooting (fgm-fga ftm-fta points): Tanner Heinsius 2-4 1-2 6, Trey Heinsius 1-6 2-2 5, Brian Goodwin 17-27 1-1 35, James Kuefler 6-11 1-2 13, Billy Borgerding 5-6 0-0 12, Jacob Tensen 0-0 0-0 0, Alex Carroll 0-0 0-0 0, David Rodgers 1-2 0-0 2, Austin Trustheim 2-2 0-0 4, Justin Schmitz 0-1 0-0 0, Jordan Wosmek 0-0 0-0 0, Brendon Loch 0-0 0-0 0, Alex Schumann 1-2 0-0 0, Dalon Bitzan 2-2 0-0 6, Nick Benton 0-3 0-0 0, Zach Walz 0-0 0-0 0 … 3-point shots: Borgerding 2-3, Bitzan 2-2, Ta. Heinsius 1-2, Tr. Heinsius 1-2, Goodwin 0-3, Rodgers 0-1, Schmitz 0-1 … Rebound leaders: Goodwin 6, Benton 6, Kuefler 5, Ta. Heinsius 3, Tr. Heinsius 3 … Assist leaders: Tr. Heinsius 4, Ta. Heinsius 3, Goodwin 3, Kuefler 3, Schumann 2 … Steal leaders: Goodwin 5, Kuefler 4, Tr. Heinsius 3, Ta. Heinsius 2 … Blocks: Borgerding 2
