On January 5, just five seconds into the game, Myles Barnes had won the tip-off and Isaiah Zierden had already registered the first points off the game coming from beyond the arc giving the Red Knights and early lead. BSM’s next possession ended with a dunk thrown down by Myles Barnes.

With this strong start, it looked as though BSM was bouncing back strong after their first loss was handed to them by Minnetonka on December 22. However, the Cooper Hawks, led by Division I prospect Calvin Godfrey, ultimately overpowered the Red Knights, outscoring BSM 83-80.

Calvin Godfrey, a 6’8” senior being recruited by Oregon State and Minnesota, displayed his athletic ability and physical presence on both sides of the ball. “We knew that [Godfrey] is a great rebounder along with their whole team,” said assistant coach Jeff Fix. “We prepared to box out more and limit them to just one shot.”

During the game, BSM couldn’t seem to hold the momentum for long. “Every dunk and block [Cooper] had just gave them more energy, and they fed off of our turnovers late in the game,” said sophomore guard Sanjay Lumpkin.

Although it was the second close loss in a row to a highly-ranked team, BSM is optimistic about the thrilling game. “Sure, it was disappointing but we played hard every single possession and it’s a long season,” said Coach Fix.

Zierden, a sophomore guard, led the way for the Red Knights with 23 points, including four three-pointers. Senior Peter Crawford contributed 22 points, with 17 coming in the first half. Myles Barnes, who had two early fouls, ended the game with 13 points.

For the Hawks, Godfrey ended the game collecting 23 points, 14 rebounds, and four blocks as he led his team to their seventh victory of the season. The senior proved himself to be one of the elite power forward in not only Minnesota, but the nation.

“With this bitter loss, BSM has a chance at revenge on February 11 at Cooper. [The rematch] will be just like the first one but hopefully we won’t turn it over as much,” said Zierden.