Becca Dahlman has beaten teams with her scoring, defense and will in four seasons at Braham, but in the Section 7AA girls basketball championship against Esko on Thursday, Bombers coach Tim Malone unleashed a new strategy.
Resting her.
A rejuvenated Dahlman came out in the second half and scored 26 of her game-high 28 points as Braham rallied from a 26-19 halftime deficit to win 63-52 before about 1,300 fans at Romano Gym.
After picking up two early fouls, Dahlman played just 2 minutes in the first half as Malone didn't want the sophomore sensation, or starting forward Katie Nickles, to pick up their third fouls.
"As goofy as it may sound, I wasn't too rattled by our foul trouble," Malone said. "The only thing that happened was that we got rested, and in the end, I think it might have worked out better for us. We still had two of our most important players on the floor when it mattered most."
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Braham (28-2), the 2010 Class AA runner-up, advances to play the Section 8 champion (Pequot Lakes or East Grand Forks) at 6 p.m. Wednesday in the Class AA quarterfinals at Williams Arena in Minneapolis. Esko (26-4) was vying for its 10th state tournament and first since 2007.
Thursday's game was eerily similar to last year's section final, when an Esko team that had been throttled by Braham during the regular season came out and gave the Bombers all they could handle, only to eventually fall.
With Dahlman out, junior forward Kelsey Sorenson-Giffrow picked up the slack, scoring 12 of her 21 points in the first half as Braham kept it close.
A 10-2 run gave Esko its seven-point cushion at the break, but the Eskomos knew they'd get a heavy dose of Dahlman in the second half.
Dahlman, a 5-foot-8 guard who averages 30 points per game and is on pace to become the first girl in state history to surpass 4,000 for her career, doesn't recall ever being held to two points or less in a half.
"My focus just shut down in that first half," Dahlman said. "I picked up a couple stupid fouls, and I knew I had to play better. The second half we wanted to take it to them right away. I didn't want to lose that game one bit. This is something we've been dreaming about since second grade, and we don't plan on stopping here."
Dahlman came out aggressive in the second half, and with her and Nickles no longer on the bench, Braham brought back its full-court press. The Bombers retook the lead 4 minutes into the second half when Dahlman completed a 4-point play after sinking a 3-pointer from the corner.
Esko, which got 20 points from senior standout Keely Deadrick, kept it close but could never regain the momentum as Braham made 21 of 23 free throws -- compared to 3 of 6 for the Eskomos.
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"We had the advantage in the first half with Becca sitting so much, but unfortunately she came out with really fresh legs in the second half and was tough to slow down," said Esko coach Scott Antonutti. "She's awfully good, and the rest of their team is really solid. You kind of have to pick your poison to try stop them, but it's not easy. Hats off to them, and we wish them luck."
Braham 19-44--63
Esko 26-26--52
Braham -- Liz Anderson 5, Kayla Nickles 3, Kelsey Sorenson-Giffrow 21, Hannah Dahlman 4, Becca Dahlman 28, Katie Nickles 2. Totals 18 21-23 63.
3-point goals -- Kayla Nickles, Sorenson-Giffrow 4, B. Dahlman.
Esko -- Marisa Shady 6, Alyson Glumac 6, Lydia Pelletier 6, Keely Deadrick 20, Savanna Trapp 14. Totals 23 3-6 52.
3-point goals -- Shady 2, Deadrick.
