WADENA – A quick start propelled the Nevis boys basketball team back to the Section 5A championship game.
The Tigers never trailed after jumping out to an 11-1 lead in defeating Browerville-Eagle Valley 49-35 in the Section 5A West title game on Wednesday, March 15. Nevis will face Barnum in the Section 5A championship game on Friday (March 17) at St. John’s University at 7 p.m. Tickets for that game must be purchased online. Go to the Nevis school website for more information and to order tickets. The Tigers defeated Barnum 67-37 in last year’s 5A championship game.
Nevis, which defeated B-EV 79-53 in last year’s Section 5A West final, took control of this rematch from the opening tip. A layup by Alex Lester, two 3-pointers by Devan Lindow and a 3-pointer by JohnPaul Benson gave the Tigers an 11-1 lead with 11:04 to play in the first half. Hans Puck’s 3-pointer at the 10:28 mark provided B-EV’s first field goal, but the Tigers responded with a jumper by Benson, a layup by Lester and two free throws by Austin Ahrendt to build a 17-4 advantage at the 7:16 mark. A layup by Joe Houchin, three inside baskets by Ahrendt, and a jumper by Lindow gave Nevis a 28-14 cushion at the half.
Lester opened the second half with a layup and a basket off a rebound as Nevis led 32-14 with 13:58 to play. B-EV responded with a 13-4 run to cut the gap to 36-27 with 6:03 remaining. Miguel Maloney hit a 3-pointer and Reed Webster, Ryan Riedel and Puck had baskets during that stretch.
Nevis pushed its lead to double digits as a layup by Lindow and a jumper by Benson made it 40-27 with 4:19 left. The Tigers sealed the win by going 8 for 15 at the free throw line down the stretch. Two free throws apiece by Houchin, Ahrendt, Spencer Lindow and Devan Lindow gave Nevis a 49-32 lead before a 3-pointer by Puck concluded the scoring.
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Ahrendt (14), Devan Lindow (13), Benson (8) and Lester (8) combined for 43 points to lead the Tigers, who made only three 3-pointers in the game.
Puck led B-EV with 12 points.
The Tigers, who defeated B-EV 61-47 during the regular season, will carry a 23-6 record into the section final. B-EV ended the season with a 22-6 record.
Barnum, the No. 1 seed, defeated No. 3 Kaleidoscope Charter 46-36 in the Section 5A East title game. Barnum improved to 17-12 while Kaleidoscope Charter ended the season at 18-9.
The Section 5A champion will advance to the state Class A tournament, which begins on Wednesday (March 22) at Williams Arena in Minneapolis.
BROWERVILLE-EAGLE VALLEY: Puck 5 0-0 12, Maloney 2 3-6 8, Duncan 0 3-4 3, Riedel 2 0-0 4, Webster 4 0-2 8. Totals: 13 (FG), 6 for 12 (FT).
NEVIS: Ahrendt 4 6-11 14, D. Lindow 4 3-5 13, Houchin 1 2-6 4, Benson 3 1-2 8, Lester 4 0-0 8, Moe 0 0-0 0, S. Lindow 0 2-2 2. Totals: 16 (FG), 14 for 26 (FT).
Halftime: Nevis 28, B-EV 14. Three-pointers: Puck 2, Maloney 1, D. Lindow 2, Benson 1. Team fouls: B-EV 19, Nevis 13.
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