The Fertile-Beltrami Falcons had four huge free throws from Caiden Swenby in the final 30 seconds of the game to secure a 57-54 victory over the Sacred Heart Eagles in the Section 8A Boys Basketball tournament quarter-finals at the Ralph Englestad Arena in Thief River Falls on Saturday afternoon.
FIRST HALF –
Sacred Heart started the game with the hot hand as Mike Gapp and Parker Erickson made three-pointers for a 6-0 lead. Fertile-Beltrami settled in and responded with a Caiden Swenby sideline jump shot and a Preston Hanson three-pointer to get within a 6-5 deficit. Sacred Heart added to the lead with an Erickson basket before Fertile-Beltrami’s Mason Nowacki made a basket, and Hanson converted a three-point play for a 10-8 lead. Sacred Heart bounced back with an Erickson three-pointer before Fertile-Beltrami answered with a Hanson three-point play and two Derek Sorenson free throws for a 15-11 lead with 11:28 remaining in the half. The teams battled back and forth while exchanging baskets, and the Falcons led 24-20 with 6:23 to go in the half. Fertile-Beltrami dominated the final six minutes of the half and ended on an 8-3 run behind three-pointers from Easton Petry and Masen Nowacki and two Swenby free throws for a 32-23 lead at halftime.
SECOND HALF –
Sacred Heart started the second half with a Gapp three-pointer, which was followed by a Fertile-Beltrami Nowacki three-pointer, and the Falcons led 35-26. Sacred Heart started to heat up offensively after they seemed to pick up their defensive play. Josiah Sundby got things going with five straight points, and after a Falcon basket, Greg Downs and Josiah Sundby made baskets, and Isaac Ortiz added a free throw, and Fertile-Beltrami’s lead was down to 37-35 with 12:19 left in the game. Fertile-Beltrami led 41-37 when Sacred Heart’s Erickson made a three-pointer. The Falcon’s Nowacki answered with a basket before Erickson made another three-pointer to tie the game at 43-42. The tie was the first of the game since it was 0-0.
Fertile-Beltrami responded with eight straight points, with Hanson, Caleb Stoltman, Swenby, and Petry scoring two points each for a 51-43 lead with five minutes remaining. Fertile-Beltrami led 53-45 when Sacred Heart mounted a big comeback with Josiah Sundby making a three-pointer while Erickson and Downs added baskets to get within a 53-52 deficit with 30 seconds left in the game. Sacred Heart fouled Fertile-Beltrami’s Swenby, who made both free throws for a 55-52 lead with 23.8 seconds to go. Sacred Heart answered with a Downs layup. Fertile-Beltrami’s Swenby was fouled with 5.5 seconds left and made the front end of the bonus and also made the second for a 57-54 lead with 5.4 seconds left in the game. Sacred Heart pushed the ball up the floor and got a pass to Downs for a three-pointer, but it missed off the front of the rim, and Fertile-Beltrami held on to win the game 57-54.
Fertile-Beltrami improves to 23-6 and will play the winner of Red Lake County and Warren-Alvarado-Oslo in the semi-finals on Wednesday at Ralph Engelstad Arena in Thief River Falls at 6:00 p.m. KROX will have the game on the radio and live stream with the pre-game show at 5:30 p.m. Sacred Heart’s season comes to an end with a 17-11 record and they will say goodbye to the following seniors – Mike Gapp, Jonny Speicher, Josiah Sundby, Ben Wharam, and Jordan Coward.
For Falcon Coach Neil Steffes’ post-game comments, CLICK HERE.
CLICK HERE for Sacred Heart Coach Destry Sterkel’s comments.
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1st
|
2nd
|
Final
|
Sacred Heart
|
23 | 31 | 54 |
Fosston
|
32 | 25 | 57 |
For Fertile-Beltrami
|
Points
|
Caiden Swenby | 18 |
Masen Nowacki | 12 |
Preston Hanson | 11 |
Easton Petry | 7 |
Bryer Strem | 3 |
Caleb Stoltman Derek Sorenson Cody Opdahl |
2 2 2 |
For Sacred Heart
|
Points
|
Parker Erickson | 22 |
Josiah Sundby | 14 |
Greg Downs | 8 |
Mike Gapp | 8 |
Isaac Ortiz Jake Satterlund |
1 1 |
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