BLUE EARTH — The United South Central boys’ basketball team is the champion of the Blue Earth Tournament for the second time in three years.

Click HERE to view a photo gallery from the game.

In 2011, the Rebels beat the Buccaneers 66-57 in three overtimes to take the title.

This year, USC beat Jackson County Central 70-62 on Friday and fought back from a six-point deficit halfway through the first half on Saturday to beat Blue Earth in the championship game 65-43.

“It’s a good way to end the calendar year — getting a couple of good wins and playing opponents with different styles of play,” said USC head coach Rob Stevermer.

The Buccaneers built a 21-15 lead in the title game, but a 3-pointer by USC’s Luke Trio sparked a 13-2 run to close out the first half.

Trio led USC with eight points at the break, while Blue Earth’s Luke Monson threw down 18 of the Buccanneer’s 23 points.

“They’ve got some tough inside players. Monson is a very good scorer, and we knew we’d have our hands full with him,” Stevermer said. “It took us a little while to recognize what they wanted to do, but we made some adjustments.”

In the second half, USC worked to deny the entry pass to Monson.

“We were really focussed on doubling down in the post, and trying not to let him get the ball,” said USC point guard Luke Trio.

The Rebels’ momentum wasn’t stopped by the halftime break. They began the second half with a 9-0 run that started with a 3-pointer by Nate Pederson.

“I thought (our backcourt) played very well,” Stevermer said. “They did the things we wanted to do, putting a lot of pressure on them defensively and attacking their zone.”

USC maintained a double-digit the rest of the game. Blue Earth cut its deficit to 10 points at the 11-minute mark, but USC extended it to more than 20 points late in the game.

Trio said he’s getting comfortable with the rest of the team’s personnel to lead the team from the top of the key.

“The further we get into the season, we’re all learning to play with each other a little better,” he said.

Next, USC (6-2 overall, 2-1 Gopher Conference) will host Janesville-Waldorf Pemberton at 7:15 p.m. Friday.