March Enters Like a Lion -- Lady Jaguars' Playoff Opener Moved to **Saturday March 3 at 2:00 at Elementary

In the midst of a snowstorm which central Minnesota has not seen in years, the Lady Jaguars' playoff opener against St.Cloud Cathedral has been moved to Saturday, March 3, at 2:00.

The Jaguars basketball team is set to travel to Pierz for their conference and season finale on Monday, March 5.

Wednesday practices for both basketball squads were cancelled and school was dismissed 10 minutes early, and the kids have been home since.

The second round for the Lady Jaguars is moved to an undetermined date at the Dassel-Cokato High School at about 7:30, following the early game which begins at 6:00. The Sub-Section 5AA-20 Championship is set for Tuesday, March 6 at 8:00, hosted at either Dassel-Cokato or Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted High School.

It has been a tricky week of weather to say the least. How ironic, after one of the tamest, mildest winters on record, that Mother Nature will wreak havoc on playoff basketball action. We must be living in Minnesota, I would guess.

Stay tuned for further updates.

Jaguars Basketball Team Drops Rough-and-Tumble Home Contest With Eden Valley-Watkins 60-57

In their final home game of the season, the Jaguars basketball team fought valiantly to the very end of a physical, hard-nosed game against conference rival Eden Valley-Watkins. The Eagles were sitting alone in third place in the Central Minnesota Conference coming into the game, while our Jaguars were tied in last place (7th) with Kimball. The Jaguars trailed 30-28 at halftime and led in both the first and second halves. Three seniors on the Jaguars' roster were also honored in their final game at the B-B-E High School gymnasium.

The Eagles had defeated the first-place team in the CMC, the Rockford Rockets, last Friday night in an 85-83 overtime game, to go to 8-4 in third place alone in the league standings. In the sub-section seeding, the Eagles picked up the number two seed.

Up next for the Jaguars is a road trip to Pierz to face the 21-4 Pioneers on Friday (March 2). The Pioneers will be fighting for a chance to tie Rockford for the CMC title for the second straight season. They need a win over our Jaguars and a Holdingford win at Rockford in order for that to happen. The Huskers have a chance of defeating the Rockets, but our Jaguars also have a chance of winning at Pierz. Their last win at Pierz was in the 2004-2005 season, a 74-69 overtime win. Friday night's game will be their final tune-up before playoffs begin next week Thursday (March 8) when they travel to Paynesville Area High School to face the neighboring rival Bulldogs (15-5) in the Sub-Section 5AA-20 quarterfinals. At tonight's game against Eden Valley, a number of Bulldogs basketball players were seen in the stands, as well as their head coach Phil Carlson. With so many B-B-E students being friends with Paynesville students, it will set up an intriguing matchup between two long-time rivals separated only by an invisible school district boundary.

Tonight around the CMC in boys basketball:
@ Holdingford 69 (8-6 CMC, 17-8), Kimball 48 (2-11 CMC, 6-15)
@ Maple Lake 66 (6-7 CMC, 13-12), Pierz 81 (11-2 CMC, 21-4)
@ Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 65 (3-10 CMC, 9-16), Rockford 71 (12-1 CMC, 19-6)

CMC standings going into conference finale:
Rockford (12-1)
Pierz (11-2)
Eden Valley-Watkins (9-4)
Holdingford (8-6)
Maple Lake (6-7)
HL-W/W (3-10)
B-B-E (2-11)
Kimball (2-11)

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Lady Jaguars Basketball Defeats Upsala 68-59 on Seniors' Night -- Jaguars Basketball Cannot Overcome Dismal First Half in 64-57 Loss at Hancock

During their final regular season game, the Lady Jaguars basketball team honored their three seniors on the squad and defeated the Upsala Cardinals 68-59 on the home court at the elementary school. It snapped a five-game losing streak just in time for playoffs, which begin this Thursday night (March 1).

