SOMERS — Kevin Senechalle had been waiting weeks for this.

The 6-foot-7 UW-Parkside freshman forward was finally healthy after missing most of the team’s first five games with a sprained left ankle.

He finally felt strong, and he showed it, in one instant streaking down the lane for a layup and the Rangers’ first basket against Bemidji State … and in the next falling to the floor in pain with another ankle injury. To his other ankle.

“I was in pain,” Senechalle said. “And I was just really upset.”

He had a right to be. Senechalle tried to come back, but played just two first-half minutes.

“When I came back in, it really bothered me a lot, and my trainer was like, ‘You’re done,’ ” he said. “And when I got into the locker room, my coach stormed in and was like, ‘Kev, can you go?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah.’ It worked out.”

Did it ever.

Parkside rode Senechalle’s 11 points and gritty inside defense to a 78-65 victory over Bemidji State in the Ranger Slam Dunk Diabetes Classic at DeSimone Gymnasium.

Grant Johnson led Parkside with 21 points, and Jeremy Saffold added 17, but it was Senechalle’s strong 16 second-half minutes that sparked the Rangers (3-3) to their second win in as many nights and sent Bemidji State (4-1) to its first loss of the year.

“He’s probably our best defensive post player and our best defensive rebounder, so you lost a lot when he’s not in the lineup,” Parkside Coach Luke Reigel said. “The fact is the kid just plays hard, and he plays as hard as anybody we’ve ever had.

“When he is not in the lineup, we’re not as good right now.”

Senechalle’s effort took on even more importance when 6-7 junior forward Dwayne Edwards left the game in the first half with an apparent ankle injury of his own. He did not return.

Still, Parkside led 38-33 at halftime. It was short-lived.

The Beavers soon caught fire, and Parkside quickly found itself down 46-43 before using a 10-1 run — holding Bemidji State without a field goal for six minutes — to take a 53-47 lead with 8:40 remaining.

The Beavers never threatened from there and couldn’t overcome 40.7 percent shooting for the game, including 2-of-15 (13.3 percent) from the 3-point line.

Bemidji State also had 16 turnovers to just 10 for Parkside, and sent the Rangers to the free throw line 35 times. Parkside made 26.

“We beat ourselves,” Beavers coach Matt Bowen said, “and that’s nothing against Parkside because I believe they played with a tremendous amount of energy. Those kids play with a lot of heart.”

Senechalle included.

“I was scared when he went down,” Johnson said. “We need him.”

Parkside freshman forward Steve Jaskulske, out of Racine Park, had two points and four rebounds in 18 minutes, in his second game back from knee surgery.