Abe Kokos goes up to score in the Buccaneers’ 65-50 victory over the Tri-City United Titans last Tuesday in Blue Earth.

After losing two consecutive games, the Blue Earth Area boys’ basketball team, led by Ashton Lloyd’s 31 points and 13 rebounds, returned to the win column with a 65-50 victory over the visiting Tri-City United Titans on Tuesday, Feb. 14.

The Titans grabbed an early 7-2 lead before Lloyd’s shot from just inside the arc swished the nets to cut TCU’s lead to 7-4.

About midway through the opening half, TCU was clinging to a 13-12 lead when Lloyd connected on a 3-pointer to give the Bucs their first lead of the night at 15-13.

“We got off to a slow start and it took us a little while to get going,” BEA coach Colby Swanson said. “The last time we faced a zone defense was against Waseca and we struggled against it. It was good to see us have success against the zone beginning later in the first half and in the second half.”

Following a Titan’s timeout, BEA’s Jack Norman scored on an inbounds play and Max Loge hit on a runner inside the lane, to boost the Bucs’ lead to 19-13. Lloyd muscled a shot in from underneath the basket and BEA had their biggest lead of the first half at 21-13 with just under five and a half minutes to play until intermission.

TCU chipped away at BEA’s lead and by the time the halftime buzzer sounded, the Bucs’ lead had been reduced to 24-20.

The Bucs got off to a fast start to begin the final stanza.

Austin Skaden turned a TCU turnover into a layup. Max Loge’s drive gave BEA two more points. Abe Kokos hit nothing but net from outside the arc to extend the Bucs’ lead to 31-20 just over two minutes into the second half.

BEA’s biggest lead of the game would come with just over two minutes left to play in the game when Skaden caught a pass from Lloyd and went in for a layup to put the Bucs on top 61-43.

The Maroon and Gold made 57 percent (17 of 30) of their 2-point attempts and 39 percent (9 of 23) of their 3-point attempts.

Meanwhile, the Titans made 34 percent (14 of 41) of their shots from inside the arc and 21 percent (3 of 14) of their attempts from outside the arc.

The Bucs shot five free throws and made four. The Titans went to the charity stripe 19 times and made 13.

BEA held a 34-30 edge in rebounding. They committed 17 turnovers to only 12 for the Titans.

In addition to Lloyd’s 31 points, Skaden tallied 14, Loge added eight, Kokos had five and Norman had four.

“Ashton had a huge night and Austin had some big baskets in the second half,” Swanson commented. “It was nice to get back in the win column.”

Loge pulled down six rebounds while Norman and Kokos each had five.

Norman and Lloyd led the team with five assists each. Skaden had four, Loge and Kokos each had three.

The Bucs improved their record to 12-7. They will host the Medford Tigers in Blue Earth on Monday, Feb. 20, before traveling to Worthington on Thursday, Feb. 23, to take on the Trojans.

New Ulm 97, BEA 60

After an exciting first half of basketball, the visiting Blue Earth Area Buccaneers boys basketball team only trailed the host New Ulm Eagles by four points at 41-37.

However, the Eagles, who scored the final nine points of the first half, scored the initial nine points of the second half and continued to pull away for a 97-60 triumph.

BEA, who led most of the first half, were bolstered by seven 3-pointers in the opening 18 minutes of the contest.

A 3-pointer by Abe Kokos gave the Bucs a 3-0 lead. After the Eagles’ 6-foot-9 center Nathan Firle put in an offensive rebound to cut BEA’s advantage to 3-2, Ashton Lloyd scored the next five points, including the first of his four first-half 3-pointers, to give the Maroon and Gold an 8-2 lead.

The Eagles scored eight straight to go up 10-8, but Lloyd sandwiched two more 3-pointers around a basket by New Ulm’s Colton Benson to make the score 14-12 with the Bucs on top.

After the Eagles hit a basket and a free throw to retake the lead at 15-14, Lloyd connected on another shot from outside the arc to vault BEA to a 17-15 lead.

On New Ulm’s next possession, Jack Norman stole the ball and drove the length of the court for two points and a 19-15 Buccaneer lead.

BEA would build their lead to five points when Lloyd missed a shot but put in his own rebound to make the score 37-32 in the Bucs’ favor with 2:22 left before intermission.

Unfortunately for the Bucs, the Eagles’ three 3-pointers in the final 90 seconds of the first half gave the host team a 41-37 advantage.

New Ulm opened the second half just like they finished the first half, with a nine-point scoring streak before Lloyd’s basket finally broke BEA’s scoring drought with 15 minutes remaining in the game making the score New Ulm 50, BEA 39.

By the time the game clock showed nine minutes to play, the Eagles had extended their lead to 72-48.

New Ulm, led by Benson, made 84 percent (16 of 19) of their shots from inside the arc in the second half. They also made 52 percent (13 of 25) of their 3-pointers for the game.

Benson, a 6-foot-5 junior forward, finished with 41 points for the game while Firle added 15.

The Bucs, who made around 42 percent of both their 2 and 3-pointers during the first half, saw their shooting percentages drop to 30 percent on 2-point attempts in the second half and 25 percent on their second half 3-point attempts.

New Ulm went to the charity stripe 16 times and made 14 of their tries. BEA only shot four free throws and made two.

The Eagles held a 43-30 edge over the Bucs in rebounding. Both teams had seven steals while BEA had 13 turnovers to 11 for New Ulm.

Lloyd and Kokos each scored 18 points to lead the Bucs. Will Bromeland tallied eight while Norman and Gage Barker each had four.

Lloyd and Norman each finished with five rebounds.

Max Loge, Barker and Lloyd each finished with two assists and Will Bromeland had three steals.

The win improved New Ulm’s overall record to 16-4 while BEA’s overall record is 11-7.