The Cardinals fell to 10-12 as they prepare to enter the Section 5A-South playoffs, having lost their final six regular season games. The Lady Jaguars will enter Section 5AA-20 playoffs with a 12-12 overall record. It marks the first time since the 1997-1998 season that they hit the 12-win regular season mark.

Meanwhile, at Hancock, the Jaguars basketball team was facing the Owls on their Parents' Night and could not overcome their worst half of basketball since January when they fell behind 37-18. After coming out firing off the first eight points of the second half, the Jaguars cut the deficit down to 5 points, but the Owls held on with free throws at the end for their fifth win of the season (5-18 overall).

The Jaguars basketball team hosts Eden Valley-Watkins (6-6 CMC, 13-6) tomorrow (Tuesday) in their final home game of the season.

The Lady Jaguars basketball team hosts St.Cloud Cathedral (13-13) this Thursday at the elementary school at 7:30pm. If they win, they will play on Saturday, March 3 at the Dassel-Cokato High school on Highway 12 between Willmar and the Twin Cities.

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Jaguars Wrestling -- Results From Section 5A Individual Tournament... Seven Jaguars Place, Four Make it to Final Four.... None Advance to "State"

The Jaguars wrestling team battled hard today at the Kimball Area high school for the final day of the Section 5A individual tournament. Out of seven Jaguars who made it to the finals round, four made it to the Section 5A Final Four. While none placed in the top two in each bracket, thereby missing out on the state tournament, six of the seven were underclassmen and will return next season with high hopes of a state tournament berth.

The Jaguars were led by Austin Kampsen (140) and Cole Tensen (130), who both finished in third place. Kampsen narrowly missed out on a state tournament berth, by about as slim a margin as you can imagine, when he lost 6-5 in a "true second" match.

Full details will appear in next week's Observer and Bonanza Valley Voice.

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Jaguars Basketball -- Solid Play During 68-57 Loss to neighboring Melrose, West Central North Conference Co-Champions.... 5AA-20 Seedings Are In

During a road contest at Melrose (17-6) tonight, the Jaguars basketball team was within striking distance the whole game, down 39-31 at halftime. The West Central North-Conference Co-Champs ended with a 68-57 win over our Jaguars, but not without a battle. The Jaguars had an excellent showing in the hostile Dutchmen gym.

It most definitely will make Paynesville take notice when playoffs begin nearly two weeks from now (March 8). The Bulldogs lost 80-59 in early January when they traveled to Melrose. When they hosted the Dutchmen the second time around in their conference schedule, they lost 54-41. While the Jaguars will be distinct underdogs as the 8th seed going into their game with Paynesville, they will have their chances of advancing to the second round of sub-section play.

Sub-Section 5AA-20 Seedings:
1- Paynesville
2- Eden Valley-Watkins
3- New London-Spicer
4- Maple Lake
5- Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted
6- St.Cloud Cathedral
7- Kimball
8- Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa

The Jaguars face Paynesville at the Paynesville Area High School on March 8 at 7:30 PM for their playoff opener. If they win, they play the winner of the HL-W-W vs. Maple Lake game at Dassel-Cokato on March 10 at 6:00pm.

Before that, however, they have three more games to wrap up the regular season schedule. On Monday (Feb 26) they travel to Hancock to face the Owls, who are also 4-18 this season. On Tuesday the Jaguars host Eden Valley-Watkins (13-6), and on Friday they travel to Pierz (20-4) to finish the CMC and regular season schedule.

Tonight around the area in boys basketball action:
@ Eden Valley-Watkins 85 (8-4 CMC, 13-6), Rockford 83 (11-1 CMC, 18-6) OVERTIME
*The Rockets suffer their first CMC loss of the season to the third-place Eagles.
@ Holdingford 50 (6-6 CMC, 16-8), Maple Lake 28 (6-6 CMC, 13-11) ...*Thursday night game
@ Sibley East 56 (8-14), Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 52 (9-15) *Non-conference
@ Pierz 68 (10-2 CMC, 20-4), Kimball 57 (2-10 CMC, 6-14)
*With the Rockford loss, the Pioneers stay in the hunt for the CMC crown, one game back from the Rockets.

