GIRLS BASKETBALL: Sartell-St. Stephen breaks down Jacks in season opener

Christian Babcock, The Bemidji Pioneer, Minn.
·3 min read

Dec. 4—BEMIDJI — By halftime, it was 34-14.

It only got more lopsided from there for the Bemidji High School girls basketball team in its first game, as Sartell-St. Stephen's size and physicality bothered the Lumberjacks from the jump and helped the Sabres race out to an early lead that only kept growing.

As the running clock counted down the game's final seconds at the BHS Gymnasium, the scoreboard marked a stark welcome to the 2021-22 season for the Jacks: 63-26 in favor of the visitors.

"I just feel like we played so tight," Bemidji head coach Steve Schreiber said. "Just so nervous about everything kind of going on. We didn't trust our instincts. We didn't trust our offense or our teammates. I think that we just got to find a way to take a deep breath and be able to step onto a court with fans and with the other team out there and just play relaxed."

The Sabres (2-0) bothered Bemidji (0-1) consistently on the defensive end and forced a torrent of turnovers. It was a stark turnaround from how the Lumberjacks had performed in practice and summer ball.

"We played this team over the summer, and we beat them, but it was a very close game," Schreiber said. "... This caught me off guard. I'm really surprised. I think we could play this team 10 times and we'd split five and five. I would never have expected one team or the other to win by 30-some points."

Five players scored for Bemidji, as senior Jackie Johnson led the way with 10 points. The Jacks netted 12 of their 26 points on free throws, finishing the night with just six makes from the field.

Sartell-St. Stephen won't be the last team with a size advantage over the Lumberjacks. Countering opposing teams' length — including their ability to utilize their height and wingspan by pressing and trapping — will be a point of emphasis moving forward.

"We're not going to be bigger than probably any team that we play," Schreiber said. "We're just not a very big team this year. But we have to trust that we're going to be strong. We need to be strong with the ball. We have good ball handlers. ... I feel like the moment just got really big for them. And we were never able to really kind of settle down and let the moment pass."

BHS will have another opportunity to be ready for the moment at 7:15 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 7, at Grand Rapids.

Sartell-St. Stephen 63, Bemidji 26

SSS 34 29 — 63

BHS 14 12 — 26

SARTELL-ST. STEPHEN (2-0) — Templin 20, E. Crandall 10, Driste 10, Haus 5, Turner 4, DeMaine 3, Schulte 3, G. Crandall 2, Ka. Gack 2, McClure 2, Stutsman 2.

BEMIDJI (0-1) — Johnson 10, Bolte 6, Hildenbrand 4, Milbrandt 4, Bieber 2.