Caelan Sanders (left) continues to be the catalyst for BEA’s offense. The sophomore once again led the team in scoring with 14 in the Bucs’ latest win over United South Central.

Heading into the consolation game of the Blue Earth Area Holiday Classic Basketball Tournament on Dec. 29, the BEA boys team had dropped five games in a row.

Determined to stop the losing skid, Buc freshman guard Austin Thielfoldt, who added eight points on the evening, sprang into action late in the game against United South Central to secure the 63-61 win. The victory allowed the Buccaneers to capture a third place finish in the tournament.

With 10 seconds left and the game tied at 61, USC had possession of the ball and was setting up their half-court offense for a final shot in regulation. As the ball was moving around the perimeter, Thielfoldt anticipated a pass and deftly poked the ball loose.

A scrum for the ball quickly ensued. After Thielfoldt’s diving attempt to secure the basketball, the ball was last touched by a USC player before going out of bounds. This heads up play gave the Bucs possession with 2.8 seconds to go in the tied game.

“I just saw the ball get loose and I dove for it, it just worked out perfectly,” Thielfoldt said after the game. “Everything fell into place for us.”

Thielfoldt was once again in the right place at the right time on the very next play. With 2.8 seconds remaining, and time ticking down, Buc sophomore Carter Bell missed an open three point shot. However, the errant shot landed in the hands of Thielfoldt, who quickly caught it and layed it up in one motion under the basket right before the buzzer sounded.

After the game, Thielfoldt revealed he had a feeling he was due to make a buzzer beating shot sometime in the near future.

“I had talked to my coaches earlier and I mentioned that I missed two buzzer beaters in a row, so I was thinking maybe the third one will be the charm,” Thielfoldt explained.

“Everything worked out perfectly and I’m glad my coaches put me in a position to make that shot,” he added.

For the game, BEA’s Caelan Sanders (14), Grant Strukel (12), and Cameron Anderson (10), all scored in double-figures. Meanwhile, USC’s junior guard Colby Klocek led all scorers with 31.

The maroon and gold traveled to St. James on Friday, Jan. 5 to take on the 3-6 Saints. Results from this game will be available in next week’s edition of the Faribault County Register.