Blooming Prairie Boys Beaten at the Buzzer
The Blooming Prairie boys basketball had finally rallied to take the lead against Waterville-Elysian-Morristown in Waterville. Only seconds remained. But it was just enough time for Grant McBroom to sink a three-pointer at the buzzer for a 53-52 win over the Awesome Blossoms. The win secured at least a share of the Gopher Conference title for the No. 5 ranked Buccaneers (21-1 overall, 10-0 Gopher).
It was only the third loss of the season for No. 10 BP (17-3, 8-2). WEM edged Blooming Prairie 64-60 January 10 and Goodhue topped BP 40-34 at Target Century on February 1. Listen to Jason Iacovino's call of the final play of the game, carried on Kat Kountry 105 FM.
BP senior Gabe Hagen hit a layup with 8.7 seconds to go giving the Blossoms a 52-50 lead. Blooming Prairie coach Nate Piller indicated, "We did a lot of things really well. It's disappointing that we didn't close the deal. So many things that could have changed the outcome. It's no one person's fault. That's the game."
"WEM played pretty well too...We went into that game in tough shape with injuries and absences. That just adds to the frustration in some ways."
Piller was pleased with how well the team overcame those obstacles to play as they did on the road, "I'm so proud of these guys. They have so much heart and drive. We'll bounce back. They feel bad right now, but we'll be better because of this."
Hagen led BP with 19 points. Kaden Thomas added 18 points, hitting five three-pointers. Drew Kittelson added 11. McBroom led all scorers with 21 points.
Blooming Prairie plays a makeup game at United South Central Thursday, February 13 and hosts Medford Valentine's Night.