FRIEND, Neb. - Behind by three at halftime after trailing for nearly all of the first half, top-seeded EMF (22-4) flipped the script in the third quarter, outscoring second-seeded Archbishop Bergan (15-9) 26-12 in the period and then holding on in the final frame to win 55-48 in the C2-3 boys basketball subdistrict championship game on Thursday night in Friend.  

With the victory, Exeter-Milligan/Friend, in just the second year of their combined history, added another chapter to what’s been a historic season by clinching an automatic berth in a district final game. Late Friday morning, it was confirmed that EMF would be the #7 seed in the C2 district finals, welcoming #10 seed Perkins County to Friend on Saturday night. Despite the loss, Archbishop Bergan, which was ranked eighth in wild card points before the game Thursday, qualified for the 16-team district final field as well as a #9 seed.  

Just as they did in their first game of this tournament on Tuesday, the Knights started off Thursday’s game incredibly strong, jumping out to a 9-0 lead thanks to three three-pointers by the aptly named Trey Mooney. EMF righted the ship to tie things at ten but Mooney could not be stopped, scoring all 12 first-quarter points for Bergan to give them a 12-10 lead after one.  

The second quarter was tight, and EMF led only once in the entire first half at 17-16 before Bergan closed out the half up 24-21. EMF then got out in front for much of the third but never took command until the final four minutes, where seniors Mikey Bartu and Carter Milton both hit threes to fuel an 8-0 Bobcat run to close the period. EMF started the period down three but finished it ahead 47-36.  

Even though both teams knew they were likely to advance regardless of the result, the fourth quarter was as tense as a win-or-go-home game would have been. Both teams committed turnovers and neither team could consistently hit free throws which game both EMF a chance to salt the game away and also gave Bergan a shot to pull closer. Ultimately, the Bobcats fended off the Knights’ three-point prowess and prevailed 55-48 to earn the automatic berth in the district final.  

Bartu and Milton tied for the team lead with 14 points on career nights for the two EMF seniors. Grady Bresson was right behind with 13. Mooney led all players with 17 points for Bergan; Gavin Baker scored nine on a relatively quiet night by his lofty standards. 

Largely because of the long road trip facing Perkins County in this district final matchup, EMF will host the contest on Saturday night in Friend. Two other C2 district final games will be contested on Saturday, though most will be played on either Monday or Tuesday. Tipoff between EMF and Perkins County is set for 6 p.m. on Saturday, March 1; and you can listen to all the action live on Ol’ Red 99.5 FM or olred995.com, with pregame coverage beginning at 5:40.