MOORHEAD -- A high-flying first half didn’t carry over for the Bemidji High School girls basketball team in a 61-45 loss at Moorhead on Thursday night.
In their regular season finale, the Lumberjacks (15-10) started strong against the Spuds’ 2-3 zone defense, but things changed in a hurry when Moorhead switched to man-to-man after halftime.
Against the zone, Katie Alto drained a 3-pointer to start an early 9-0 run, which Mackenzie Nicklason finished with a putback for a 15-11 lead.
Jackie Johnson later sparked a 13-2 run with a pair of threes, and Alto put BHS ahead 28-20 with a triple late in the half.
Bemidji carried a 32-29 lead into the break through its seven first-half 3-pointers, but once Moorhead (13-13) changed its defense for the second half, the Jacks suffered a major offensive drop off.
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BHS didn’t score from the perimeter in the final 18 minutes, which allowed the Spuds to storm away with a 32-13 advantage to the finish. Moorhead took over with a 13-2 run in the middle of the half, sending them well on their way to the 61-45 win.
Alto finished with 10 points -- nine in the first half -- to lead the Lumberjacks, while Rylie Polomny topped all scorers with 13 for the Spuds.
Bemidji will be the No. 3 seed in the Section 8-3A Tournament once seedings become official on Saturday, Feb. 23. The Jacks will host a section quarterfinal matchup on Tuesday, Feb. 26, at the BHS Gymnasium.
Moorhead 61, Bemidji 45
BHS 32 13 -- 45
MHS 29 32 -- 61
BEMIDJI (15-10) -- Alto 10, L. Hildenbrand 8, R. Jones 8, Johnson 6, Nicklason 6, R. Flatness 5, K. Hildenbrand 2.
MOORHEAD (13-13) -- Polomny 13, Hulst 11, Zimmerman 11, Blythe 8, Carney 8, Dumas 8, Haugo 2.
