Wildcats versus Panthers in final: Nevis fights, but not hard enough

I first started at the Bemidji (Minn.) Pioneer as an intern in the summer of 1996. That would begin six years as a news reporter, sports reporter and copy editor for a small, six-day-per-week daily newspaper in northern Minnesota. I wrote a large range of stories from multiple beats, to features to sports, my favorite being the coverage of the Red Lake Reservation High School basketball team named the Warriors. Here is a collection of my stories from my time at the Pioneer.

Feb. 28, 1999

By Devlyn Brooks

The second-ranked Cass Lake-Bena Panthers struggled briefly, but cruised easily past third-seeded Nevis in the other Sub-Section 6A East semifinal held Saturday at BSU.

The Tigers were a worthy opponent, fighting back from a 24-14 halftime deficit to pull within five points at the end of the third quarter.

But the Panthers had one weapon that Nevis didn't -- height.

The Panthers' senior forward Heather Eidsmoe, who was relatively ineffective in the first half got a hot hand, pummeling Nevis inside.

Eidsmoe scored 12 points in the second half, four coming from the free throw line, and 20 overall on 7-of-16 shooting.

Backed up by senior forward Tanya Church, who scored nine, the Panthers had a sizable advantage.

Five-foot-nine-inch Heidi Nelson, a guard by nature, but who plays inside for the Tigers by reason of being the tallest person on the team, was little opposition for Eidsmoe.

"One of our options is to get the ball inside to either Heather or Tanya," Panthers coach Rod Benson said. "But we weren't always successful tonight. When we weren't Nevis exploited it."

Nevis did rally a bit in the third period, outscoring the Panthers 15-10, but in the fourth they were outgunned.

Forced to foul to slow the game. Nevis sent the Panthers to the line 13 times in the fourth quarter and they connected on 10 of them. It helped Cass Lake-Bena post a 24-point quarter, and clinch the semifinal victory.

"Even though a score may not indicate it, in tournament time, the game is always close," Benson said. "Nevis is well coached. We're just fortunate to come out on top."

The Panthers improved to 15-8 this season and moved on to face Laporte Tuesday at 7 p.m. at BSU Gymnasium.

Nevis fell to 10-13 on the year.