Braham Defeats Jackson County Central For Class 2A Title

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — His coach called him "Big Shot Al," and on Saturday on the state's biggest stage Braham senior guard Alec Olson proved him right.

Because when the Bombers needed a perimeter shot in its 96-90 victory over Jackson County Central in the Class 2A state boys basketball championship at Target Center, he delivered. Alec Olson had 15, fellow senior Chris Olson had 33 and both combined for seven 3-pointers as Braham secured its fourth boys basketball championship in school history — its first since 2006.

"(Alec Olson) doesn't look at the score, he doesn't look at the clock, he lets it fly," Braham coach Jeff Eklund said. "And there are times when I'm saying, 'No, no, no,' but then there are times when I'm saying, 'Yes, yes, yes' when he buries the shot. But you know, big players make big plays."

The Bombers (31-2) showcased they have a roster full of playmakers, fueling an all-around strong offensive performance with a fast start and accuracy from 3-point range. Braham shot 7-of-11 from 3 in the first half and ended day with 55 percent shooting from beyond the arc.

It was the 14th game this year in which the Bombers scored 90 points or more, and they picked an opportune time to do so. The Huskies (25-6) showed they too can score in bunches, and they did just that in a furious second half comeback. Trailing by 21 at the break, JCC scored 61 points in the second half alone, trimming their deficit to as few as five with 3:24 to play.

"We had a chance to win that thing," Huskies coach Trent Sukalski said. "We had 61 points in the second half against a team that gives up 46 per game."

But Braham pulled away with its variety of scoring options. Sophomore Ryan Larson had 28 of his own, and senior John Larson pitched in 16.

"You can tell we love to put the ball in the hoop," Chris Olson said.

It was JCC's first state tournament. Senior Matt Ringkob and junior Colton Timmer each scored 21. Senior Bodey Behrends and junior Jacob Christopher each added 16.

"We left it all out there," Christopher said. "No doubt in my mind that every single one of us left it all out there."

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