Bagley's undefeated 27-0 Flyers

Flyers survive
By Brandon Omdahl
Grand Forks Herald Staff Writer - 03/14/2007

Bagley boys basketball coach Todd Fore described Andrew Lundell as a player with a slight build but a big heart. Lundell came up big when the Flyers needed him most Tuesday night. The senior guard had 28 points and eight rebounds to lead undefeated Bagley past Red Lake 63-53 in a Section 8AA semifinal at Minnesota-Crookston. Lundell entered the game averaging 12 points a game. "I wasn't going to let our team lose," Lundell said. "It's all or nothing at this time of the year." Lundell stole an errant Red Lake pass and went the other way to complete a 3-point play to start a 19-5 run in the second half. "(Lundell) has been fabulous for us this whole tournament," Fore said. "He lacks in mass, but his heart makes up for that. He refuses to lose." Red Lake used a 12-4 run midway through the first half to build an 11-point lead. Red Lake guard Tridell Beaulieu had all 12 of his points in the first half. The Warriors led 30-25 at halftime. "We came out and played poorly in the first half," Fore said. "We shot, rebounded and played defense poorly. They came out and just played harder than we did." Bagley built a nine-point lead late in the second half, but Tom Barrett scored 12 consecutive Red Lake points to keep it close. Free throws down the stretch sealed the victory for the Flyers. Bagley shot 23-for-32 from the free-throw line, while Red Lake was 6-for-14. Brodie Camp scored 15 points for Bagley, which improved to 27-0. Barrett scored 19 points to lead Red Lake, which ended the season at 18-8. Is the undefeated record a distraction for the Flyers? "I think the kids feel a little bit a pressure," Fore said. "We haven't played our best ball in this tournament yet. We're lucky to get out of this with a win." Lundell said: "I don't see us being undefeated as a distraction. We're at the time of the year where you need to win no matter what anyway." Bagley faces Pelican Rapids in the title game at 7 p.m. Friday at Concordia-Moorhead.