BEMIDJI - Both Bemidji and Crookston started slow during Friday night at BHS’s Lake-N Woods Invitational.
Neither team managed to make a field goal until more than three minutes had passed. And it took Crookston even longer - almost nine minutes - to sink a basket from the field.
That was only the start of what turned out to be a wild game at the BHS gymnasium.
The Lumberjacks eventually earned a 67-58 victory, but not before allowing the Pirates to come back twice to make it into a game that at various points seemed over.
Although both teams struggled to make shots at the start of the game, Bemidji (2-1) found its scoring touch early, shooting out to a 12-4 lead through the first nine minutes.
Crookston (0-2) didn’t manage a field goal until 10 minutes into action, but although BHS led by as many as 12, the Pirates went on an 11-2 run and took some momentum into halftime when Nick Garmen’s buzzer-beating three made it a 26-22 BHS lead at the half.
In the second half, Crookston wasted little time scoring a field goal, cutting Bemidji’s lead to 26-24 after winning the opening tip.
From there, the teams exchanged baskets, but the Lumberjacks got out to what seemed like a comfortable lead when Cayden Rolfes and Charlie Peterson drained back-to-back 3-pointers followed by Jens Huseby’s layup to make it 38-29.
BHS led by 10 points with less than five minutes to go, but the Pirates chipped away, eventually cutting the lead to 59-52 when Patrick Deng hit a circus-shot 3-pointer with 1:30 left.
However, some clutch free-throw shooting by Linaes Whting - who went 6-for-6 for BHS down the stretch - helped the Lumberjacks ice the game.
Whiting led BHS with 14 points, including 10 in the second half. Rolfes added 10 for BHS, who were very balanced and saw 10 different players register in the scoring column.
Josh Cervenka grabbed 10 rebounds and Peterson and Whiting had five assists each.
Jeremy Beberg, who had eight points, also had nine rebounds and two blocks.
Deng and Garmen each scored 13 points to lead Crookston.
The Lumberjacks take on St. Cloud Cathedral in this afternoon’s 2 p.m. tournament finale. Cathedral lost to Grand Rapids 57-52 earlier Friday night.
