As the girls’ basketball team went into their first section playoff game, there was an air of confidence about the team. The Red Knights, seeded number 4, took on fifth seeded Waconia Wildcats at home on February 29.

The Red Knights were missing a handful of players due to injuries. Senior captain Madelon Morin and sophomores Tish Alexander and Laura Kosch all played a limited number of minutes due to injuries.

The combination of hurt players and great outside shooting from Waconia did not bode well for the Red Knights. After a very close first half BSM couldn’t hold on for the win and lost the game 57-53.

The Red Knights played strong defense in the first half. They picked up some easy lay-ups following steals. Alexander had 3 steals leading to lay-ups in the first half. They also rebounded well considering their height disadvantage.

At half the Red Knights were up by 1, leading 24-23. “At half it set in that their season would be over unless they went out there and went crazy,” said head coach Bob Lyons.

As the second half got underway, it was clear that Waconia was having a very good game. “We took their inside game away, but unfortunately their guards scored 7 threes,” said Lyons.

Waconia’s outside shooting came as a surprise to the Red Knights considering Waconia’s stats. “The 3 guards that scored the 7 three-pointers had only scored 10 all together all season,” said Lyons.

Many of BSM’s girls on the court had played most of the second half and they began to get tired. Several turnovers later, Waconia’s lead jumped to 12, making the score 49-37.

Within the last three minutes, BSM made a great comeback effort. Cy’erra Mills, Ruane and Alexander got multiple steals. BSM ran their offense smartly and made the shots they took. They scored 8 points in the last three minutes.

It was apparent that Waconia played the game of their life when the team rushed onto the court afterwards like they had won the State Tournament. “A lot of the seniors were sad because it was just really sudden,” said senior captain Colleen Ruane.

The Red Knights finished their season third in conference with a respectable 18-9 record. “I think we did a lot better than people expected us to do. We had 18 girls on the team and we had never had that before,” said Morin.