FERTILE-BELTRAMI EDGES SACRED HEART IN SECTION TOURNEY

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.

	1st	2nd	Final
Sacred Heart	23	31	54
Fosston	32	25	57

For Sacred Heart	Points
Parker Erickson	22
Josiah Sundby	14
Greg Downs	8
Mike Gapp	8
Isaac Ortiz Jake Satterlund	1 1