BRAINERD TOOK ON CHASKA IN A CLASS 5A STATE SEMIFINAL FOOTBALL GAME

Brainerd and Chaska went up against each other in the Class 5A state semifinal football game.

 

Chaska kicked off to Brainerd to start the game. Cole Smith ran the kickoff 79 yards for a touchdown. Logan McElfresh’s extra point attempt was good.

 

Chaska got the ball after the touchdown. Chaska got into the endzone as Justin Arnold passed to

 

Matthew Witthus for a 24-yard touchdown reception. Brandon Thies’ extra point attempt was good.

 

With 9:20 left in the first quarter the score was tied at 7.

 

Brainerd looked to move the ball down the field and get into the endzone. They did just that as Matt

 

Hill connected with Thomas Stoxen on a 29-yard reception.  

 

The extra point attempt was good.

 

With 5:39 left in the first quarter the score was Brainerd 14, Chaska 7.

 

Chaska got the ball back after the touchdown. Chaska turned the ball over on downs.

 

Brainerd kept the ball on the ground. They were not able to get a first down and they had to punt on fourth-and-three.

 

Chaska kept the ball on the ground as they looked to get by the Brainerd defense. Chaska punted on fourth-and-five.

 

Brainerd was stopped in their tracks and they had to punt the ball back to Chaska.

 

After one quarter play the score was Brainerd 14, Chaska 7.

 

Chaska punted the ball on fourth-and-two.

 

Brainerd looked to get into the end zone but they were not able to move the ball and they had to turn it over on downs.

 

Chaska got the ball back on their own 38 yard line. Chaska used both the air attack and the ground attack throughout the first half. Chaska turned the ball over on downs.

 

Brainerd had difficulty moving the ball on the next series. They punted the ball on fourth-and-ten.

 

Chaska got the ball on their own 29 yard line. The Brainerd defense slowed up the Chaska offense.

 

Chaska punted the ball on fourth down, but there was a penalty that gave Chaska the ball back and a first down. Justin Arnold found Witthus for 35-yard reception for a first down. Kolby Seiffert found the endzone on a 10-yard run.

 

Theis’ extra kick point attempt was no good.

 

With 2:34 left in the second quarter the score was Brainerd 14, Chaska 13.

 

Brainerd was not able to move so they punted on fourth down.

 

At halftime the score was Brainerd 14, Chaska 13.

 

Brainerd kicked off to start the third quarter. There was no return on the play. Chaska got the ball on their own 21 yard line.  They were not able to get a first down and they had to punt the ball on fourth-and-five. There was no return.

 

Brainerd was not able to get a first down and on fourth-and-nine they punted the ball.

 

Chaska got the ball on their own 27 yard line. Seiffert ran for four yards to the Chaska 42 yard line. Justin Arnold found Conner Buesgens for a 58-yard touchdown connection.

 

Seifert’s two-point ruining attempt failed.

 

With 8:20 left in the third quarter the score was Chaska 19, Brainerd 14.

 

Brainerd got the ball back after the touchdown. Connor Gessell ran 41 yards for a touchdown. The two-point conversion was no good.

 

With 7:10 left in the third quarter the score was Brainerd 20, Chaska 19.

 

Chaska got the ball back after the touchdown. Chaska continued with short runs as they looked to keep the ball moving and get into the endzone. Justin Arnold came up with some nice runs that moved the ball and the chains down the field. The Brainerd defense held their down and was able to turn Chaska over on downs.

 

After three quarters of play the score was Brainerd 20, Chaska 19.

 

Brainerd looked to get the ball into the hands of Arnold Martin.

 

The ball went back and forth between these two teams throughout the fourth quarter.

 

Chaska looked to get into the endzone with just under 5:40 left in regulation. Chaska attempted a 31-yard field goal which was short.

 

Brainerd took over. They were not able to get a first down and they punted the ball on fourth-and-five. Chaska took over on their own 34 yard line.

 

Brainerd held on and was able to come away with the 20-19 victory over Chaska.

 

After the game I was able to talk to Brainerd players Cole Smith and Connor Gessell about the game.

