WILLMAR _ The Bemidji Lumberjacks used 23 points from versatile Kayla Hirt to squeeze by Willmar in a see-saw battle 70-64 in a non-conference girls basketball match-up of top 10 teams on Saturday afternoon.
It was the first loss for the Cardinals (10-1), ranked No. 4 in Class AAA. Bemidji, No. 6 in AAA, improved to 9-1. The Jacks' lone loss was to AAAA Eden Prairie.
Hirt, a junior forward who has made a verbal commitment to the Gophers, stepped outside in the last five minutes to hit a pair of three-pointers that helped the Lumberjacks overtake the Cardinals, who had led 56-52 with seven minutes left.
Kayli Gimse paced the Cardinals with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Jena Thompson added 12 points.
