B-T rally falls short in sectional semifinal

When Bangor came out on fire from the three-point line, Blair-Taylor boys basketball head coach Randy Storlie knew his team was in trouble.

“We really tried to take the middle away early because they love to drive and go to the hole,” Storlie said. “We were just gambling that they wouldn’t hit those three-point shots and they knocked them down.”

The Cardinals made four three pointers early in the sectional semifinal game as they took a sizable lead. The Wildcats kept the game within striking distance, but ended up losing 72-55.

B-T took an early lead when Cain Fremstad had a three-point play on the first possession, but the Cardinals responded with a basket then hit consecutive three pointers to take a 10-3 lead.

Jaren Swanson came back with a three pointer for B-T, but Bangor scored twice more to take a 14-6 lead.

A Fremstad three pointer kept the Wildcats close, but Dustin MacDonald hit two three pointers then scored on a possession in which Bangor got three offensive rebounds, to put his team ahead 24-9.

“They hit the shots and that made us stretch our defense out,” Storlie said. “From that point on, their physical size and strength was just a little bit too much for us. And, of course, when you’re playing 10 points behind a good team like that, you’re behind the eight ball.”

The Wildcats kept fighting in the game. A 7-0 run with four points by Fremstad and a three pointer by Kyle Obieglo cut the lead to 10 at 31-21 with 2:40 left in the first half.

The teams exchanged free throws as Bangor took a 35-24 lead into halftime.

Bangor opened the second half with a 6-1 run and led by a comfortable margin for most of the half, leading by 19 at one point, but the Wildcats had one last run in them.

Fremstad cut the lead to 11 with 4:40 left after he hit a three pointer. The teams went back and forth before a three-point play by the B-T senior made the score 60-50.

“They didn’t give up, they just kept playing,” Storlie said of his team’s comeback. “They did what we wanted them to do. They took good shots, they hit shots.”

B-T had a chance to cut the lead further after a Bangor turnover, but they missed two three pointers and the Cardinals got the rebound. A Bangor basket put them ahead by 12 before Obieglo hit from three again, making the score 62-53 with 2:20 left.

From there, though, the Cardinals would work time off the clock before making two free throws. 

Another empty possession led to two more free throws before a steal gave the Cardinals a dunk that clinched the win. Free throws in the closing minutes helped Bangor pull away for the 17-point advantage.

Fremstad led B-T with 28 points while Obieglo had 11, Evan Nehring finished with eight, Swanson, six and Michael Waldera, two. McDonald led Bangor with 23.

B-T’s season ended with an 18-10 record as they tied for third in the Dairyland Conference Large Division. They were the only Dairyland Conference team to play in the sectional round. 

Their success was considered a surprise by some, as the Wildcats were playing with almost an entirely new roster than what they had the previous three years, graduating a large and talented senior class that helped the team to three consecutive sectional final appearances. 

“We were written off before the season even started because we lost that great senior group of last year,” Storlie said. “I can’t say enough about our kids. They came together, played hard. We were written off and we just kept putting the puzzle pieces together. They were working hard and they had a great time doing it. It was fun coaching them and I can’t ask any more out of them.”