 

I was also able to talk to the Brainerd head coach Ron Stolski.

BRAINERD TOOK ON APPLE VALLEY IN THE QUARTERFINALS OF THE 2013 MINNESOTA STATE HIGH SCHOOL STATE TOURNAMENT

Brainerd and Apple Valley high schools went up against each other in the class AAAA state quarterfinals of the 2013 Minnesota State High School League state tournament at the Target Center in downtown Minneapolis.

Apple Valley won the tip to start the game. It took each team while to get into the flow of the game.

Brainerd got off to a quick start. They were able to get everyone involved in the offense.

Apple Valley called a timeout with 15:23 left in the first half. The score was Brainerd 11 and Apple Valley 6.

Apple Valley countinued to push the ball down the floor and they wanted to get the ball into the hands of Tyus Robert Jones.

Jones was all over the floor. He was able to blow by his defenders. He was able to score from everywhere on the floor.

Chris Bowman was able to hit his shots in the first half. Apple Valley had a hard time slowing him down in the first half.

Brock Bertam was able to keep his team involved in the offense. He was able to keep his team in an offensive grove.

Apple Valley called a timeout with 7:38 left in the first half. The score was Brainerd 24 and Apple Valley 17.

Dennis Austin for Apple Valley stepped up and was able to knock down shots inside the three-point line.

Brainerd called a timeout with 4:25 left in the first half, the score was Brainerd 29 and Apple Valley 23.

The score was close throughout the first half. Neither team gave up any easy baskets. Each team was able to go on a mini run and the other team was able to stay close to them.

The score went back and forth throughout the first half of play.

At halftime the score was Brainerd 36 and Apple Valley 34. Jones scored 4 points in the first half.

In the first half Brainerd shot 13-26 from the field while Apple Valley shot 12-26 from the field.

Apple Valley started out hot in the second half.

Brainerd called a time out with 16:31 left in regulation. The score was Apple Valley 41 and Brainerd 36.

Apple Valley went on a little run to start the second half.

Brainerd looked to slow down the tempo in the second half. They didn't want Apple Valley to go on a run in the second half.

Apple Valley continued to attack the basket throughout the second half. Brainerd didn't back down however as they kept the game close.

The game was tied at 56 with 9:06 left in regulation.

There were many ties and lead changes late in the contest.

The game was very physical. Both teams got a little chippy late in the contest. They were many hard picks set late in the contest.

The Brainard offense went stagnate for over 4:00 in the second half.

Brainard called a timeout with 3:45 left in regulation. The score was Apple Valley 68 and Brainerd 59.

Apple Valley hung on and was able to come away with the 81-67 victory over Brainerd.

The leading scorers for Brainerd were Marcus Comstock with 17 points, and Chris Bowman with 12 points.

Apple Valley was lead in scoring by Jones and Dennis Austin with 19 points each.

Boys Basketball: Warriors bounce back with gritty victory

By Mike Bialka

 If there was any question about how Brainerd would respond after suffering its first loss of the season, the Warriors answered it Saturday afternoon against the Elk River Elks.

Following a 5-hour round trip bus ride in sub-zero temperatures Friday, the Warriors bounced back less than 20 hours later with a gritty 57-36 win in a Section 8-4A game at Brainerd High School.

Friday night, Moorhead snapped the Warriors’ 14-game season-opening win streak. Brainerd let an 18-point lead slip away and allowed the Spuds’ Aaron Lien to go off for a school-record 53 points.

“We really wanted to come out and show that we still had some talent and that we still are a good team,” said Warriors post Marcus Comstock, who scored 16 of his hard-fought, game-high 20 points in the second half.

The contest was far from fluid as it was disrupted by 38 fouls (26 on Elk River) and 59 turnovers (31 by the Elks).

“We knew they were going to be a physical team,” Comstock said. “We came out and we just played physical with them.”

Turnovers and fouls had to affect shooting percentages as Brainerd shot just 40 percent and the Elks 30 percent.

