SACRED HEART PULLS AWAY IN 2ND HALF TO BEAT PIRATE BOY’S BASKETBALL

The Sacred Heart Eagles used a strong second half to pull away from the Crookston Pirate Boys Basketball team for a 66-54 victory in the Grand Forks Lions Shootout played at Grand Forks Central High School.

The first quarter was a fast-paced back-and-forth battle with several lead changes and Crookston took a 12-11 lead when Jaden Lubarski completed a three-point play with a few minutes left in the quarter.  The teams exchanged baskets in the final minutes and Sacred Heart took a 15-14 lead into the second quarter.  “Early on we were able to get some baskets,” said Pirate Coach Greg Garmen. “We had a tough time stopping them and they had too many points on drives.”

In the second quarter, Crookston had a strong start to the second quarter with a
Caden Osborn three-point play for a 17-15 lead before Sacred Heart came back to tie the game with two Brandon Bethke free throws.  Crookston regained the lead with another Osborn basket, but Sacred Heart answered with two more Bethke free throws for the second tie of the quarter at 19-19.  Crookston had a 5-0 run with a Jack Garmen basket and Walker Winjum three-pointer for a 24-19 lead halfway through the quarter.  Sacred Heart responded with a 6-1 run to tie the game at 25-25, the third tie of the quarter.  Sacred Heart answered with a six straight points behind baskets from Bethke, Evavold, and Evan Sczepanski for a 31-25 lead.  Crookston ended the half with a Nick Garmen basket and Sacred Heart led 31-27 going into halftime.  “We pulled Caden out because he was in foul trouble and they made a little bit of a run,” said Pirate Coach Greg Garmen. “We made a basket at the end of the half and that was good.”

Sacred Heart built a 43-36 lead in the third quarter before Jack and Nick Garmen scored and Crookston trailed 43-40, but Brandon Bethke finished the quarter with five straight points to give Sacred Heart a 48-40 lead going into the fourth quarter.

Sacred Heart continued to build on their lead and built a 14 point lead a couple of times and held on the rest of the way for a 66-54 victory.  “Caden and Nick have been pretty consistent and the rest have been inconsistent and that has hurt us not knowing what to expect in each game,” said Coach Garmen. “We will continue to work with them and try to put them in positions to be successful.  It isn’t a lack of effort because the guys are playing hard.  We just need to find some more consistency.”

Crookston drops to 6-11 on the year and will travel to Pelican Rapids on Tuesday.  Sacred Heart improves to 13-5 on the year.