Blue Earth Area’s Will Bromeland (23) gets above the Pipestone Area defense to score two of his team-best 42 points during the Bucs’ 76-71 defeat of their Big South Conference rival.

The Blue Earth Area boys basketball team won their second consecutive game when they traveled to Worthington to take on the Trojans on Tuesday, Feb. 18. And, for the second game in a row, they did it by rallying after falling behind early in the game.

BEA found themselves trailing Worthington 27-15 10 minutes into the game.

The Bucs narrowed the deficit to 33-29 with 3:57 to play in the first half and then closed out the first stanza by scoring the final 10 points to go into the intermission with a 39-33 lead.

BEA increased their lead to 48-40 early in the second half before a 9-0 run by Worthington had the Bucs falling behind 49-48.

Gage Barker put the Maroon and Gold back in front with a drive to the basket for two points. Jacob Grandgenett’s baseline drive gave the Bucs a little more cushion before Caden Juba sank a 3-pointer and BEA never trailed again on their way to their nine-point victory.

The Bucs had a great night shooting the ball from inside the arc where they made 19 of their 30 (63.3 percent) shots. They were 9-for-33 (27.3 percent) from behind the arc. BEA went to the charity stripe 20 times and made 16 of their shots (80 percent).

The Trojans were 21-for-43 (48.8 percent) shooting 2-pointers and 7-for-25 (28 percent) on their 3-point attempts. They made nine of their 11 (81.8 percent) free-throw attempts.

BEA outrebounded Worthington 41-37 and committed 11 turnovers to 13 for the Trojans.

Barker led the Bucs with 29 points. Will Bromeland had a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Branson Hauskins and Juba each tallied 10 points, Sully Dahlberg added nine and Grandgenett finished with six.

Barker and Juba each had three assists.

The Bucs conclude their regular season by hosting the Waterville-Elysian-Morristown Buccaneers on Tuesday, Feb. 25.

BEA 76, Pipestone 71

When the Pipestone Area Arrows hosted the Blue Earth Area Buccaneers in boys basketball on Jan. 10, they defeated BEA by 20 points.

The Arrows appeared to be on their way to another victory when the two teams met again on the Bucs’ home floor on Thursday, Feb. 13.

A buzzer-beating basket by Pipestone Area to end the first half gave the Arrows a 42-31 lead at the intermission. However, a second-half rally by BEA enabled the Bucs to overtake the Arrows and triumph over the visitors 76-71.

Trailing Pipestone Area 46-34 two minutes into the final stanza, Will Bromeland began the rally by sinking a step-back 3-pointer.

By the time Bromeland hit two more baskets from behind the arc, the Arrows lead had shrunk to 47-43 with just over 14 minutes to play in the game.

Bromeland, who finished with a game-high 42 points, gave the Bucs their first lead of the second half when he sank another 3-pointer to put BEA on top 58-57 at the 8:53 mark.

The two teams battled back and forth before Sully Dahlberg’s 3-pointer, with just under six minutes to play in the game, put the Bucs ahead for good at 65-62.

Pipestone Area cut BEA’s lead to one point at the four-minute mark but a 3-pointer by Branson Hauskins and a steal by Caden Juba that led to a basket by Gage Barker on a two-on-one fast-break gave the Bucs the breathing room they needed to secure the victory.

BEA was 14-for-27 (51.9 percent) from inside the arc and 14-for-43 (32.6 percent) from outside the arc. They made six of their nine (66.7 percent) free-throw attempts.

Pipestone Area was 21-for-45 (46.7 percent) shooting 2-pointers and 7-for-24 (29.2 percent) shooting 3-pointers. The Arrows attempted 12 free throws and made eight (66.7 percent).

Pipestone Area had 55 rebounds to 29 for BEA. The Bucs had 12 steals compared to five for the Arrows. BEA committed nine turnovers while forcing Pipestone Area into 22 miscues.

In addition to Bromeland’s 42 points, Barker tallied 15, Dahlberg had eight and Grandgenett had six.

Bromeland led BEA with eight rebounds. Juba finished with six assists while Barker had five. Dahlberg and Grandgenett led the team with three steals each.