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Comets Earn Overtime Win in Evansville

By Craig Olson, 01/28/23, 7:15AM CST

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Hillcrest and Brandon-Evansville had a Little Eight Conference boys’ basketball showdown on Friday night with Hillcrest surviving overtime with a 56-54 win in Evansville.

“We came out strong in the first nine minutes or so in the game, holding the Chargers scoreless for nearly the first six minutes and getting mostly shots we liked,” reported Hillcrest Head Coach Ryan Garvin.  “Unfortunately, turnovers and not finishing at the rim in the first half really hurt us and turned into transition opportunities for B-E.  In the second half, Noah Brumfield picked up his fourth foul with 16 minutes left in the game.  He was limited to about 15 or 16 minutes tonight because of foul trouble, so other guys really had to step up.  We struggled to find any rhythm without him, but these young men found a way to battle back, get stops and get a bucket when they needed to.  Noah finished with a vital 16 points.”

With three minutes left in the game and the Chargers up six, Gabe Swedenburg cleared a rebound and got it to Brumfield who converted on an and-one.  Evansville responded with a bucket from Micah Fuller.  After hitting a tough floater to cut the lead back to 3, Brumfield and Luke Christensen were able to jump a ball handler and finish at the other end to cut the lead to 1.  After Evansville converted on 1-of-2 free throws, Justin Petersen was able to convert a tough lay-up tying the score at 52 and sending the game to overtime.  Petersen finished with 14 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists.  In the extra frame, both teams hit a pair of free throws, but it was a Petersen finish at the rim with 1:50 left that was the difference.

Matthew Knutson came off the bench to give us a ton of fantastic, game-altering minutes,” noted Coach Garvin.  “His defense in the second half was vital to us getting the win.  Gabe Swedenburg, who missed much of this week, also played some great defense in the latter part of the second half and grabbed two game-impacting rebounds that allowed us to seal the win.”

Preston Berge finished with 3 points, 7 rebounds, 4 blocks and 3 steals.  Christensen had 12 points, 11 rebounds, 4 blocks, 3 steals and 3 assists, and Sean Berge ended with 8 points, 3 steals and 3 assists.

“Coach Hintermeister always has his boys ready to play,” concluded Garvin.  “They played with great energy on the defensive end and hit some really big shots in key moments.  They’re a fast group of young men who can really shoot it.”

“I'm proud of this team and our hard work to improve,” commented B-E Head Coach Trent Hintermeister. “It's one thing to say it day in and day out, it's another to prove it. Every player in our program is buying into improving and it's so much fun to be a part of. Hillcrest is a fantastic team and very well-coached. They deserve a lot of credit for winning the game, I don't think we did anything to give them this win.” 

Brandon-Evansville (4-10, 2-6 LEC) will host Parkers Prairie in another LEC matchup on Tuesday.

Hillcrest (11-2, 8-1 LEC) has home games with Mahnomen/Waubun on Monday, Ashby on Tuesday and Border West on Friday.