BOYS BASKETBALL: Brainerd ends Bemidji's season with 83-48 section victory

BRAINERD – Bemidji took a very early lead against Brainerd in their Section 8-4A first-round playoff game here Wednesday night. The Lumberjacks managed to go up 4-3 early thanks to poor shooting from both sides.

But that lead was all too brief.

Brainerd found its footing in a big way, defeating Bemidji 83-48 and ending the Lumberjacks’ season in the first round.

After that initial 4-3 lead fueled by buckets from Jeremiah Huseby, Bemidji couldn’t keep it up.

Brainerd went on a 15-0 run over the next eight minutes to take a 19-4 lead.

Although Richard Seado’s four-point play – a 3-pointer and a foul – with 10:56 to go in the half helped cut Brainerd’s lead back to 11, the Warriors kept humming.

After Seado’s 3, Brainerd went on another mini-run, taking a 28-14 lead with nine minutes to go then extending that lead to 50-21 with a big outburst in the final six minutes of the first half.

In the second half, Bemidji cut into Brainerd’s lead with a 10-2 run in the first two minutes of half, making it 52-31.

But Brainerd put it out of reach quickly and the clock started running with the Warriors up 70-35 late.

Seado led all scorers with 26 points for Bemidji, while Huseby was the only other Lumberjack near double figures with 12. Aside from them, only three other BHS players scored.

Brainerd was lead by a balanced assortment of Chris Bowman (15 points), Jagar Hanson (14 points) and Markus Comstock (12 points). In all, 10 different players scored for Brainerd.

The top-seeded Warriors, now 26-1, advance to the Section 8-4A semifinals, where they’ll take on fourth-seeded Buffalo at 6 p.m. Saturday at St. Cloud State.

The Lumberjacks, meanwhile, end their season with a final record of 2-24.

Bemidji (48) – McNallan 1 0-0 2, Ingalls 0 1-2 1, Seado 9 4-5 26, Bruns 2 3-5 7, Huseby 6 0-2 12. Totals 18 7-16 48.

Brainerd (83) Smith 0 1-2 1, Tony Sauer 4 0-0 9, Jack Sauer 5 0-0 11, Davis 1 0-0 2, Reuer 1 0-0 2, Bowman 1 0-0 2, Blong 2 2-2 6, Comstock 4 4-6 12, Haug 4 0-0 9, Bowman 6 3-5 15, Hanson 6 1-1 14. Totals 34 11-16 83.

3-point goals – Bemidji 3-25 (12 percent); Brainerd 4-23 (17 percent).

Team Fouls – Bemidji 17, Brainerd 13.

Halftime Score – Brainerd 50, Bemidji 21