“Our kids were tired, no question we were tired. You could see it in the locker room, you could see it in our shootaround,” Warriors coach Scott Stanfield said. “We just talked about great teams, good teams, they just find a way. Even when you’re tired and sore and nicked up, you’ve got to find a way to play with energy, and they did. I can’t be happier with our kids.”

Stanfield was pleased with his team’s smothering, swarming defense. Brainerd’s occasional full-court pressure perturbed the Elks. The Warriors also deflected, and recovered, several entry passes into the paint. 

Elk River made just 8 of 29 baskets in the second half, 14 of 47 in all.

“We watched them a couple times, they’re a very good team,” Stanfield said. “We’re happy that our kids came to play defense. They moved their feet and slid over. Our cross-down action on defense was much better than it was at Moorhead.

“It was a point of emphasis during our walkthrough and shootaround (Saturday) morning, that we needed to do that better, and the kids took that upon themselves and challenged themselves and really did a nice job.”
Trailing 29-15 at the half, the Elks three times in the second half pulled within seven points, but each time Brainerd responded.

Brainerd led 44-36 when it salted the win away with a resounding 13-point run to end the game. Jack Sauer scored seven of his 18 points in Brainerd’s game-ending burst.

“This definitely was a boost to the morale of our team,” Comstock said.

In the first half, Brainerd made only 35 percent of its field goals and the Elks 33 percent.

A laborious, deliberate pace in the game’s first eight minutes, and a 10-9 Elk River lead, was transformed into a 23-10 Brainerd edge following a 14-point Warrior surge. Six of those points came at the foul line, 11 off of turnovers.

Elk River was scoreless for more than eight minutes during the Warriors’ spree. Clay Elrod’s free throw with 1:43 left finally ended the drought.

The victory vaulted Brainerd into the lead in the section according to the Quality Results Formula (QRF). Brainerd now has a 232.1 QRF, followed by Elk River’s 220.8. Brainerd improved to 6-1 against section opponents, the Elks slipped to 3-1.

“I don’t know how it works, but we always seem to get the short end of that (QRF),” Stanfield said. “Beating them helps. Every win they pick up, I understand, will help us somehow. How? I don’t know.”

BOYS BASKETBALL: Unbeaten Warriors roll to ninth victory | BrainerdDispatch.com | Brainerd, Minnesota

 By Mike Bialka:

Tenacious defense and quality bench play were just two of the aspects of the game at which the Brainerd Warriors excelled Tuesday night.

The unbeaten Warriors, who rolled to their ninth win with a 82-38 dismantling of the Pequot Lakes Patriots, scored 40 points off of 39 turnovers.

Brainerd, which is 9-0 for the first time since the 1965-66 season, received 33 points from reserves. Among the most productive bench players Monday were Tony Sauer, who scored 10 points, Taylor Huber with eight and Jagar Hanson with six.

“It’s huge to be deep because when teams are shallow you can get picked apart pretty easily,” Tony Sauer said. “Since we have 10 to 12 guys that we can throw out there it’s huge.”

Warriors coach Scott Stanfield has been confident in his bench all season.

“We played a lot of kids the whole game,” he said. “During the first half, and early in the second half, we played 12 or 13 kids. Honestly, we can play 12 or 13 kids and there’s not a real lot of drop off, and I think you saw that tonight.

“That’s valuable because what it does is in practice they’re going up against each other and every day they get a little better. And, that’s fun.”

Jack Sauer led the Warriors with 19 points and Marcus Comstock finished with 13. They sparked Brainerd to a 50-percent shooting night (31 of 62).

Tony Sauer said the Warriors are playing with considerable confidence but aren’t concerned about having Brainerd’s best record in 47 years.

“Everyone’s playing together, I think that’s the big thing,” he said. “We’re sharing the ball, we’re getting open shots and then by knocking them down it keeps everything going.

“We’re just taking it a game at a time, and keep playing together.”

Brainerd’s ball pressure resulted in numerous turnovers. It helped the Warriors rattle off 22 unanswered points to open the second half and build a 73-27 edge. The Warriors’ pressure caused Pequot to make just 4 of 20 baskets in the second half, and just 31 percent (14 of 45) for the game.

