Bucs get overtime win over Titans
After rallying to defeat Windom Eagles 67-63 two days earlier

Anthony Carr jumps high over the Windom defense to shoot for two points.
Though they only scored 13 points in the first half, the Blue Earth Area Buccaneers boys basketball team came home with a 61-58 overtime triumph over the Tri-City United Titans on Monday, Jan. 31.
Played in Montgomery, neither team seemed to be able to get the ball to fall through the hoop during the opening half. When the buzzer sounded to end the first 18 minutes of the game, the Titans held a 16-13 lead.
The second half was a nail-biter with six ties and nine lead changes.
BEA never led Tri-City United in the first half. In fact, the Bucs did not take their first lead of the game until Ashton Lloyd swished a 3-pointer to put BEA on top 32-30 with 9:19 left to go on the game clock.
Lloyd, who had struggled with his shooting earlier in the game, scored the last nine points for the Bucs in regulation time.
With the score tied at 36-36, Lloyd picked up a loose ball on the Titan’s end of the court and took it in for a layup and a two-point BEA lead.
The Titans scored the next four points to go up 40-38 with 3:15 remaining.
BEA turned to Lloyd again and the 6-foot-5 senior was fouled while putting the ball through the hoop. He made his free throw to give the Bucs a 41-40 lead.
Tri-City United’s big man, Hank Holicky, copied Lloyd and completed his own conventional 3-point play to give the Titans a 43-41 lead.
BEA fed Lloyd the ball in the low post and he muscled his way to the basket for two more points to tie the game at 43.
The Titans’ Adam Henze drew a foul and made both ends of a one-and-one to give the home team a 45-43 lead over the Bucs with 27 seconds on the clock.
Following a timeout, the Maroon and Gold set up their offense. With just under 10 seconds remaining, Jack Norman hit Lloyd on a back-door cut for an easy layup to tie the score at 45 apiece.
Tri-City United was able to get off a hurried 3-pointer which was off the mark and the game went into overtime.
The Titans scored the first basket to take the early lead in the five-minute extra period.
However, a trey by Lloyd put the Bucs out in front 48-47.
Holicky powered his way for two more points to once again give the Titans the lead at 49-48.
The Bucs responded with two big plays to take control of the game.
First, Abe Kokos drilled a 3-pointer from the left baseline to give BEA a 51-49 lead. Then, on the Titans’ next trip down the floor, Lloyd blocked Holicky’s shot which Jack Norman picked up and took in for a layup to give the Bucs a 53-49 lead.
Norman was also fouled on the play. He missed his chance to complete a 3-point play but Kokos grabbed the rebound. The ball eventually ended up in the hands of Lloyd who ripped the nets for another 3-pointer and a 56-49 BEA lead with 1:18 to go in the extra period.
The Titans had to deploy a strategy of fouling the Bucs, who made 5 of 8 free throws in the last minute to preserve the 61-58 victory.
Lloyd led all players with 26 points. He also had eight rebounds, three steals and two blocks.
Gabe Torres finished the game with 19 points. He utilized his quickness to drive the lane for layups, pull-up jumpers or to pass the ball to open teammates for easy baskets. He scored seven of the Bucs’ 13 points in the opening half. He also had seven rebounds, five steals and four assists.
Austin Skaden added eight points and five steals.
The Titans outrebounded the Bucs 41-30 but BEA forced TCU to turn the ball over 25 times while the Bucs only had 12 turnovers.
The non-conference win improves the Bucs’ record to 8-7 while the Titans drop to 3-14.
BEA 67, Windom 63
Things were not looking good for the Blue Earth Area boys basketball team in their contest against Windom on Saturday afternoon, Jan. 29. But, a late rally by the host Buccaneers enabled them to pull out a 67-63 triumph over the visiting Eagles.
BEA and Windom had been locked in a close battle through the first 32 minutes of the game.
The largest lead either team had through the first 14 minutes of the second half was five points. But, with just over four minutes remaining in the game, the Eagles scored five straight points to take a 57-49 lead.
The teams traded baskets with Windom maintaining a 59-51 advantage.
Ashton Lloyd’s basket at the 3:14 mark closed the gap to 59-53. The Eagles made one of two free-throw attempts to push their lead to seven points at 60-53 with 2:57 showing on the game clock.
BEA guard Gabe Torres drove the lane for a basket to cut Windom’s lead to 60-55. The Bucs’ defense held and Abe Kokos nailed a baseline trey to cut the Eagles’ lead to 60-58 with 2:05 remaining in the game.
Windom went to the charity stripe again, but made only one of two attempts to hold a 61-58 lead.
Torres weaved his way to the basket again for two more points and the Bucs trailed by one point, 61-60.
A scramble on Windom’s end of the court resulted in a jump ball with the possession arrow in BEA’s favor.
This time Torres drove the lane but dished the ball to Lloyd for two points and a 62-61 Bucs’ lead with 1:03 left to play.
Windom missed a shot and BEA rebounded with 38 seconds remaining.
The Eagles had three fouls to give before putting the Bucs in the one-and-one situation.
With 28.8 seconds left the Eagles fouled Jack Norman who went to the line to shoot a one-and-one.
Norman’s shot bounced off the rim but Lloyd grabbed the rebound and put it through the hoop for a 64-61 BEA lead.
Lloyd would add a free throw to put the Bucs on top 65-61 before the Eagles scored with 6.5 seconds remaining to cut BEA’s advantage to 65-63.
Windom fouled Lloyd again with 5.4 seconds to go. This time, Lloyd made both free throws to ice the game and give the Bucs the 67-63 victory.
BEA had a good shooting night from the field. They made 61 percent of their shots from inside of the arc and 35 percent of their shots from outside of the arc.
Meanwhile, Windom shot 43 percent on their 2-pointers and 37 percent on their 3-pointers.
Neither team had an outstanding night at the free-throw line. The Bucs made nine of 16 shots from the charity stripe and the Eagles converted eight of their 13 free throw attempts.
BEA had 37 rebounds compared to 25 for Windom.
Lloyd recorded another double-double in the victory.
The 6-foot-5 junior tallied 28 points and pulled down 22 rebounds to lead the Bucs in both categories.
Norman finished with 12 points, six rebounds and six assists while Torres added 11 points and six assists. Abe Kokos contributed eight points and Waylen Douglas had five.