Updated CMC boys basketball standings:
Rockford (11-1)
Pierz (10-2)
Eden Valley-Watkins (8-4)
Holdingford (6-6)
Maple Lake (6-6)
HL-W-W (3-9)
B-B-E (2-10)
Kimball (2-10)

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Jaguars Wrestling -- Three Grapplers Make Section 5A Final Four, Others Still in the Hunt... Lady Jaguars Basketball Drops CMC Finale to Pierz

The Jaguars wrestling team had a great night of action during the preliminary rounds of the Section 5A individual tournament (pigtails, quarterfinals, wrestleback round 1 & 2). Joey Tensen (119), Travis Winter (125), and Austin Kampsen (140) all made the final four with quarterfinal wins.

Other Jaguar wrestlers had a strong night, from top to bottom of the lineup.

Meanwhile, during a home game against Pierz, the Lady Jaguars basketball team dropped their Central Minnesota Conference finale 54-45 to the Pioneers, who finished alone in third place (9-5). They lost 60-45 to the Pioneers in January at Pierz. The Lady Jaguars finished 7-7 in the CMC, tied with Rockford for 4th place.

The Lady Jaguars B-squad team won an intense overtime game by four points over the Pioneers, reversing an 11-point loss from January at Pierz. They are now 18-4, the best record ever for a Lady Jaguars B-squad basketball team. It breaks the old record (16-9), set by last year's B-squad team.

The Jaguars wrestling team travels back to Kimball Area High School tomorrow (Saturday) for the final day of action in the section individual tournament. Action starts at Noon. Be mindful of the weather...carpool when you can and make sure a big crowd is on hand to cheer our Jaguars on to the State tournament!

The Lady Jaguars wrap up their regular season next Monday (Feb 26) at home when they host the Upsala Cardinals (10-11). Both the Cardinals and the Lady Jaguars have lost five games in a row. A win would be a big boost for either team heading into section playoffs, which begin next Thursday, March 1.

Results from the CMC in tonight's final conference games:
@ Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 44 (11-3 CMC, 20-6), Eden Valley-Watkins 55 (13-1 CMC, 20-4)
*The Eagles clinched the CMC title outright, their 3rd straight conference crown.
@ Holdingford 64 (4-10 CMC, 7-16), Rockford 59 (7-7 CMC, 13-13)
*The Rockets lose 5 in a row going into the Section 4AA playoffs.
@ Maple Lake 80 (5-9 CMC, 11-14), Kimball 47 (0-14 CMC, 3-20)
*The Irish have gone 2-7 in their past 9 games.

Final Standings for the Central Minnesota Conference (girls basketball):
EV-W (13-1)
HL-W-W (11-3)
Pierz (9-5)
B-B-E (7-7)
Rockford (7-7)
Maple Lake (5-9)
Holdingford (4-10)
Kimball (0-14)

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Lady Jaguars Drop 64-49 Contest on the Road at Hancock to the 7th-Ranked Owls

The Lady Jaguars basketball team traveled to Hancock tonight for their final road game of the regular season, facing the 7th-ranked (Class A) Owls.

After falling behind 15-8 and 20-11 in the first half, they came back in the final four minutes of the first period to close the gap to a 20-16 deficit at the first buzzer.

They did not fare as well in the second half, however, as the high-pressure trapping defense of the Owls lit up the hardwood to help Hancock score 44 second-half points.

Scores from around the area:
BOYS BASKETBALL
Holdingford 50, Maple Lake 28
Osakis 59, Sauk Centre 48

The Lady Jaguars will host Pierz for Parents' Night tomorrow night (Friday) in their Central Minnesota Conference finale. A win over the Pioneers would lift them into a third-place tie (with the Pioneers), with an 8-6 finish.