The Patriots didn’t score in the second half until Jack Kreitz buried a three with 8:33 remaining.

“We got to rest our starters most of the second half for our game (Tuesday night) against (St. Cloud) Apollo, which is a big conference game,” Stanfield said. “The kids’ effort, no matter who went in, was what I was most proud of.

“I thought the defensive effort and the intensity remained. That’s really important to me, when you sub kids in late in the game that it doesn’t get sloppy or they don’t give have the effort that the starters have. Tonight, all the kids who went in played really hard on defense. That was fun to see.”

Pressure defense helped the Warriors build a 51-27 halftime cushion. Brainerd forced 21 turnovers in the first, scoring 24 points off of those miscues.

Brainerd was relatively hot from the field in the first, shooting 47 percent (18 of 38). Jack Sauer scored 13 points in the half, Tony Sauer 10 and Comstock nine.

Pequot started out with a hot hand, seizing a 12-8 lead before plummeting like the temperature outdoors. 

The Warriors scored 14 of the next 16 points, and 20 of the next 26, for a 42-19 edge and the contest was all but over.

Jordan Redmond scored all of his team-high 10 points in the first half for Pequot Lakes. No other Patriot scored more than six.

The lopsided win also enabled Stanfield to play almost his entire 26-man roster.

“All but two or three kids got in because we don’t have enough room in the (score)book that we have,” Stanfield said. “We’re going to adjust that and see if we can add to that somehow, but that’s the only reason those kids didn’t get in.”

Brainerd 51 31 — 82

Pequot Lakes 27 11 — 38

BRAINERD

Jack Sauer 19, Jacob Blong 8, Marcus Comstock 13, Ian Haug 5, Chris Bowman 4, Tony Sauer 10, Taylor Huber 8, Jagar Hanson 6, Nick Schwen 2, Isaiah Smith 2, Logan Davis 3, Geoff Sheflo 2. FG 31-62 (50 percent). FT 13-21 (62 percent). 3-pointers 7-23. Turnovers: 10.

PEQUOT LAKES

Brett Peterson 6, John Craig 3, Jordan Redmond 10, Travis Jacobson 6, Keegan Johnson 1, Brandon Hehir 3, Conner Davich 2, Kevin Beltz 2, Jack Kreitz 3, Sean Murray 2. FG 14-45 (31 percent). FT 5-7. 3-pointers 5-13. Turnovers: 39.

MIKE BIALKA, sports editor, may be reached at 855-5861. Follow on Twitter at www.twitter.com/bertsballpark.

BOYS BASKETBALL: Unbeaten Warriors roll to ninth victory | BrainerdDispatch.com | Brainerd, Minnesota

BOYS BASKETBALL: Brainerd finds way to remain unbeaten | BrainerdDispatch.com | Brainerd, Minnesota

By Mike Bialka:

Exactly two weeks had passed since the Brainerd Warriors’ last game and that rustiness showed Thursday night against the Alexandria Cardinals.

Brainerd shot just 37 percent from the field and 50 percent at the foul line, but good teams find ways to win when they don’t play particularly well. The Warriors did just that, securing a 62-53 Central Lakes Conference victory at Brainerd High School.

The Warriors led just 54-53 with 2:06 remaining, but came through at crunch time, scoring the game’s last eight points. Brainerd is 6-0 for the first time since Dec. 27, 2006.

“All in all, it was a good win,” Warriors coach Scott Stanfield said. “These are the kinds of games in the conference — that’s the way it’s going to be. We’re no longer the team that can sneak up on people. We’re going to get everyone’s best effort. The kids have to learn that. This was a good learning experience for us.”

Guard Jack Sauer, who scored 11 points in the first half and finished with 16 to lead Brainerd, thought the Warriors weren’t focused.

“We’ve been on a break,” the senior said. “We were just kind of sloppy but we’ll get better as we go on.

“We just practiced (during the break). We weren’t used to that game-type setting so we were kind of rusty.”

Brainerd made only 16 of 32 free throws, 9 of 21 in the second half. Fortunately, the Warriors committed just 11 turnovers and scored 19 points off of 22 Alexandria turnovers.

