Kate Armon leads a fast break when BEA hosted the Waseca Bluejays earlier this season. The Bluejays knocked the Bucs out of the playoffs last Tuesday.

Both of the local girls’ basketball teams, Blue Earth Area and United South Central, saw their seasons come to an end when they lost in the opening round of the post-season playoffs.

Both squads are young and will seek to improve next season after gaining a year of experience.

Waseca 62, BEA 29

The No. 7-seeded Blue Earth Area Buccaneers played a solid first half to only trail the host No. 2-seeded Waseca Bluejays by seven points, 25-18, after 18 minutes of play in the opening round of the Section 2AA girls basketball playoffs on Tuesday, Feb. 28.

However, the Bluejays’ defense held the Bucs to only 11 points in the second half to pull away for a 62-29 win.

BEA shot the ball well in the first half making 3 of 5 (60 percent) of their shots from 2-point range. They shot nine times from outside the arc in the first half and made four (44 percent).

The second half was a different story. The Maroon and Gold made 1 of 8 (13 percent) of their 2-point attempts and 2 of 5 (40 percent) of their 3-point attempts.

Rebounding was another area where the Bucs faced difficulties. The Bluejays had a 25-12 advantage on the boards.

BEA committed 22 turnovers to nine for Waseca.

Lola Lundquist was the leading scorer for the Bucs with 13 points. Erika Gaydon tallied five. Kate Armon, Ruby Allis and Sophie Keister each had three.

The loss marked the third time BEA had been beaten by Waseca this year, who now have a record of 16 wins and nine losses.

It marks the end of the season for the Bucs, who compiled a record of 5-20.

It was also the final game for BEA’s lone senior, Sophie Keister.

Mabel-Canton 53, USC 47

The United South Central Rebels girls were defeated 53-47 by the Mabel-Canton Cougars in the opening round of the Section 1A basketball playoffs.

The game was played on Feb. 21, in Mabel.

USC ends their season with a record of 3-13.