Blossom girls stay undefeated

The Blooming Prairie girls basketball team not only haven’t lost a game yet, they haven’t won by fewer than 10 points after beating Hayfield 53-43 on Tuesday, Jan. 26, and Maple River 58-41 on Friday, Jan. 29.
Before the Blossoms’ game against the Vikings started, the two teams shared a special moment when both wore pink shirts as a tribute to Hayfield sophomore Macy Holtan who passed away in a car crash on her way to school on Wednesday, Jan. 20.
The Blossoms also presented each Viking with flowers and a gift and paid their respects to Holtan’s family who were in attendance.
Once the game started, Hayfield started the game on a 15-4 run thanks in part to its press defense, which forced seven early Blooming Prairie turnovers.
However, once the Blossoms adjusted to the Vikings’ defense, their experience and assertiveness helped them claw their way back and eventually take a 32-28 lead into halftime.
In the second half, Hayfield once against got off to a fast start. The Vikings scored the first four points to tie the game at 32.
Then, after an 8-0 run by Blooming Prairie, Hayfield scored back-to-back buckets to trim the Blossoms’ lead to 40-36.
However, after that, Blooming Prairie took over, going on a 12-0 run over a seven-minute stretch to seal its fourth straight win.
Overall, the Blossoms showed some good signs, such as rallying from an 11-point deficit and shooting 17 free throws, but also will want to work on limiting the number of turnovers they commit after turning the ball over 22 times against Hayfield.
Bobbie Bruns led the Blossoms with 19 points, nine rebounds and eight steals, while Megan Oswald finished with 15 points, seven rebounds and five steals.
BP team scoring: Bobbie Bruns 19, Oswald 15, Allison Krohnberg 7, Anna Pauly 6, Maggie Bruns 4 and Emily Miller 2.
Blossoms 58, Maple River 41
Against Maple River, the two teams traded baskets until Maggie Bruns sank a three-pointer to give the Blossoms an 11-8 lead.
That basket ended up being the start of a 12-3 run by Blooming Prairie, which gave them a 20-11 lead with just under eight minutes left in the first half.
The Eagles responded with a 10-0 run to take a one-point lead with just over two minutes left in the first half.
Head Coach John Bruns said his team struggled throughout the first half due to some missed opportunities, defensive breakdowns and some rebounding problems, but got just enough offense to take a 25-23 lead into halftime.
“Maggie Bruns carried us offensively with three three-pointers in the first half and without those we would have been in trouble,” he said.
He noted that the girls played better defense in the second half, which led to more scoring opportunities.
“The second half we tightened up some things defensively and got our transition game going,” he said.
In fact, Bruns said the transition feeds from Bobbie Bruns and Maren Forystek are one of the main reasons Megan Oswald scored 13 points in the second half.
The Blossoms’ (5-0 overall, 4-0 in Gopher Conference) next game is a road contest against Medford at 7:15 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 5. Blooming Prairie’s next home game is against NRHEG at 7:15 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 9.
BP team scoring: Megan Oswald 17 points and 11 rebounds, Maggie Bruns 14 points, Bobbie Bruns 11 points and seven assists, Anna Pauly six points and eight rebounds, Allison Krohnberg five points, Maren Forystek three points and Ashleigh Alwes two points.