Fertile-Beltrami dominates Crookston Boys Basketball

The Crookston Pirate Boys Basketball team will take on the Fertile-Beltrami Falcons in Fertile tonight at 7:30 p.m.
Crookston is 0-2 on the year while Fertile-Beltrami is 1-0 after a 66-30 victory over Fosston on Thursday.
The game will be on KROX Radio (1260 AM), on your smart speaker by saying “listen to K-R-O-X in Crookston,” or online by clicking on listen live.

FIRST HALF –
Fertile-Beltrami had a strong start as Preston Hanson had a layup off the opening tip. 6’8 senior Drew Gullickson followed with back-to-back baskets for a 6-0 lead. Crookston’s Gunnar Groven got his team on the board with a jump shot. Fertile-Beltrami answered with a basket before Crookston’s Groven answered with a baseline jump shot. Five minutes into the game, Fertile-Beltrami led 14-9

SECOND HALF –
Fertile-Beltrami dominated the second half as they scored the first five points of the half with baskets from Bjerk and Hanson and a free throw from Drew Gullickson for a 45-20 lead. Crookston’s Beau Smith stopped the run with a basket before Fertile-Beltrami’s Bjerk made a three-pointer. Crookston’s Carter Fee went in for a layup, and after the ball hit the backboard, it was blocked, and goaltending was called, and the Pirates trailed 48-24. The Falcons’ Bjerk answered with another three-pointer, and Gullickson added a basket for a 53-24 lead over four minutes into the half.
Crookston eighth-grader Beau Smith scored a basket before Fertile-Beltrami went on a 14-2 run with eight points from Preston Hanson and six points from Drew Gullickson for a 67-28 lead with 7:45 remaining. Running time started with nine minutes left in the game and that made the rest of the game fly by. Crookston’s Smith got a three-point play to stop the run, and he ended with a career high 11 points in the game, but Fertile-Beltrami cruised the rest of the way as both teams went deep to the bench as the Falcons won 73-37.