“We’re going to shoot free throws (Friday) probably right when we come in,” Stanfield said. “It’s such a weird thing. We practice free throws every day. You observe them, you chart them, and they’re up around 75 to 80 percent.

“It was just one of those games. At any level that happens. It seems like when one kid struggles at the line it trickles down, and it certainly did today. But we played well enough down the stretch, against a pretty good team, and pulled out a win.”

The Warriors converted just 21 of 57 field goals, 9 of 30 in the second half. They missed numerous baskets in the paint.

“We missed a lot of shots right at the rim, layups at the rim,” Stanfield said. “I think part of it is we haven’t played since Dec. 20. During that time period, we practiced and the kids were working really hard in practice, but there’s nothing like playing a game. You smooth out more when you play a game.”

Brainerd, which led 34-23 at the half, was up 40-28 when things began to unravel. The Cardinals went on a 10-point burst to climb within a basket. Brainerd stayed ahead, but the Cardinals twice climbed within a single point before Brandon Bistodeau’s three tied it at 51 with 4:41 to play.

A basket by Marcus Comstock, who provided 11 of his 15 points in the second half, and a free throw from Ian Haug put Brainerd in front 54-51. Travis Krueger’s second-chance basket for Alexandria tightened it to 54-53 with 2:06 left. Brainerd then blanked the Cardinals the rest of the way.

Staunch defense enabled Brainerd to hold off the Cardinals. Alexandria shot just 36 percent from the floor and wasn’t much better at the foul line, sinking 61 percent.

The Warriors’ interior defense did a commendable job against 6-8 post Logan Doyle and 6-4 wing Ted Deitz. The latter went to the sideline after appearing to sprain an ankle three minutes into the game and returned for about a minute in the second half. Doyle, who’s bound for South Dakota State, scored 11 points.

“He’s a load,” Stanfield said of Deitz, “but I actually think when they took him out they moved better offensively. They were able to create some space against us.

“Doyle’s a good player. He’s going Division I, and there’s a reason why, but I thought Jagar Hanson played him really well.”

Alexandria 23 30 — 53

Brainerd 34 28 — 62

ALEXANDRIA

Brandon Bistodeau 5, Joe Gorghuber 9, Chase Kohler 3, David Krivanek 11, Logan Doyle 11, Ted Deitz 3, Kevin Setterstrom 2, Travis Krueger 9. FG 18-50 (36 percent). FT 14-23 (61 percent). 3-point 6-22. Turnovers: 22.

BRAINERD

Jack Sauer 16, Jacob Blong 4, Marcus Comstock 15, Ian Haug 8, Chris Bowman 2, Jagar Hanson 8, Tony Sauer 7, Connor Bowman 2. FG 21-57 (37 percent). FT 16-32 50 (percent). 3-point 4-16. Turnovers: 11.

BOYS BASKETBALL: Brainerd finds way to remain unbeaten | BrainerdDispatch.com | Brainerd, Minnesota

Boys Basketball: First-half fireworks lead Brainerd | BrainerdDispatch.com | Brainerd, Minnesota

By Jeremy Millsop Sports Writer:

"Even Scott Stanfield was impressed.

The Brainerd Warriors head coach watched as his team played one of the more impressive halves of basketball Thursday night.

Brainerd parlayed that first-half dominance into a 79-47 Central Lakes Conference blowout of the St. Cloud Tech Tigers at Brainerd High School.

The Warriors shot 55 percent from the field and held Tech to 28-percent shooting in the first half. Brainerd committed only three turnovers, while forcing the Tigers into 10 first-half turnovers.

Brainerd turned those Tech errors into 13 points to build a 44-19 halftime edge.

The Warriors did it with senior forward Marcus Comstock sitting on the bench with foul trouble and senior guard Jack Sauer going scoreless in the half.

“I’ve been around this program for a number of years now and yes, I can say, that was the best half of basketball I’ve seen from our guys,” Stanfield said. “We came out with energy and we got a lot of great minutes from everyone.

