The Bemidji High girls basketball team overcame a slow start Thursday to pull out a hard fought 74-69 victory at Moorhead.
It lifted Rick Kehoe's five to 18-1 entering their key meeting Saturday with Alexandria, a game that matches the third and fourth rated teams in the state Class 3A rankings.
Moorhead dropped to 7-9.
The Spuds, who have been hot and cold all year, gave Bemidji all it wanted until the closing moments.
Bemidji came out cold, trailing 17-6 at the start and was behind 31-13 late in the half before catching fire to narrow the gap to 35-29 at the intermission.
ADVERTISEMENT
Kehoe's fireside chat at the break bore instant results as Bemidji came out to outscore the Spuds 45-35 in the second half.
Kayla Hirt again led the way , netting 29 points, nine under the 38 she reach3d in the first game here.
But she had ample support with Kelsey Heisler adding 14 and Kenzie Kane 12 with three others combining for 19 more.
Miki Stephenson was her usual self for the Spuds, hitting steadily inside on short jumpers and turn arounds for 26. Alison Bruggeman added 16 but no one else reached double figures.
"We simply made no shots or grabbed any rebounds the first 10 minutes." said Kehoe. "But after we got untracked we out played them the rest of the way."
Bemidji finally went ahead in the last three minutes, saw Moorhead come back to tie, then pulled away at the end.
Bemidji hit 27 field goals but without a single trey. Moorhead had 25 with five from behind the arc.
Bemidji held an unaccustomed 20-14 lead from the free throw line committing only 16 fouls.
ADVERTISEMENT
Hirt's total lifted her to 519 on the year. She will match her talents with Alexandria's 2,000 point scorer Angela Christianson Saturday. Christianson will play at Drake next season.
Moorhead held Bemidji to 10 points in the first half to win the B Team game 46-33. Ten Spuds scored, none reaching double figures. Caitlin Hadrava paced the losers with nine.
There was no freshman game. There will be none Saturday.
BEMIDJI (74) Heisler 6 2-2 1 14; Hirt 11 7-11 2 29; Hendricks 0 0-0 3 9; Weimann 3 2-2 2 8; Huseby 2 3-3 4 7; Yost 2 0-0 1 4; Kane 3 6-7 2 12; Gilbertson 0 0-0 0 0; Gangelhoff 0 0-0 1 0; Totals: 27 20-30 10 6 74
MOORHEAD (69) Bruggeman 6 4-6 4 16; Stephenson 11 4-5 5 26; Kassenborg 2 5-6 2 9; Johnson 0 0-0 4 0; Enns 1 1-2 3 4; Gulsvig 3 0-0 2 8; Henrickson 2 0-0 2 6; Totals: 25 14-19 19 69
Three point field goals: Moorhead 5 (Gulsvig 2, Henrickson 2, Enns); Bemidji-none
Halftime; Moorhead 35. Bemidji 29
- - - - -
ADVERTISEMENT
BEMIDJI B (33) Hadrava 9, Mulhouse 6, Sagedahl 6, Monsrud 4, Erpelding 2, Treat4 2, Gronhovd 2, Long 2, Muller 0, Williams 0
MOORHEAD JV (46) Penas 9, Rosenfeldt 8. Tonn 8, Groth 6, Henrickson 5, Ginther 3, Gulsvig 3, Driscoll 2, Randklev 2
Halftime score; Moorhead 20.,Bemidji 10
