Dec. 13—BEMIDJI — In the first half, Sartell was so cold from the field it might as well have been playing outside.
The Bemidji High School girls’ basketball team’s defense was operating at peak efficiency against the Sabres on Saturday at the BHS Fieldhouse. The Lumberjacks’ aggressive defense swallowed up rebounds, took away chances inside the paint and limited 3-pointers — exactly what assistant coach Travis Peterson is looking for.
“Defensively, we were real sound,” he said. “They just had trouble getting in the paint. And then when they did get a shot, we didn’t give them a second chance.”
On the other side of the court, Anysia Pink and Clara Bieber were shredding the Sabres.
Bieber got the first three buckets of the game as the Jacks jumped out to a 6-2 lead. Sartell kept it close early, but with Bemidji up 10-7, Pink went on a 7-0 run by herself to take control of the momentum.
Both players accounted for 27 of the Jacks’ 35 first-half points in their 64-36 win, their sixth straight.
“The first half was our best half of basketball on the season, definitely,” he said. “I felt that we were definitely the better team, but we came out and showed it right away and got after it. We’ve had a tendency to have some slow starts … but we just got the momentum right away and didn’t ever let go of it.”
Pink led the team with 19 points, 16 of which came in the first half. She was lights out from beyond the arc, leading the team in 3-pointers with three. With Bieber, who scored 17 on Saturday, the duo has been Bemidji’s most reliable scorers.
“You know, they’re both players that play multiple positions for us,” Peterson said of Pink and Bieber. “Clara, she can play guard and she can play a forward position. And Anysia, she’s more of a forward, but she steps out and hits 3s for us, too.
“So (they’re) a tough matchup for teams. And defensive-wise, we can put either of them on pretty much anybody, whether they’re a guard or a forward. And so we like them in that respect that they’re a tough matchup for other teams.”
Another high scorer was Liv Thompson with 10 points on the afternoon. She took some ugly fouls to get on the free throw line, where she was a perfect 6-for-6.
Trying to play catch-up, Sartell focused on hitting 3s, netting four in the second half. It was a rare category the Sabres led in — they hit six 3s Saturday afternoon, while Bemidji made five.
After the game, the team signed autographs for the children in attendance. It’s a tradition BHS tries to do at least once a year.
“A lot of these younger girls and boys know our players from some of our youth camps where our players come in and help out,” Peterson said. “So they know the faces and they get to know them.
“These girls all remember when that was them on the other side of the table and looking up to the Lumberjacks, so it’s pretty cool.”
Saturday’s victory is the sixth win in a row for the Jacks (6-1) after losing in the season opener to Little Falls.
Bemidji has four games remaining before Christmas break: Tuesday at home against Pequot Lakes, Thursday at Little Falls, Friday at Fergus Falls and Dec. 22 at home against St. Michael-Albertville.
Bemidji 64, Sartell 36
BHS 35 29 — 64
SAR 17 19 — 36
Bemidji — Pink 19, Bieber 17, A. Thompson 10, LaZella 7, Daman 6, Sherwood 3, Wilde 2.
Sartell — K. Schumann 8, Koosman 8, G. Schumann 7, Thompson 6, Hovda 2, Olson 2, Frieler 2.
About the Author
