Austin Hemmingson | Daily Press Bay College’s Matt Wagner shoots over Dakota County Technical College’s Harlyn Owens (2) during Wednesday’s East Sub-Region 13 Championship game at Bay College.

ESCANABA — A valiant comeback effort came up a little short for the Bay College men here Wednesday night as they dropped an 82-71 basketball decision to Dakota County Technical College in a Region 13 opener.

The victory enables the Blue Knights (19-10) to host United Tribes Technical College (Minn.) or Bottineau (N.D.) in the regional championship game Sunday. The Norse finished 19-10.

This marked the sixth all-time meeting between the teams, with the visiting team winning each time.

“This is two years in a row that this happened. That’s crazy,” said Dakota County coach Peter Olafeso. “We play well here. Coach (Matt) Johnson is a great coach. We’re just glad to be on top right now.”

The Norse trailed 47-30 at halftime, then began to whittle away at their deficit.

Bay eventually climbed within 69-65 on a jump shot from top of the key by freshman guard Marcus Harris with four minutes, 50 seconds left to play.

“We have resilient, tough kids who never give up,” said Johnson. “Tonight, our kids were incredibly tough and battled incredibly hard. To get it back to four points is an incredible effort.”

Dakota County responded with five unanswered points, gaining a 74-65 advantage on a 20-foot jumper by JUCO All-American sophomore guard Harlyn Owens at 3:20.

The Norse were within 78-71 following a layup by sophomore forward Christian Alexander with 80 seconds remaining before the Blue Knights secured the decision with four free throws.

“Timely timeouts helped us out,” said Olafeso. “When they made a run, we called timeout. We go through situations like this in practice. You just have to keep your composure.”

Dakota County had a 37-30 cushion with three minutes left in the first half, then went on a 10-0 run for a 47-30 halftime advantage.

“That was the difference in the game,” said Johnson. “In the last five minutes of the first half, we didn’t execute. We just didn’t do enough going into the half. They’re a very, very good team. They made life real difficult. You can’t give up 47 points in a half to a team of their caliber and expect to win.”

Bay took a 19-14 lead midway through the first half on a pair of gifters by Harris.

The Blue Knights answered with an 8-0 run, taking a 22-19 lead at 8:07 when Owens sank a pair of free throws on a technical foul.

Bay tied the score at 22 on a jumper from the left corner by Harris and was within 29-28 on a turn-around jumper from the lane by Alexander 4 1/2 minutes before the intermission.

The Blue Knights then began to pull away.

Owens, who didn’t play in either regular-season meeting, drained 11-of-20 field goals and finished with 28 points. Sophomore guard Lorenzo Smith added 17 points. Sophomore forward Dashawn Walker collected 12 points and 10 rebounds and sophomore guard Daevonte Munson had 11 points.

“(Owens) is a good player,” said Olafeso. “He’s a hard guy to prepare for. He makes the plays.”

Alexander led the Norse with 25 points, 19 boards and a dunk in the first half. Harris drained five 3-point shots and added 17 points and freshman guard Chris Dobessi had 16 points.

The Norse held a 32-28 rebounding edge, hit 28-of-64 field goals and committed 11 turnovers. The Blue Knights were 31-of-58 from the floor and 15-of-18 from the line. They had 12 miscues.

“They hit their free throws when they really counted,” said Johnson. “Owens is the best player I’ve seen all year. They’re incredibly athletic. They deserved to win tonight.

“I can’t say enough about our sophomores. They helped take our program to the next level. I truly love these guys. It’s hard to say goodbye after you work with them every day for six months, then see them walk out of the locker room for the last time.”

Dakota County TC 47 35 — 82

Bay College 30 41 — 71

Dakota County Technical College — Owens 28, Smith 17, Collins-Westlund 8, Walker 12, Young 4, Aganmwonyi 2, Munson 11. FT: 15-18; F: 14; Fouled out: None; Technical foul: Young; 3-point field goals: Owens 2, Collins-Westlund 2, Munson.

Bay College — Dobessi 16, Wagner 5, Robinette 9, Alexander 24, Harris 17. FT: 7-11; F: 17; Fouled out: None; Technical foul: coach Johnson; 3-point field goals: Harris 5, Robinette 2, Wagner.