Bluejackets Win Conference Game Over Saints

The Cambridge-Isanti Boys hosted St. Francis on Friday night.

Mike McDonald's crew was looking for the first conference win of the season, but it wasn't going to be easy against a rival.

The Bluejackets applied the pressure early against the Saints, on offense they scored early and often, on defense they played full court and it forced a plethora of turnovers. The first six plus minutes of the 1st half were all C-I, but the time leading up to halftime was a grind. The Saints had made some key adjustments and were able to cut into the Jackets double digit lead. And sooner than later they had cut the deficit down to only a couple of possessions. The Jackets were struggling to get the offense going, but made enough buckets to keep their lead, their defense made some big stops that also helped. They were able to extend their lead to 39-24 at the half, but the Saints certainly swung some momentum their way.

C-I began the 2nd half the way they did the 1st, offense scoring seemingly at will and the defense applying pressure. And again they controlled the first 6 or so minutes of the 2nd, but then the Saints made a strong push. St. Francis eventually came all the back and were now within 2 of the C-I lead. If the Saints took the lead it had the feel of no turning back, but the Bluejackets didn't hang their heads, they fought through the struggle and eventually got back to their style of basketball. Now both teams seemed to be firing on all cylinders and it was a sprint to the finish. C-I was able to hold onto their lead and get the 75-66 win.

The Jackets are now 2-3 on the season and 1-1 in conference play.

Their next game will be a father and son matchup as they welcome in Duluth East.

Scoring

C-I:

Payton Coplan 27 points, 4 rebounds, 7 steals

Jameson Epple 21 points, 4 rebounds, 4 steals

Eddie Lundeen 11 points, 4 rebounds, 6 steals

Lane Nelson 6 points, 7 rebounds

Dakota Wolcyn 6 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals, 1 block

Cruiz Dissing 6 points, 3 rebounds, 1 block