The grueling road that was the Section 6AA boys basketball tournament came down to a stiff battle won by Braham 86-82 over Albany Friday night, March 4 inside St. Cloud State’s Hallenbeck Hall. The Bombers will next play in the State quarterfinals on Wednesday, March 9 at either the Target Center or Williams Arena (6 or 8 p.m.), depending on how the seeding comes out on Saturday.
Guard Ryan Larson was the catalyst in the first half against the Huskies when he scored 17 points in the opening 18:00, soaring for points off steals or popping floating jumpers. The Bombers took a 41-36 lead into the break.
The second half stayed very tight with with John Larson ramming to the hole for Braham’s early points. Albany’s Birr, Hylla and Carlson soon knocked down ‘3s’ which had them leading by seven at 63-57. A R. Larson three-point play helped turn the tide, and Chris Olson swished a ‘3’ that put Braham back up 64-63 at the 7:00 mark. From there, the Bombers’ savvy had them, including a pair of ‘3s’ by Alec Olson and C. Olson’s extended work at the free throw line, had creating just enough cushion to get past the Huskies for the team’s eighth State berth and first since 2012.
