BEA’s Ashton Lloyd gets free for a shot in the second half of the Bucs’ 59-48 win over the Fairmont Cardinals.

Blue Earth Area center Ashton Lloyd scored his team’s first 10 points of the second half to help lead the host Bucs to a 59-48 Big South Conference win over the Fairmont Cardinals.

The victory gave the Maroon and Gold a 5-0 record to start the season.

BEA had a 31-16 lead to begin the second half. After Fairmont’s Hadan Toomer made a three-pointer to cut the Bucs’ lead to 31-19, Lloyd got around a defender underneath the basket and scooped the ball into the hoop for two points.

On BEA’s next possession, Lloyd drove the lane to increase the home team’s lead to 35-19.

Back-to-back baskets from outside the arc by the 6-foot-5 senior gave the Bucs a 41-19 lead less than two minutes into the second half.

Lloyd and forward Jack Norman also did a good job containing Fairmont’s 6-foot-7 post player, Sawyer Tordsen, who finished with seven points.

“We played well inside and Ashton and Jack did a good job on defense,” BEA head coach Colby Swanson said. “Our defensive pressure was real good the first half. We need to play like that for the whole game if we want to achieve our maximum potential.”

The Bucs scored the first seven points of the game before the Cardinals got on the board with 12:29 left in the first half.

Gage Barker’s two free throws got BEA on the board and a Norman to Lloyd pass led to a basket and a 4-0 lead. Barker’s pull-up jumper in land following a free throw by Norman gave the Bucs their 7-0 lead.

Later on in the opening half, BEA freshman Will Bromeland scored consecutive baskets on a baseline drive and a shot from the corner of the free-throw line to extend the Bucs’ lead to 14 points with 6:59 to go until intermission.

BEA was able to thwart every Cardinal rally attempt in the second half. The closest Fairmont ever got was nine points.

The biggest lead of the night for BEA came when Bucs’ guard Austin Skaden sank a three-pointer and then made one of two free thrown on BEA’s next possession to give the host team an 18-point lead at 57-39 with just over four minutes remaining in the game.

Fairmont’s reserves outscored BEA’s reserves 9-2 in the closing minute to narrow BEA’s winning margin.

Lloyd led a trio of Buccaneer players reaching double figures in scoring with 24 points followed by Skaden with 11 and Barker with 10.

The top scorer for the Cards was Levi Pooley with nine.

BEA finished with 39 rebounds led by Lloyd with 13 and Norman with six. Fairmont recorded 38 rebounds.

Barker had five assists to lead both teams.

Fairmont had five steals to one for BEA. The Bucs committed 11 turnovers to nine for the Cardinals.

BEA plays host to Granada-Huntley-East Chain/Truman/Martin Luther in the opening round of the Buc Holliday Invitational on Thursday, Dec. 29.