HAWLEY, Minn. - Trust, in the eyes of the No. 7 Perham boys basketball team, is not a concern.
Given the way Jordan Bruhn passed and Jordan Cresap shot, it is easy to understand why there is trust. Bruhn scored a game-high 16 points and eight assists, many of them going to Cresap, helping Perham cruise to a 69-55 victory over Hawley on Friday at the Hawley Gym.
"A game like this has been typical for us this year," said Bruhn, the team's junior point guard and captain. "When Jordan or Nick Tobkin gets the ball and they shoot for a 3-pointer, I start running back because I trust they are going to make that shot."
Hitting 3-pointers was only part of the equation for Perham (17-1), which picked up its sixth consecutive win.
The Yellowjackets hit 10 from beyond the arc, and how they did it was pretty simple.
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It started with Bruhn making a pass and the rest of his teammates making the cuts they needed.
Cresap, who scored 14 points, happened to get open on the wing to hit three 3-pointers, tying a game-high he shared with Bruhn.
"We knew we had to step up and coming into Hawley is always a tough game," Cresap said. "We just knew we had to hit our shots."
Perham certainly did that against Hawley (13-6), which had a hard time finding a defensive remedy.
Bruhn and Cresap hit 3's. So did Tobkin. But what really helped Perham pace itself was its inside presence.
Junior center Mark Schumacher had a double-double, finishing with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
"The good news for us in the second half was we scored on our first eight possessions," said Hawley coach Jon Hinrichs. "The bad news is, you can't go out there trading 2's for 3's and expect to win against a team like that."
It wasn't like Hawley wasn't making an effort, but the 3-point shot is something Perham is comfortable with.
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Comfort is something Perham has established over the last few weeks following its first loss to Pelican Rapids nearly two weeks ago.
Bruhn said the game at Pelican was emotional for a number of reasons.
He said one of the reasons was Zach Gabbard.
Gabbard, who has been hospitalized since collapsing during a game a month ago, enjoyed shooting at the Pelican Rapids gym, Bruhn said.
"That made it real emotional, plus they are a rival to us," Bruhn said.
PERHAM: Schumacher 3 3-6 12, Duffy 0 0-2 0, Bruhn 2 3-4 16, Wiskow 2 0-0 4, Cresap 2 1-1 14, Tobkin 0 0-0 6, Hein 0 0-0 3, Anderson 0 2-3 3, Stratton 6 0-1 12. Totals 15 9-17 69
HAWLEY: Burns 0 0-0 6, Severson 4 1-2 9, Hinrichs 2 1-1 5, VanHavermaet 3 0-0 6, Olson 2 1-2 11, Pekas 2 2-2, Clute 1 4-4 6. Totals 14 9-11 55
Halftime: P 33, H 22. 3-pointers: P, Schumacher 1, Bruhn 3, Cresap 3, Tobkin 2, Hein 1. H, Burns 2, Hinrichs 1, Olson 2, Clute 2. Total fouls: P, 8, H 14.
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Readers can reach Forum reporter Ryan S. Clark at (701) 241-5548.
Clark's Force blog can be found at slightlychilled.areavoices.com
