Cloudy / 54° F
Perham going to state, again [UPDATED]
Published 9:29am Monday, March 19, 2012 Updated 11:31am Monday, March 19, 2012Last year, the Perham Yellowjackets boys basketball team were aiming to win the state championship for “3.” Zach Gabbard, a PHS’ senior who wears No. 3 on the court, suffered a cardiac arrest last year two months before the state tournament. Gabbard made a surprise visit to the Target Center during the Yellowjackets’ state run.
This year, with Gabbard on the bench, Perham can aim for No. 2 in 2012. After defeating rival Pelican Rapids earlier in the week, the Yellowjacketsbeat Bagley in the Section 8AA final in Bemidji on Friday. The No.1 Jackets won 47-42 and will aim to repeat their AA title starting on Wednesday in The Cities.
At half, the Yellowjackets (29-2) held a soft 24-18 halftime advantage over the Flyers (23-7).
Bagley came back and held a 29-28 advantage with close to 13 minutes left in the game. Much like their game against the PR Vikings, the Yellowjackets struggled from the free-throw line, but they were good enough to get past Bagley by five points to make a return to the Big Dance.
Senior Jacket Jordan Bruhn had 23 points to led all scores. Teammate Jordan Anderson scored nine and Jordan Cresap recorded six points. Mark Schumacher was credited with five points.
