BEA’s Jacob Vaske gets inside position and tries to sink a short runner in the lane against Worthington. The senior ended the game with nine points and seven rebounds, but it was not enough as the Bucs fell to the Trojans, 66-58 at home.

The Blue Earth Area boys were no match for New-Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva on Feb. 20. After falling behind by 11 points at the half, BEA was outscored 32-10 in the second period. The final result was a 59-26 road defeat for the maroon and gold.

Shooting just 22 percent from the field, the Bucs failed to convert on a three point shot in the game. Meanwhile, the Panthers shot nearly 48 percent from the field on the evening.

In addition to their hot shooting, the Panthers also moved the ball well against the Bucs, accounting for a team total of 20 assists. The Panthers also scored 10 more points in the paint than BEA.

Buccaneer sophomore Caelan Sanders scored six points on the night, while Jacob Vaske and Austin Thielfoldt each added five.

Looking to put an end to their recent losing skid, Bucs were on the road on Saturday, Feb. 24, as they squared off against Belle Plaine. Results from this game will be available in next week’s edition of the Faribault County Register.

Worthington 66

BEA 58

The Blue Earth Area boys basketball team (6-15) had firm control of the game against Worthington. However, a second half rally by the Trojans was enough to sink the Buccaneers.

BEA led by as many as 12 points in the first half, and maintained a lead throughout the period. The Bucs closed out the half on a positive note as a Jacob Vaske layup, followed by a Caelan Sanders free throw, gave the maroon and gold a 29-23 advantage heading into the locker room. Afterwards, Buccaneer head coach Colby Swanson praised his team’s offensive execution in the first half.

“We had a lot of pace in our offense early on. We pushed the ball up the floor; guys were reading their man and back cutting,” Swanson said. “We were getting dribble penetration in the lane and getting to the basket.”

Buc sharpshooter Carter Bell connected from downtown to open the second half. His baseline three-pointer gave BEA a 32-23 lead over the Trojans. However, Worthington answered back by connecting on three field goals from beyond the arc, en route to a 14-5 run. With 12:49 remaining in the game, the Trojans had managed to erase the deficit and tie up the game at 37.

A back-and-forth affair ensued as both teams traded baskets while trying to gain control of the game. Sanders, along with freshmen Cameron Anderson and Austin Thielfoldt, all scored buckets in the paint to help the Bucs keep pace with the hard-charging Trojans. With under nine minutes left in the ballgame, the score was tied at 45 apiece.

At the 7:15 mark in the period, a strange sequence of events seemingly changed the momentum of the game for the Bucs.

Worthington tried to gain control of an offensive rebound, but several players from both teams dove on the floor to secure the loose basketball. The ball was eventually tipped into the backcourt which ignited a BEA fastbreak.

After the Bucs converted on the fastbreak layup, a technical foul was called on Worthington head coach Ron Vorwald, who was whistled for standing outside of the coaching box. Sanders split a pair of technical free throws for the Bucs to extend to a 48-45 lead.

Although the Bucs momentarily gained an advantage, Worthington fans were in full throat in BEA’s home gymnasium after the technical foul call. The Trojans used the energy from the crowd to go on a 13-0 run.

With 3:01 remaining in the game, a Thielfoldt hoop finally ended the Worthington run. However, the Bucs were unable to make up much ground and eventually fell to Worthington 66-58.

While coach Swanson was disappointed his squad could not finish off the 14-9 Trojans, he was encouraged by BEA’s overall showing against a quality opponent.

“We kind of got shellshocked by the run and didn’t react very well,” Swanson said.

“Worthington is a really good team, and I think we gained a lot of confidence. We played 10 times better in this game than we did in any of the previous four. If we can continue to play with that type of defensive effort, we’re going to finish really well,” the Bucs mentor added.

Sanders led the Bucs in scoring with 22, while Thielfoldt also reached double figures with 15 points and led BEA in steals with four. Meanwhile, Vaske led the club in rebounds with seven.