It was a tough way for the Blue Earth Area girls basketball team to open the season when they played host to the Jackson County Central Huskies on Tuesday night, Dec. 3.

The Huskies controlled the game from the beginning on their way to an 84-27 victory.

JCC came out in a full-court press and also applied pressure on the Bucs in the front court.

The Huskies were able to force a number of turnovers against the Bucs which led to some easy baskets.

JCC also had a huge size advantage which allowed them to dominate the boards. Even when BEA players had good position, the Huskies were able to leap higher and grab the rebound. And, that also led to a number of easy buckets for the visitors.

BEA found themselves trailing 10-0 before they scored their first points of the night on two free throws by Jessica Moore.

JCC had increased their lead to 20-2 when Moore sank two more free throws to give BEA a total of four points.

The Bucs had a hard time penetrating against the Huskies’ defense and it was also difficult to shoot over the outstretched arms of the taller JCC players.

By the time the buzzer sounded ending the first half, the Huskies had a 62-14 lead over the Maroon and Gold.

Junior guard Lola Lundquist sank three 3-pointers and two free throws to lead the Bucs with 11 points. Ruby Allis tallied five points on one 3-pointer and one 2-pointer. Moore also finished with five points by converting five of her six free throw attempts.

Myla Eastman converted a traditional 3-point play to finish with three points while Sophia Hall added two points and Carol Schrader sank a free throw for one point to complete the Bucs’ scoring.

BEA will host Luverne on Dec. 10, after playing at Windom on Dec. 6.