Remarkable comebck for Jacks

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.

Santa came late to the Bemidji girls basketball team Thursday night bringing a fantastic 10 minute rally at the game's end that pulled out a 61-57 victory.

Well beaten and given up for lost 26 minutes into play and trailing 52-34, the home team sprung into life and out scored the Patriots 27-5 down the stretch, nailing down the win on a pair of late free throws.

You had to see it to believe it. And even then you probably didn't.

For well into the second half, Bemidji turned in its poorest showing of the season.

After leading through the first 10 minutes, Bemidji saw Pequot take total charge, stopping the home team with a tight 2-3 zone and shooting the eyes out of the bucket.

At the start, Bemidji was able to work the ball inside to Brianna Pfremmer who it five time from close range to stake Bemidji to a 20-14 lead.

But it was never able to get up a full head of steam, coughing the ball up frequently and allowing the Patriots to match it bucket for bucket over a five minute stretch.

Down by six, Pequot ran the next six points to tie, two buckets coming off turnovers.

Bemidji braced and moved back ahead on Pfremmer's seventh bucket inside and Megan Larson's third in the lane.

But it was to score only once again until halftime and Pequot rolled in 16 on two eight point runs, ending with two treys by Mindy Howard to take a 36-26 lead to the locker room.

Pfremmer had 14 and Larson six for Bemidji. Howard had 14 and Robin Soukup 10 for the Pats.

More of the same

Pequot kept up the pressure to start the second half as Bemidji went into a zone then back to a man to man with little effect.

A 16-8 run to start the half upped the margin to 52-34 and it seemed only a question of how high the margin would mount.

But suddenly the shots stopped falling as Bemidji's defense tightened.

And little by little, it began unleashed one of its biggest comebacks in years.

Ashley Hirt struck from the right baseline to open a six point run.

Howard broke this spell with a basket.

Back came Bemidji to score 19 straight points, led by Larson, Pfremmer and Lexi Gauwitz, taking the lead 55-54 on Pfremmer's lay up and adding a pair of Gauwitz free throws and another Pfremmer lay up.

That upped the margin to 59-54 with less than a minute to play.

Do not relax.

Howard drilled a trey to cut the margin to two. But a pair of turnovers and single free throws by Gauwitz and Meg Claypool established the final margin.

Pfremmer ended with 20, her first time to reach that total in seven games.

Larson added 16, a figure topped only by her 27 in the Duluth Central win. Gauwitz had 10.

Howard took game honors with 21 before fouling out in the last minute. Soukup added 12.

Each team used only eight players with 15 of the 16 scoring.

Bemidji held a strong 41-24 lead off the boards with Pfremmer grabbing 15. Howard's eight led the losers.

Bemidji had 20 turnovers but only six after the half, Pequot had only 10.

Bemidji snapped a five-game skid and raised its record to 7-11. Pequot dropped to 9-10.

"I've never seen a game like that in my life:" said coach Rick Kehoe. "For 26 minutes we could do nothing right. And for the last 10 we could do nothing wrong.

"But we needed a win badly and maybe we can build off that performance and get back to winning again down the stretch."

Sweep openers

Bemidji swept the openers. The B Team reached 9-9 with a convincing 48-34 victory playing perhaps its best game of the winter.

It took a 24-15 halftime lead and never surrendered it.

Kylie Detschman led the way with 16 while Ali Hougen hit 10. Kirsten Noska had 12 to lead Pequot.

The Flying Freshmen are now 12-0 after a 68-10 romp, leading 45-1 at the half.

Kayla Hirt hit 20 and Kelsey Heisler 11 to lead eight players in the scoring column.

All three teams face Sartell tomorrow, the girls varsity at 1.

Among the celebrities present was Steve Heslop, long time Pequot Coach and volleyball official who is now broadcasting the Pequot Lakes games on radio.

Heslop grew up in the 1500 block of Minnesota avenue just west of the old high school.

BEMIDJI (61) Judkins 1 0-2 2 2; Erickson 2 0-0 1 4; Pfremmer 10 0-1 2 23; Gauwitz 2 6-7 3 10; Claypool 1 1-2 0 3; Larson 7 2-3 0 16; Nelson 0 0-0 0 0; Hirt 3 0-0 2 6;Totals: 26 9-15 10 61

PEQUOT LAKES (57) Howard 8 2-2 5 21; Soukup 5 2-2 1 2 12; Engen 3 0-0 2 6; Finn 2 0-0 3 4; Lenz 1 2-2 3 4; Thorson 2 0-0 3 4; E. Lueck 2 2-3 1 6;Totals: 23 8-9 18 57

Halftime score: Pequot Lakes 36, Bemidji 26

Three point field goals; Pequot 3-Howard 3; Bemidji none

Rebounds; Bemidji 41, Pequot Lakes 24

Turnovers Bemidji 20., Pequot Lakes 10

Officials: Phil Hanson and Bob Meyers'

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B Team Game

BEMIDJI (48) Hougen 5 0-2 2 10; Hirt 3 0-0 1 6; Molnar 2 1-3 1 5; Christensen 1 0-0 2 2; Detschman 4 4-7 4 13; Treat 2 0-2 0 5; McDonald 2 2-2 4 6; Chmielewski 0 1-2 2 1; Christiansen 0 0-0 1 0; Warren 0 0-0 0 0; Totals: 19 8-18 17 48

PEQUOT LAKES (34) Thomas 1 2-4 2 4; Walton 1 0-0 3 2; Noska 4 4-8 3 12; Beltz 1 2-2 1 4; Thorson 1 0-2 2 3; Pitan 0 0-0 0 0; M. Lueck 2 0-0 2 5; E. Lueck 1 1-2 1 4; Totals: 11 9-18 14 34

Halftime score: Bemidji 24, Pequot Lakes 15

Rebounds: Bemidji 42, Pequot Lakes 38

Turnovers: Bemidji 15,Pequot Lakes 18

Officials: Bob Meyers and Phil Hanson

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C Team Game

BEMIDJI (68) HIrt 20, Heisler 11, Verchota 11, Gilbertson 8, Gangelhoff 7, Huseby 5, Hendricks 4, Weimann 2, Johnson, Zastrow, Julin, Myers 0; Totals: 32 4-9 12 68

PEQUOT LAKES (10) Schmidt 5, Harmdiecks 2, ZImmerman 2, Villella 1, Pau, Larson 0; Totals:3 4-12 5 10

Halftime score: Bemidji 45, Pequot Lakes 1