Small Schools Playoffs: Broman buries Ogichidaa, Barnum moves on

Standing on the sidelines beside his bench Saturday afternoon, all Fond du Lac Ojibwe Coach Earl Otis could do is watch Anders Broman score basket after basket.

The Lakeview Christian Academy superstar has scored plenty of baskets in his incredible career, but none more memorable than his 5,000th point in the Lions’ 101-83 win over the Ogichidaa in a Section 7A quarterfinal at Duluth Denfeld.

The milestone bucket came on an assist from his younger brother, Bjorn, who swung the ball out to the top of the key, allowing Anders to drain the wide-open three-pointer 11 minutes into the contest. Anders scored a game-best 49 points Saturday and now has 5,025 points in his high school basketball career.

“I really don’t have a favorite spot, but I like the top of the key,” Broman told the Duluth News Tribune after the game. “I’ll take ’em wherever I can get open.

“This was special, and it was nice to have all my family here, along with the great teammates and coaching staff that we have,” continued Broman, the state’s all-time leading scorer who led the Lions (18-10) into Wednesday’s semifinals against Ely as the Pine Journal went to press. “This was an award for all of us. This was really a team accomplishment. I couldn’t have done it without them.”

The Ogichidaa (18-8) were without starter Bruce Martineau for much for the game, as the guard fouled out roughly three minutes into the second half without scoring a point.

“We missed our first three or four shots and [Lakeview] jumped on us right away,” said Otis, whose team had one senior and should be section contenders again next season. “I was hoping Bruce could have 20 [points] to compete with them. With him out, it didn’t help us at all. We had to play well to beat them. Hopefully we got the jitters out and can make a run next year.”

Trevontae Brown led the Ogichidaa with 41 points, hitting seven of the game’s 20 three-pointers. Davonte Williamson added 21 points for Fond du Lac.

Bjorn Broman had 27 points and half a dozen assists to follow his brother’s unforgettable day, which was capped off by a wave to the stands and commemorative ball.

“Anders is a remarkable young man and wonderful teammate,” Lakeview Coach Bob Newstrom told the Duluth News Tribune. “All I can say is we’re grateful that he’s on our team — and that we don’t have to defend him.”

“He does everything,” Otis continued. “He’s a lot stronger than I thought. He’s just a really good basketball player.”

Lower-seeded Carlton (12-14), meanwhile, played its way into Saturday’s Section 7A quarterfinals, before losing late to Cherry 57-51 in a game following the Ogichidaa’s earlier defeat.

To get to the quarterfinals Saturday, the Bulldogs had upended favored Floodwood 63-57 on the road last Thursday. Second-year Carlton Coach Adam Bailey said his team was confident entering the second-round game, but noted the win was earned.

“That was the win of the year, absolutely,” Bailey said. “We got in there, went down the floor and always hit the bigger shot.”

Shooting was problematic for the Bulldogs Saturday, as they lost their four-point halftime lead down the stretch and watched the Tigers tear into the semifinals against Chisholm.

“We didn’t shoot real well,” said Carlton senior Erik Adams, who had a team-best 14 points, followed by Dominic Bennett’s 13. “It would have been great to get farther, but I was satisfied. This was probably the farthest we’ve gotten in a couple years.”

“It was a game we could have won; another upset we could have pulled off,” added Kyle Gunderson, a four-year varsity player like Adams and one of seven graduating seniors. “I don’t think anybody thought we could beat Floodwood and get here, so it was a cool experience. [Cherry] put it away. We didn’t.”

In Section 5A, top-seeded Barnum (26-3) didn’t get shaken in their 51-46 overtime win over Onamia in Tuesday’s semifinals at Mora. Despite an early injury, Brandon Newman scored 30 points, while Daniel Warpula added 10 in the win.

The Bombers, which played back-to-back nights — defeating Northland-Remer Monday — due to weather cancellations last weekend, return to the finals Friday in Crosby, Minn., against fourth-ranked and undefeated Upsala (29-0).

“Tonight the kids fought hard, never panicked and hung on in the end,” Barnum Coach Rich Newman said. “We’re a little banged up, but I guarantee on [Friday] they’ll go play hard.”

Tags: fond du lac, sports, basketball, carlton, barnum