GIRLS BASKETBALL: Bemidji leads from start to finish in 65-30 win over Brainerd

BEMIDJI – The Bemidji girls basketball team led from start to finish in its 60-35 win over Brainerd Tuesday at the Bemidji High School gymnasium.

Baskets from Jess Yost and Greta Steever put the Lumberjacks ahead 18-9 with 10:20 left in the first half.

Yost posted a double-double with 14 points and 15 rebounds. Her greatest contribution, however, may have been her outlet passes.

“She sees the floor so well,” Bemidji head coach Rick Kehoe said. “She is strong enough to make those passes and that is a huge bonus. She does not just get them the ball, either. She hits them right in stride every time. Those 8-10 points off of her outlet passes were a huge bonus.”

Alexa Greendahl’s six consecutive points fueled an 8-0 Bemidji run to build its first double-digit lead at 26-15 with just over four minutes remaining in the first half.

Greendahl finished with ten points on the night.

A pair of three-pointers from Dani Gronhovd sparked another 8-0 run in the final two minutes of the half to give the Lumberjacks a 34-17 halftime lead.

Gronhovd finished with 11 points.

Bemidji out-scored Brainerd 16-2 in the final six minutes of the first half.

“That was a huge run,” Kehoe said. “They were hanging with us and I really wanted to get some separation before halftime. It all started on the defensive end, we kept getting stops. After we hit those threes, we really started to build momentum.”

A basket from Steever gave the Lumberjacks its largest lead of the game at 54-26 with 5:30 left to play.

Steever finished with seven points and six rebounds.

In all, nine Lumberjacks scored and four finished in double figures. Jessa Lusby was the fourth in double figures with ten points.

“I love it when we have four kids in double figures,” Kehoe said. “It makes everything easier. If teams are going to try to take Jess away, we need others to step up and score. Tonight they had to worry about everyone and not just one player and that made everything so much easier.”

Maria West, of Brainerd, led all scorers with 16 points.

Bemidji (6-14) has won its last two games and hopes to continue its success when it plays at 6:00 Saturday in Alexandria.

Brainerd (35) – West 16, Johnson 9, Johnshoy 4, Huber 3, Southard 3. Total 35.

Bemidji (60) – Yost 14, Gronhovd 11, Lusby 10, Greendahl 10, Steever 7, Myhra 2, Fogarty 2, Palmer 2, Riley 2, Total 60.

Halftime: Bemidji 34 Brainerd 17