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BEA handles MVL pressure in first game

By Staff | Jan 1, 2012

The Blue Earth Area Buccaneer girls basketball team survived some cold shooting and hot pressure defense to defeat the Minnesota Valley Lutheran Chargers in the opening game of the St. Clair Holiday Tournament.

The Bucs downed the Chargers 44-38 last Tuesday night in St. Clair. The win propelled them into the semi-final round on Wednesday night when they faced Canby.

BEA fell behind early and was trailing 5-0 when Camille Driscoll finally put the Buccaneers on the board with a two-point shot.

It was another Driscoll two-point basket that finally enabled the Bucs to catchup and tie the game at 14-14.

But, when the half time buzzer went off, BEA was trailing 19-16 to the Chargers.

MVL would only repeat their same 19 point total in the second half, while the Bucs tallied 28.

BEA finally tied the game again in the second half at 22-22 on a Krista Hassing shot.

MVL came back to take the lead at 26-25, but a Kristine Volz bucket gave the lead back to the Bucs – a lead they never relinquished again.

But, the game would be tied one more time at 29-all, but BEA never fell behind.

The Bucs kept the lead by as much as eight points the rest of the way out.

“Overall this was a very good win for the girls,” Buc coach Al Cue says. “We really struggled offensively in the first half, but good defense kept us in the game.”

BEA had 19 steals to MVL’s nine and just 15 turnovers to MVL’s 26.

“The second half was a good effort on both ends of the court,” Cue adds.

The Bucs once again relied on the one-two punch of Driscoll and Hassing, who had 13 and 12 points respectively.

Driscoll also led in rebounding with eight. The Chargers outrebounded the Bucs by 42 to 27.

Sara Warmka added eight points for BEA, while Courtney Grandgenett added five and Volz four.

As a team the Bucs only shot at a 33 percent clip, making 15 of 46 shots and none of their five three-point attempts.

The Bucs were 14 of 33, 44 percent, from the free throw line.

MVL was 13 of 34 shooting or 38 percent and made 4 of 9 from three point range. They were 8 of 11 from the line.

BEA also committed just 12 fouls compared to MVL’s 20 in the game.