Nearly two minutes ticked off the scoreboard before either team scored Tuesday night, but like his whole team has been doing all season once Sanjay Lumpkin got started there was no quit in the Benilde-St. Margaret’s junior guard.

In front of an appreciative home crowd – not to mention Gophers coach Tubby Smith - Lumpkin drained a three-point basket to kick things off against DeLaSalle. He did it again to start the season half, and rolled from there to lead an 81-68 Red Knights victory.

“We knew that this was a big show and we had to win this game to propel us into the final part of the season,” said Lumpkin, who scored a career-high 34 points. “We’re feeling great about this right now.”

As they should. The Red Knights (16-3) have been a force to reckon with this season, but without a signature win coach John Moore admitted the team has flown under the radar.

“We’ve beaten some good teams,” he said. “And like we’ve talked about all year, this one was a team effort.”

But it’s losses that make BSM stand out.

The Red Knights – a Class 3A team – have lost to Eden Prairie and Hopkins (the top two squads in Class 4A) and to Onalaska, a top team in Wisconsin.

Other than that, it’s all notches in the left side of the results column. And Tuesday’s against DeLaSalle, ranked No. 7 in the Star Tribune metro poll, was a biggie.

“Our confidence level is sky-high right now,” junior forward Kyle Washington said.

Lumpkin’s effort paved the way but he wasn’t the only star. Isaiah Zierden and Evan Battle chipped in 18 and 11 points, respectively. Washington had four blocked shots in the first half alone, and a limited number of turnovers led to extended possessions that gave the Islanders (17-3) fits.

Benilde-St. Margaret’s scored its final 11 points from the free-throw line.

Sanjay Lumpkin, Benilde-St. Margaret's

Q When the first bucket of the game is a three pointer for you like that, do you get the feeling like it’s going to be your night?
A We knew that all of our hard work was going to pay off. We knew this was a big show and we had to win this game to propel us into the final part of the season. We’re happy to get this win. We’re feeling good about this right now. 

Q What was the thought heading into this one?
A The key component to winning was crashing both the offensive and defensive boards. You have to rebound. And to be strong with the ball; swing it through really hard and just being strong. This really opened our eyes to what we can do when we play together.

Q And it helps to have a guy like Kyle Washington blocking everything in sight, right?
A That’s great. Anytime I need help back on defense, he comes out of nowhere and beats the ball. It’s great to have him behind me, knowing he’s got my back. We played as a team tonight, and that was key.