Coming into Thursday’s first round matchup between the Macomb Bombers and the Lewistown Indians, it was thought that the lengthy Bombers would have an upper hand inside. Unfortunately for the Indians, the game played out that way as Macomb dominated the paint to the tune of a 36-20 scoring advantage inside en route to a 61-42 victory.

Macomb (6-5) shot a blistering 61 percent (14-for-23) and took a 37-14 lead into halftime. The Bombers put together a pair of 9-0 scoring runs: one to begin the game, and another spanning the first and second quarters that left them with a 21-7 lead. Three different Bombers connected from long range in the final three minutes before halftime, including Xavier Campbell, Ben Higgins, and Dylan Wetterling just before the buzzer.

Ben Kline warmed up in the second half, tallying 11 of his team high 15 points as Lewistown (5-5) outscored Macomb by two in each of the final two periods. The Indians shot 50 percent (13-for-26) after intermission, led by Kline, who was a perfect 7-for-7 from the field in the game. Cade Beekman scored seven points, and dished out six assists for Lewistown as well.

The Bombers played a strong overall game, handing away just seven turnovers, and being whistled for only five fouls. In fact, they outscored Lewistown 9-0 in free throws as the Indians did not attempt a foul shot in the game.