BEMIDJI -- With a state berth on the line, a slow start was too much for Thief River Falls to overcome.
The Prowlers fell behind 27-13 at halftime here Friday night in the championship game of the Minnesota Section 8AA boys basketball tournament. That 14-point margin proved to be the final difference as the Rangers, ranked third in the latest Class AA state poll, beat Thief River Falls 57-43.
"We got off to a slow start," Thief River Falls coach Chris McLean said. "They got off to a quick start. We played them even in the second half, and made a run at them, cutting it to eight with about six minutes left. But they're just too good a basketball team for us to fall behind like that and try to come back."
Mark Hoge had 25 points and Brock Tesdahl 18 to lead Crosby-Ironton.
Jacob Langevin's 18 points paced the Prowlers, who closed with a 17-12 record. Brady Harbott added 11.
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McLean said 19 Thief River Falls turnovers were a big factor.
"We couldn't afford to give them that many more shots off our turnovers," McLean said.
