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  • Cole Minks of Maple River shoots while Blue Earth Area’s Nate Carr looks on during Monday’s Section 2AA boy’s basketball semifinal game at Bresnan Arena. John Cross

    Maple River BEA hoops 3/16

March 16, 2010

BEA uses superior inside game to top Maple River

Bucs to play Jordan in Section 2AA finals

Tyler Buckentine Free Press Staff Writer

ST PETER — Maple River had the speed and quickness and Blue Earth Area had a clear height advantage.

Size won Monday night at Bresnan Arena.

The Bucs used their superior inside game to outlast Maple River 71-62 in the Section 2AA, South Subsection boys basketball final at Minnesota State.

Blue Earth advances to play Jordan, the north subsection champ, at 8 p.m. Friday at Bresnan Arena for the chance to go to the Class AA state tournament.

“We toughed it out against a very quick and skilled team,” said BEA coach Gary Holmseth. “They had exceptional quickness. We’re good when we get the ball inside. That’s what got us here.”

The Bucs outsized the Eagles at almost every position with players like Garrett Anderson (6-feet-5) and Nick Lee (6-4). With the exception of Alex Maslakow (6-6), Maple River couldn’t match up in height.

“They were able to get a lot more layups and easy baskets inside than we ever could,” said Eagles coach Chad Ostermann. “Absolutely, size won tonight.”

BEA was also taller at the guard position with Nate Carr, a 6-1, senior running the point. He finished with 28 points — 18 of them in the second half — and five steals.

“We like to get it down to our two big posts and they always look for us guards cutting in,” Carr said. “Our guards are all six feet and with the height advantage I think we’re a little bit stronger, too, so we can really pound it inside.”

Lee hit a 3-pointer 1:40 into the game and, from that point on, the Bucs never allowed Maple River to tie or take the lead. BEA went on a 12-3 run that covered six minutes and built a 35-25 halftime lead.

“We tried to speed up the game and wear them out but we couldn’t get them to turn the ball over,” Ostermann said. Cole Minks led the Eagles with 14 points and Jordan Drager scored 12 with 14 rebounds.

The teams traded buckets for the first eight minutes of the second half before the Eagles used runs of 9-2 and 6-2 to cut the Bucs lead to three with 8:20 left. That’s when Carr took the reins of the BEA offense.

“When we need a spurt (Carr) crashes so well to the ball,” Holmseth said. “Give our guys credit for getting the ball to him.”

Carr scored eight straight points — three drives to the basket and a pair of free throws — in a 1:30 span to kick the Bucs lead back up to nine. The Eagles cut the lead to four on two shots, including a 3 by Minks, but Carr was there again to keep Maple River from getting any closer.

“(Maple River) is really quick and they were getting the dribble penetration all night,” Carr said. “Once we stopped their guards we were able to distance ourselves.”

The Bucs went 18 for 25 from the line and Carr knocked down eight of his 10 free-throw attempts. Anderson scored 16 points with 11 rebounds and Riley Holmseth added 15 points.

“We know Jordan has guys that can shoot so we have a tough task ahead of us,” Carr said. The Hubmen beat BEA 65-62 on Jan. 5 in Blue Earth when Jordan was ranked eighth.

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