Cowboys beat barnesville 61-59 in overtime thriller

christensen's buzzer beater keeps cowboys alive

Photos by Carol Colby • Sebastian Anderson broke out against Barnesville with a complete performance

• By Robert Wanek

​Trailing by nine points at the half, Breckenridge came roaring back for a 61-59 home overtime win vs. Barnesville on Tuesday. The Section 8AA thriller had it all — time clock drama, chippy play, and a fadeaway buzzer beater by Jonah Christensen. 

Sebastian Anderson had his fingerprints all over this one, setting career-highs across the board with 17 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 steals. The senior wing sparked Breckenridge from the get-go by chasing down loose balls and scoring in transition during a 14-8 start to the game. 

Then, Breckenridge went cold. The Trojan rebounds found their way into the hands of speedy point guard Adam Tonsfeldt, who diced up the Cowboys for 12 first-half points as Barnesville hit the half up 37-28. He scored 20 in the game.

Cooper Yaggie showed that Breckenridge also has an elite transition guard, scoring six quick points to start the second half and cutting the Trojan lead to 42-40. Yaggie converted a 3-PT play in transition, Anderson drew a foul on a 3-PT attempt, and suddenly the momentum began to swing. 

Breckenridge switched to a zone defense. This perplexed the Barnesville guards, as Tonsfeldt began resorting to shooting 30-foot prayers, leading to multiple air balls in the game. Christensen and Anderson were there to clean up the glass, combining for 19 rebounds. 

OT thriller between Breckenridge and Barnesville had it all. Time clock drama, chippy play, and a Jonah Christensen buzzer beater.

Cowboys 61, Trojans 59#Section8AA #HeartOLakes

Breckenridge is 5-0 on the season.

□ @CoachWanek x @t_wern72 pic.twitter.com/xOj0aGntsZ

— Breck Sports Talk (@BreckSportsTalk) February 3, 2021

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Jonah Christensen was the hero with his fadeaway buzzer beater

Landon Blaufuss (left) played big minutes with Breck in foul trouble

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Anthony Conzemius takes his defender to the baseline where he scores during overtime

Just when the Cowboys' prospects started dwindling, Anderson found a cutting Junior Perez for his first basket of the game. It was a big one, putting Breckenridge up 55-54 with 1:39 remaining. Barnesville answered with a three, but Perez forced a 5-second violation with 26.7 seconds remaining down 57-55.

Breckenridge turned the ball over, but Barnesville missed the front end of a one-and-one and Anderson grabbed the board. The Cowboys advanced the ball, but threw it away to the Trojans near the Breckenridge bench. Barnesville was out of bounds.

With 3.8 seconds left in regulation, Yaggie quickly lobbed the inbound pass over a leaping Tonsfeldt and into the hands of Christensen. With his back to the basket, he faded to his left and let it fly, catching just enough of the backboard to sink the jumper and send the game into overtime tied at 57-57.

Anderson wasted no time in the extra period, driving to the bucket for a runner that put Breckenridge up 59-57. Anthony Conzemius played very limited minutes, as he found himself in foul trouble. When he returned in overtime, he rose up for a shot over Kaden Zenzen that extended the lead to 61-57. He also recorded a big block to protect the lead.

After a Zenzen layup made the score 61-59. Barnesville had the basketball again in the waning moments in the hands of Tonsfeldt on the perimeter. With 5 seconds left, he forced his way between Perez and Christensen, losing the basketball. Anderson grabbed it, but traveled as the buzzer went off.

The officials placed .8 on the clock. Yaggie batted the ensuing Tonsfeldt inbound pass into the air, but the clock never started. With the basketball traveling upward, clearly more than a second elapsed before it touched the ground. Bizarrely, the officials placed .4 back on the clock. Barnesville inbounded the ball to the short corner, where a quick shot attempt hit the side of the backboard and the clock read zero. Anderson spiked the basketball and Breckenridge moved to 5-0 on the season and 4-0 in section play.

Yaggie led all scorers with 22 points, viciously attacking the cup while scoring nearly all of his points in the lane. Christensen posted 13 points and 8 rebounds, shooting 5/5 from 2-PT range. Perez recorded 4 assists and 3 steals from the point guard position.

Breckenridge will play its first game away from home this Saturday at Wahpeton High School in the annual Border Battle against the Huskies. Varsity tip is set for 6:00 p.m.