Braham coach Jeff Eklund doubles as principal at Braham Elementary, and he said for the past few days, there has been no shortage of people coming into his office.

For once, it has been for a good reason — to wish Eklund and his Bombers luck in the Class 2A state tournament.

The Braham basketball community is a tight one, and that’s part of why the tension was so high in the state title game Saturday against Jackson Country Central.

The Bombers defeated the Huskies 96-90 to win their first state championship since claiming three consecutive from 2004-06. But it didn’t come easily.

In the second half, Eklund kept looking up at the clock, watching the time tick away — 18 minutes, 15 minutes, 12 minutes and so on.

Nerves grew tighter as the Bombers’ lead became smaller. By the 3:24 mark in the second half, Braham’s 17-point edge on Jackson County Central had dwindled to five.

That’s when Braham did what it has done all season — find a way to hold on.

“All season long, they’ve hung together,” Eklund said. “They’ve made plays when they need to make plays. They keep coming after it.”

Chris Olson led Braham with 33 points and Ryan Larson had 28. The Bombers (31-2) also got solid contributions from John Larson, who scored 16 points, and Alec Olson, who added 15, including nine in the final six minutes.

Braham dug in on defense and hit free throws down the stretch to fend off Jackson County Central’s comeback attempt, similar to how the Bombers held off St. Croix Lutheran in Friday’s semifinal.

The Huskies (25-6) trailed by 21 at halftime but scored 61 points in the second half. Matt Ringkob and Colton Timmer each scored 21 for Jackson County Central. Bodey Behrends had 16 points, 12 rebounds and nine blocks.

“That’s the one thing I said to them at halftime — we do have the firepower to comeback,” Huskies coach Trent Sukalski said.

Chris Olson joked the key for Braham’s high-octane offense to hold on was simple.

“Keep finding ways to score,” he said.

That’s what the Bombers did, this time with the ultimate reward.

First report

For the second consecutive day, Braham had to withstand a late run.

For the second consecutive day, the Bombers succeeded. This time the reward was a state championship.

Braham defeated Jackson County Central 96-90 Saturday at Target Center to win the Class 2A state title.

Chris Olson led Braham with 33 points, and Ryan Larson added 28 on 11-of-13 shooting. The Bombers also forced 18 turnovers and hit 10 of 18 three-point attempts to build a lead. 

Braham (31-2) held a 17-point lead with seven minutes left, but saw that margin cut to only five by the 3:07 mark. Similar to how the Bombers fended off a late run in Friday’s semifinal against St. Croix Lutheran, Braham made key baskets and hung tough at the free throw line in the final minutes to win.  

Matt Ringkob and Colton Timmer each scored 21 for Jackson County Central, and Bodey Behrends had 16 points and 12 rebounds. The Huskies finished 25-6 in the school’s first trip to the state tournament.

For Braham, the state championship in this first since the school won three consecutive titles from 2004-06.

Check back later for more on the game


Postgame Press Conference Video