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Jaguars Basketball -- Stunning 74-71 Loss to Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted ... Lady Jaguars Basketball Drops 62-44 Contest at #1 Eden Valley-Watkins

Our young Jaguars basketball team caved to the pressure of a fierce comeback effort by Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted tonight at the B-B-E High school gym. The Jaguars were within one minute of reversing a 15-point loss only two weeks ago to the Lakers (3-9 CMC, 9-14). They had led for 35 of 36 minutes in the game, at some parts of the game ahead by 10-14 points. The Lakers tied the game at 71-71 on a three-pointer before making three free throws in the final minute to win the game.

The C-squad Jaguars team won 71-51 and reversed a big loss to the Lakers at Howard Lake two weeks ago.

Meanwhile, at Eden Valley-Watkins, the Lady Jaguars basketball team was trying to knock down the Eagles, who currently sit alone in first place in the CMC. It did not happen, as they lost 62-44 and fell to 7-6 in the Central Minnesota Conference.

The B-squad Lady Jaguars swept the season series from Eden Valley-Watkins while improving to 16-4 overall. Their 16 wins ties their win total from the previous season.

Meanwhile around the Central Minnesota Conference...
BOYS BASKETBALL
(NON-conference) @ Royalton 40 (5-16), Maple Lake 50 (13-10)
(NON-conference) @ Upsala 46 (5-15), Holdingford 68 (15-8)
(NON-conference) @ Mora 52 (8-14), Pierz 71 (19-4)

GIRLS BASKETBALL
@ Rockford 61 (7-6 CMC, 13-12, Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 80 (11-2 CMC, 20-5)
*Rockets have lost 4 in a row; the Lakers set up a CMC championship game in their season finale, needing a win over Eden Valley-Watkins to tie for the championship.
@ Pierz 62 (8-5 CMC, 17-8), Maple Lake 41 (4-9 CMC, 10-14)
*The Irish have only one win in the last eight games and two wins in their last 11.
@ Kimball Area 43 (0-13 CMC, 3-19), Holdingford 89 (3-10 CMC, 6-16)

Up next for the Lady Jaguars is a trip on Thursday night to 7th-ranked (Class A) Hancock. They follow that the next night with a home outing against Pierz, who currently sits alone in third place in the CMC at 8-5. A win over the Pioneers would put the Lady Jaguars into a third-place tie in the CMC. **Friday night's game with the Pioneers is Parents' Night, not Monday night as was stated in the newspapers. Next Monday is Seniors' Night, when the Lady Jaguars host the Upsala Cardinals (10-10).

The Jaguars basketball team travels Friday the short trip through Greenwald and New Munich up to Melrose (16-6), who just lost to New London-Spicer tonight 57-44. NL-S has a strong chance of gaining the #2 seed in Sub-Section 5AA-20, which is seeded tomorrow night.

The Jaguars wrestling team will open up the Section 5A individual tournament on Friday, beginning at 5:00pm, at the Kimball Area High School. Action resumes the next day (Sat Feb 24) at Noon. It would be well worth your time and expense to make the trip Saturday to Kimball and support a very fun to watch Jaguars wrestling team.

Note that all playoff action prices are $6 for adults and $4 for students. Season passes are not accepted during playoffs, though "Section" passes are available.

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Lady Jaguars Basketball -- 73-44 Loss to Mayer Lutheran on Saturday Afternoon

The Lady Jaguars basketball took one on the chin yesterday afternoon in a home game against Mayer Lutheran (private school near Watertown, MN). They led the Crusaders mid-way through the first half 17-13 before being outscored the rest of the way to halftime, when they trailed 35-25.

The Lady Jaguars B-squad team won the most intense game of their season in a true cliffhanger, 36-35. They are now 15-4 on the season with four games left on the schedule.

The Lady Jaguars will travel to Eden Valley-Watkins on Tuesday night for a rematch in CMC play with the conference-leading Eagles (11-1 CMC, 18-4).