“I think the reason for that is our practices are so intense. I think we practice harder than some of the games we’ve played and that helps guys like Tate Geraets, who came in and, I thought, played great. It helps Chris Bowman and Taylor Huber and Jagar Hanson come in off the bench. We don’t waste minutes when those guys are out there. We remain effective and that’s what we preach and the kids have bought into that.”

Jacob Blong displayed his scoring repertoire to post 19 first-half points. The 6-foot-5 senior center scored the game’s first points on a lob pass, hit three 3-pointers and missed only three field goal attempts.

Blong and senior guard Ian Haug scored Brainerd’s first 21 points, helping the Warriors to a 21-7 lead. The Warriors used runs of 7-1 and 12-1 to build their halftime edge.

Hanson came off the bench to score seven points and Tony Sauer added five first-half points.

“We’ve all been playing together for so many years,” said Hanson. “We know where we need to be on the court. We know where everyone is going to be at. We know each other’s role and if someone is hot we recognize it.

“That’s the great thing about this team, we never know who is going to have the hot hand. Plus, we have such a deep bench. It was great to get those juniors in tonight, too.”

In the second half, Comstock scored all 11 of his points and Blong tallied nine more to finish with a game-high 28. Haug finished with 11 and Tony Sauer eight.

Eleven different players scored for the 5-0 Warriors, who committed just one turnover in the second half despite clearing their bench.

“The past few games, we’ve really had guys who have had tremendous games,” said Hanson. “Now, to have a balanced attack and have a few more guys get into the scoring, it really takes the pressure off everyone.”

Brainerd’s defense held Tech to 32-percent shooting and frustrated leading scorer Andy Foley, limiting him to just 11 points.

“These section wins are huge and starting 5-0 is great,” Hanson said. “Every win in the section is huge. We had a big crowd. This was a big anticipated game for the section and conference.

“Like coach Stan said before the game, this was our biggest game of the season so far.”

St. Cloud Tech 19 28 — 47


Brainerd 44 35 — 79

ST. CLOUD TECH

Ethyn Fruth 3, Austin Schlangen 3, Andy Foley 11, Phil Amundson 2, Ryan Kunkel 3, Nash Otte 3, Bryant Bohlig 9, JaJuan Reed 2, Jake Martig 5, Jay Kedrowski 3, Isaac Matchinsky 3. FG 16-50 (32 percent), FT 4-8 (50 percent). 3-point 8-18 (44 percent).

BRAINERD

Grant Reuer 1, Tony Sauer 8, Jack Sauer 4, Connor Bowman 32, Tate Geraets 2, Jacob Blong 28, Marcus Comstock 11, Ian Haug 11, Chris Bowman 4, Jagar Hanson 7. Logan McElfresh 2. FG 28-52 (54 percent), FT 14-21 (67 percent). 3-point 9-24 (38 percent)."

Boys Basketball: First-half fireworks lead Brainerd | BrainerdDispatch.com | Brainerd, Minnesota

Area Boys Hockey: Greenway rallies, nips Northern Lakes | BrainerdDispatch.com | Brainerd, Minnesota

By: brainerddispatch.com

COLERAINE — The Northern Lakes Lightning let a 5-1 lead slip away as Greenway scored five unanswered goals to pin a 6-5 loss on the Lightning in a non-conference game Thursday.

Northern Lakes built a 3-0 lead after the first period on two goals from Ben Moe and one from Gaven Bickford.

Aspen Florey and Kyle Narveson scored in the second period for the Lightning.

Bazil Zuehlke’s goal at 3:40 of the third period finished the comeback for the Green Wave.

Greenway 0 4 2 — 6

Northern Lakes 3 2 0 — 5

First period: NL-Ben Moe 2:52; NL-Gavin Bickford 4:33; NL-Moe 10:49

Second period: G-Bazil Zuehlke 8:56; NL-Aspen Florey 9:56; NL-Kyle Narveson 10:48; G-Zuehlke 13:14; G-Alex Trounbly (Zuehlke) 13:14; G- Zach Childs 16:55

Third period: G-Jayden Gangl 1:49, Zuehlke 3:40.

