Wildcats win two before loss to De Soto

The Blair-Taylor basketball team pulled away from Independence/Gilmanton in the second half and held on to beat Augusta before falling to De Soto last week.

The Wildcats had just a one-point lead at halftime of their 77-42 win over Independence/Gilmanton on Tuesday last week. The team had a big lead against Augusta on Friday, but had to make free throws down the stretch to hold on for a 65-59 win. The next day, De Soto went on a big run toward the end of the first half and another at the start of the second for a 69-48 win.

B-T began this week with a 6-6 overall record, including a 6-3 mark in Dairyland Conference play. The team played at Osseo-Fairchild on Monday, then will be off until next Tuesday when it hosts Melrose-Mindoro. 

Blair-Taylor 77 I/G 42

The Wildcats were fortunate to be ahead at halftime after a halfcourt shot bounced off the rim, but the team broke the game open in the second half.

B-T was ahead for most of the first half, but looked like it could be trailing at halftime when I/G’s Nery Lopez launched a halfcourt shot that bounced off the backboard and to the rim before rolling off.

With the miss, B-T took a 24-23 advantage into the intermission and was aggressive coming out of the break.

B-T scored the first 10 points of the second half as the team turned several steals into open layups. Brady Thompson scored eight points as part of a 14-2 B-T run that began the second frame. 

The teams exchanged baskets over the next few minutes of play before the Wildcats broke the game open with three straight three-pointers — two by Kyle Jahr and one by Colby Dahl — that made the score 51-29 with nine minutes remaining.

B-T shot 47.8% from the floor and made seven three-pointers in the game. 

CJ Dummer scored 22 points to lead B-T while Thompson added 16. Nolan Schank led the Indees with 17 points. 

B-T (field goals/attempts-free throws/attempts-rebounds-fouls-points) — Kruse 0/1-0/0-0-0-0 Dummer 11/21-0/0-8-3-22 Trapp 1/1-0/0-0-0-0 Johnson 1/8-2/3-4-3-4 Olson 4/10-0/0-5-1-9 Dahl 2/4-0/0-1-0-6 Markos 2/2-0/0-0-0-0 Kidd 1/1-0/0-0-0-0 Jahr 2/4-0/0-2-1-6 Thompson 7/9-0/0-3-0-16 Beck 1/5-2/2-1-0-4 Halverson 1/3-0/3-11-2-2

I/G (field goals/attempts-free throws/attempts-rebounds-fouls-points) — N. Lopez 4/11-0/1-3-0-8 Ignacio 1/8-0/0-6-0-2 Parr 3/9-0/0-4-1-6 Turner 1/8-2/2-5-0-4 Schank 8/15-1/4-11-1-17 E. Lopez 0/2-0/0-1-1-0 Kreibich 0/1-0/0-2-1-0 Pronschinske 1/1-0/0-0-1-2

B-T 65 Augusta 59

After holding a big lead with about 11 minutes to play, the Wildcats needed to execute down the stretch to hold on for the win.

B-T had a seven-point lead at halftime and stretched it to double digits early in the second half after consecutive baskets by Dummer and Adam Halverson put the team ahead 45-32.

Halverson scored again to give B-T a 16-point lead at 50-34 with 11 minutes remaining, but the Beavers kept chewing away. Augusta responded with a 17-4 run to pull within four at 55-51. 

B-T went inside to Halverson for a basket again then Dummer made a handful of free throws down the stretch to secure the win.

Halverson had perhaps the best game of his high school career, scoring 19 points and pulling in 13 rebounds. Dummer had another big game with 30 points and nine rebounds while Collin Johnson scored 12.

B-T (field goals/attempts-free throws/attempts-rebounds-fouls-points) — Dummer 12/25-6/9-8-0-30 Johnson 3/9-5/9-3-2-12 Olson 0/5-2/3-7-2-2 Jahr 0/2-2/2-0-0-2 Thompson 0/5-0/0-5-3-0 Halverson 8/16-3/6-13-1-19

De Soto 69 B-T 48

The Pirates went on a big run in the first half and B-T couldn’t recover.

The Wildcats had a 15-14 lead with about nine minutes to play, but the Pirates scored the next six points. B-T was within three at 22-19 after a jumper by Dummer, but the Pirates scored the next 14 points.

De Soto held a 36-23 lead at halftime and scored the first 11 points after the break to pull away. 

The Pirates shot 46% from the field in the game, including nine made three-pointers. B-T shot 32.8% and was three-for-22 on three-point attempts.

Dummer scored 17 to lead B-T, but he was the only player with more than six points.

B-T (field goals/attempts-free throws/attempts-rebounds-fouls-points) —  Dummer 8/20-0/0-5-0-17 Johnson 2/10-0/0-3-0-5 Olson 2/7-0/0-2-1-4 Dahl 0/2-0/0-1-0-0 Markos 0/1-2/4-1-0-2 Kidd 1/1-0/0-1-0-2 Jahr 1/7-1/2-9-1-4 Thompson 1/4-0/0-5-0-2 Beck 3/8-0/0-4-1-6 Halverson 3/4-0/0-12-2-6