Brandon-Evansville jumped out to an early 6-0 lead.  “They definitely came out with more energy and composure than us, initially, but we were able to settle down.  Luke Christensen, whose vision and distribution has really improved from last year, found Ethan Swedberg for layups on back-to-back possessions and then Lincoln Nash collected and finished an offensive rebound that tied it back up at 6.”

Hillcrest then battled back with some stops and buckets, extending a lead to 25-15, but a series of turnovers and missed shots allowed the Chargers to close the gap to 4 points by halftime.  Micah Fuller of B-E had 19 of his game high 35 points in the first half.

In the second half, the Chargers came out with some energy and jumped out to a 39-36 lead off of some early Hillcrest miscues and solid offensive execution.  The Comets were able to open up a 10 point lead at 62-52, but the Chargers wouldn’t go away.  They stayed in it by making some timely buckets, but the defensive efforts of the Comets held them off.

“It was great to have Sean Berge back,” noted Coach Garvin.  “He hit a big three for us, dished out a couple of nice and timely assists, and finished a couple of possessions for us with finishes at the rim.  He definitely isn’t himself yet, but I’m sure it won’t take him long to get back to form.  This was such a surreal experience and it went so fast!  It was hard to slow down and appreciate, but we made some memories together today that will be unique to this group of young men and hopefully we’ll have some opportunities to reflect on it together!”

Leaders for the Comets were Noah Brumfield (19 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals), Luke Christensen (14 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks) and Ethan Swedberg (12 points, 4 rebounds).

In addition to Fuller’s 35 points, Brandon-Evansville had Tanner Riedel in double digits with 10 points. Riedel and Fuller led the team with 5 rebounds each and 3 steals apiece.  Fuller had a team high 3 assists.  Carter White added 8 points and Riley Perleberg had 5 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists.

“It was a really fun opportunity for both of our teams to play at Target Center before the Timberwolves game Saturday night,” commented Coach Hintermeister of Brandon-Evansville.  “We had great community support from both Hillcrest and B-E.  I want to say thanks to Ryan Garvin for making it all work out so well.  The game itself was very intense.  Multiple lead changes throughout the game and in the end a great Little Eight Conference game was played.  We look forward to a short turn-around and a 3 game week starting Monday with Swanville.”