Shots on goal: NL , G

Goalies: NL-Oliver Erholtz; G-Sam LaDoux, Mike LaDoux

Overall: NL 1-3. Next: Northern Lakes at Kittson Central 3 p.m. Saturday.

■ Wadena-Deer Creek , Litchfield/D-C

WADENA — The Litchfield/Dassel-Cokato Dragons edged the Wadena-Deer Creek Wolverines 4-3 in a non-conference game Thursday.

Overall: WDC 1-3. Next: Wadena-Deer Creek at Willmar 1 p.m. Saturday

Area Boys Hockey: Greenway rallies, nips Northern Lakes | BrainerdDispatch.com | Brainerd, Minnesota

Boys Basketball: Blong, Brainerd battle to win over Bison | BrainerdDispatch.com | Brainerd, Minnesota

 By Jeremy Millsop Sports Writer:

"For Jacob Blong, Thursday night almost made up for all last year.

The Brainerd Warriors’ senior center suffered through injury and sickness to miss most of his junior season. If Thursday is any indication, Blong will have a successful senior campaign.

Blong led the Warriors with 18 points, five coming in the overtime frame, to help the Warriors to a 62-56 season-opening victory over Section 8-4A opponent Buffalo at Brainerd High School. Blong scored the first three points of the extra frame to give Brainerd the momentum.

“I just stepped up I guess,” said Blong. “We knew they were a big team — bigger than us probably. We knew that we weren’t going to dribble that much so we held out on them and stopped their penetration and won the game.”

After Blong’s eruption, Marcus Comstock and Jack Sauer scored eight consecutive points to put the game out of reach. Comstock spent most of the game getting pushed to the floor, but still managed 13 points. Sauer tallied 14 points and Ian Haug scored 13 for the Warriors.

“Marcus has a banged up knee and Jacob’s shin is bothering him so we’ll ice them down and really take it easy in practice Friday, but those two were warriors tonight,” said Brainerd head coach Scott Stanfield.

“We had to defensive rebound and I think we did a really good of that late and into the overtime. They only got one look. We boarded it and then they had to foul us and you know what, that probably was the game. Rebounding was a key.”

A Haug 3-pointer at 2:37 was key during regulation as it tied the game 47-47. He then tied it again with 1:48 left with a free throw to send the game into overtime. Brainerd held a 26-20 halftime lead, but shot just 50 percent from the line and was forced into nine turnovers. That helped Buffalo tie the score with 10:57 in the second half. The Bison then built a 45-42 lead and maintained it until Haug’s 3.

“They’re a really well-coached team and I love playing against Buffalo,” said Stanfield. “This is a good measuring stick this early. We were a little revved up to begin with and I don’t know if we ever really settled down, but that was the style of game it was.

“It’s just fun coaching against them. I think (Buffalo head coach Nick Guida) is one of the best coaches in the state. He’s proven that over the years.”

The Warriors went to the free throw line 17 times in the first half and made 11. Blong scored 10 of his points in the opening frame and Sauer tallied eight for Brainerd’s six-point halftime edge.

“It was great for the team, it was fun getting out there finally again, but we all played really hard out there and we ended up winning it at the end,” said Blong. “They’re a really good team and we knew it was going to be a challenge the whole time. Beating these guys is going to be a great momentum builder going forward.”

Brainerd’s defense held Buffalo to 31-percent shooting in the opening frame and the Bison reached the free throw line just twice. Brainerd’s defense was the key, said Stanfield. It held Buffalo, which had already played two games, to 34 percent shooting from the field and 4-of-19 from 3-point.

“Shooting is not going to be there every night and when it isn’t you have to find something else that you can get a win on and tonight it was our rebounding and defensive effort,” Stanfield said. “It was just fantastic. Our kids hustled and never gave up.

“When we got into overtime I felt really comfortable that we were going to take it.”

Buffalo 20 28 8 — 56

Brainerd 26 22 14 — 62

Boys Basketball: Blong, Brainerd battle to win over Bison | BrainerdDispatch.com | Brainerd, Minnesota