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Sports

Blake Bears Nipped in the Final Minutes by Red Knights

Benilde-St. Margaret's got the game winner with 1:27 to play.

No.3 Blake lost a 10-9 thriller to top-ranked Benilde-St. Margaret's on Tuesday, but both teams seemed to sense this was only the first round in what is undoubtedly one of Minnesota's premier boys lacrosse rivalries.

“We’re going to see them again June 2,” said Blake head coach Rob Horn. “We know it. It’s been circled on the calendar. This one’s a wash.”

Tied heading into the final two minutes, Benilde-St. Margaret's senior midfielder Christian Rekow lunged for the left corner of the net and drove in the game winner with 1:27 to play—powering the ball at point-blank range past Blake's standout senior goalie Grant Dressen.

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Blake got two strong chances to tie in the final minutes but couldn't find the back of the net.

Benilde-St. Margaret's improved to 8-0 on the season, while Blake suffered its first loss and dropped to 6-1.

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“It was a great battle,” said Horn. “Anytime these two rivalries get together you know it’s going to be a great contest, it’s going to come down to the last possession, and it basically did again.”

Despite some of 2010's stars having moved on, this game felt very much like a continuation of last season's epic battles. Blake nipped Benilde-St. Margaret's by one in the regular season last spring, the Red Knights’ only loss of the season. But Benilde came back to crush the Bears in the section finals en route to a 2010 state championship.

"After the game I said keep your focus, because last year we were in the same position, except roles reversed" said Benilde-St. Margaret's head coach Colin Mulcahy. "We lost by one goal last year, and now it’s our turn. We won by one goal tonight. So they have to keep their focus. I told them, 'Come playoff time, if we meet Blake again, they're going to come out just as hungry as we did last year."

With both teams in the same section again, another rematch seems a good bet.

Blake led 2-1 after one quarter, but the Red Knights dominated the second and early part of the third to take what looked like a solid 8-4 lead with 11:41 to play.

Much to the delight of a large and raucous Benilde student section, the Red Knights powered in three goals in the final two minutes of the first half to take a 5-3 lead at the break.

But the Bears refused to play dead. Led by senior George Ordway, the Bears stormed back with four straight goals to tie the game at 8-all with 7:18 to play.

"That was a tough stretch," said BSM senior midfielder Taylor Topousis. "But we bounced back in the fourth quarter, and we got the W."

Each side then put in another game to set the stage for the dramatic final two minutes.

"They never stopped," Mulcahy said of his team. "Defensively they made it an excellent game. Blake was able to get a few men-up goals, but our 6-on-6 play was defensively outstanding tonight."

Penalties and Benilde’s transition game hurt his team, said Horn.

“We’ve got to stay out of the box,” Horn said. “Plain and simple that’s the one thing we have to work on, not taking so many penalties.

“Things to work on, stopping those transitional runs in the second quarter,” Horn added. “That’s where they get their goals. They’re a transition team. We pretty much played very well 6-on-6, I was happy with that. We’ve got to quit taking penalties and slow down their transition breaks.”

State scoring leader Will Hoesley led Benilde-St. Margaret's with four goals, a total matched by Blake's Ordway. Rekow added three goals and an assist for the Red Knights.

The schedule doesn't get any easier for Blake, as the Bears host second-ranked Minnetonka on Friday in a game beginning at 7 p.m.

Benilde-St. Margaret's has a week off, and will play at Totino Grace next Tuesday, May 10, starting at 7 p.m.

Blake                                  2     1     1     5     --     9

Benilde-St. Margaret's     1     4     2     3     --     10

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