ADAMS —The Blooming Prairie girls basketball team got a big first half boost from its bench and its starters did the rest as it beat Southland 50-29 in Adams Tuesday.

The Awesome Blossoms were trailing 8-6 after Southland’s Sydney Bendtsen hit a 3-pointer with 10:24 left in the first half and BP had starters Madison Worke and Kalyn Naatz on the bench for the rest of the half in foul trouble, but they were able to show their depth. BP hung around and it eventually took a 19-13 lead after Carissa Easton and Nicole Inwards hit back-to-back jump shots. BP’s Hannah Ahrens, who had eight rebounds, added a put-back score on the final possession of the half to push BP’s lead to 23-15 at the break.

“We had to step up to the plate and try to replace [the starters] in a way,” Ahrens said. “We tried to work how they work. It makes us realize that not only our starters are good, but our first three off the bench are good too.”

Lauren Larkoski also had four first half points off the bench for No. 5 ranked BP (6-1 overall) as the Blossoms were able to build their lead with two starters sitting for a long stretch.

“We talked about that right from day one that our supplementary players have to step up and do things in order to get us to that next level,” BP head coach John Worke said. “Here’s a situation where we needed some kids to step up and they made some key shots.”

BP senior center Taylor Hagen picked up the a lot of the slack as she finished the game with 20 points, 16 rebounds and three blocked shots. Hagen played the entire first half at a high level and she only sat for a short spurt in the second frame.

“Playing the whole first half was tough because we were missing starters,” Hagen said. “I felt like I was trying to make up space, and [Southland is] tough and quick in transition.”

The Rebels (3-3 overall) had some good looks, but they shot just 21 percent from the field in the loss. Southland head coach Russ Foster thought his team missed an opportunity to make things interesting with Worke and Naatz on the bench in the first half and BP made things more difficult when it scored the first six points of the second half to go up 29-15.

“We didn’t shoot well,” Foster said. “Their size gives you fits and it’s tough to deal with. You’ve got to shoot a little better percentage and I thought we had some good shots.”

Worke said that Hagen’s effort was similar to what she gives BP every night. Hagen handled bringing the ball up the court, she rebounded well and she provided the bulk of the offense.

“We rely on Taylor with everything,” Worke said. “She helps break the press, she makes good passes and defensively she just knows where to be. She doesn’t do it very often, but she asked for a break tonight. She needed it.”

McKenzie Kirtz had 11 points, six steals, four blocks and three rebounds for Southland and Katlin Webber had seven points, nine rebounds and three assists. Foster said his team, which has already played three teams ranked in the top 10, is focused on improving throughout the season.

“We want to be better when February first rolls around. We want to be playing better later in the year,” Foster said.

Southland 15 14 — 29

BP 23 27 — 50

BP scoring: Taylor Hagen, 20; Madison Worke, 11; Carissa Easton, 5; Laren Larkoski, 4; Kalyn Naatz, 4; Hannah Ahrens, 2; Nicole Inwards, 2; Carly Meyer, 2; free throws: 0 percent (0-for-6); field goals: 46 percent (24-for-52); 3-pointers: 22 percent (2-for-9); rebounds: 42 (Hagen, 16); turnovers: 19

Southland scoring: McKenzie Kirtz, 11; Sydney Bendtsen, 10; Katlin Webber, 7; Olivia Gray, 1; free throws: 25 percent (2-for-8); field goals: 21 percent (12-for-58); 3-pointers: 19 percent (3-for-16); rebounds: 26 (Webber, 9); turnovers: 14