The Baltic Bulldog boys held off a fourth quarter rally by the Elkton-Lake Benton Elks and won 42-41 at home on Tuesday, February 11th.
The Elks built a 9-4 lead throughout the first quarter. They extended the lead to 12-4 with 7:30 to go in the second quarter. Baltic went on an 8-0 run to tie the game 12-12 with 5:45 to go in the half. Elkton-Lake Benton, however, took a 19-18 lead into halftime.
The Bulldogs went on a run in the third quarter and grabbed a 35-30 lead going into the fourth quarter. They were able to extend that lead to 10 points, 40-30, with 5:40 to play in the game. Elkton-Lake Benton rallied and pulled within two points, 41-39, with 2:20 to go. After almost two minutes of scoreless play, the Elks tied the game 41-41 with :35 left. Trevor Cuperus made a free throw with :06 to play to give the Bulldogs a 42-41 lead. The Bulldogs had a chance to pad the lead with two more free throws moments later, but both were no good. The Elks grabbed the rebound and made a half-court heave at the buzzer, but the shot banged off the back of the rim no good.
Cuperus finished with 16 points and eight rebounds. Kellen Artz added 10 points, 16 rebounds, and four assists. Ben Erickson also had 10 points and three rebounds. Benjamin Berg had three points and four rebounds. Dylan Runestad ended with three points and two assists.