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Jaguars Basketball -- Exciting Down-to-the-Wire 58-55 Home Win Over Kimball on Booster Club's "Pack the Stands" / Parent's Night

With a crowd larger than any seen this season at the B-B-E High School, with a packed north side and almost-packed south side, the Jaguars basketball team took care of business in a 58-55 win over the Kimball Cubs in Central Minnesota Conference play.
It was also Parents' Night for the Jaguars, and at halftime the Lady Jaguars Varsity danceline team led over 50 elementary-school dancers in a simply superb halftime performance.

After numerous second-half lead changes, the Jaguars held a three- to five-point lead during the final minutes and slugged out their second CMC win of the season. The Kimball Cubs have been playing solid basketball coming into tonight's game, and they had solidified their hold on sixth place in the sub-section standings before losing tonight to our Jaguars.

The varsity win capped a three-game sweep for the boys teams tonight, as the C-squad won 62-28, and the B-squad won as well. It came on the heels of another 3-0 record for the Jaguars teams the previous night against Upsala.

Up next for the Jaguars is a second straight home conference matchup (and third home game in a row overall) against Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted (4-8 CMC, 8-13) next Tuesday (Feb 20). The seeding meeting for Sub-Section 5AA-20 will take place the next night.

Tomorrow afternoon, with 1:00 B/C-squad times and a 2:30pm (estimated) start time for the Varsity, the Lady Jaguars basketball team will host Mayer Lutheran (7-7 Minnesota River Conference, 5th, 11-12 overall) at the elementary school. The Lady Jaguars are hoping to improve on their 5-1 record since January 23rd.

Around the Central Minnesota Conference in boys basketball action...
@ Holdingford 46 (5-6 CMC, 14-8), Eden Valley-Watkins 58 (7-4 CMC, 12-6)
@ Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 62 (2-9 CMC, 8-14), Pierz 73 (9-2 CMC, 17-4)
@ Maple Lake 64 (6-5 CMC, 12-10), Rockford 73 (11-0 CMC, 18-5)

Updated CMC boys basketball standings, with three games left...
Rockford (11-0)
Pierz (9-2)
Eden Valley-Watkins (7-4)
Maple Lake (6-5)
Holdingford (5-6)
Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa (2-9)
Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted (2-9)
Kimball (2-9)

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Jaguars Basketball - Third Win of the Season Comes Tonight 78-71 Over Upsala... Lady Jaguars Lose Tight Ballgame at Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 52-48

Tonight both B-B-E basketball squads were in action.

The Jaguars basketball team hosted Upsala and sent the Cardinals home with a loss, picking up their third win of the year in the process. They hit a season-high 60% from the field while scoring a season-high 78 points. They have to quickly prepare for a tough home conference battle against Kimball (5-12) at the high school tomorrow night (Friday). It is also the Booster Club's "Pack the Stands" night, and the elementary-school danceline will perform at halftime, led by the Lady Jaguars Varsity danceline members.

Down at Howard Lake, the Lady Jaguars basketball team played a solid game while dropping a Central Minnesota Conference clash 52-48. They had previously lost to the Lakers 76-54 on January 23, their biggest loss in conference play. Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted goes to 10-2 in the CMC (2nd place, alone) and 19-5 overall.

The Lady Jaguars' five-game winning streak was also snapped in the process, the program's longest winning streak since the 1994-1995 season, when their Beth Ganyo/Sherri Bierschbach-led squad finished 20-7 and Region 5A Runners-up. The B-B-E school record for regular-season wins in girls basketball is 16, also set that same season. Their next action is Saturday afternoon when they host Mayer Lutheran (11-12) at the elementary school (B/C-squads at 1:00, Varsity at 2:30). Mayer Lutheran is in the other sub-section (17) in Section 5AA. Their only common opponent with the Lady Jaguars is Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted, whom they lost to 46-45 on January 16. They travel to Eden Valley-Watkins next Tuesday night.

Around the Central Minnesota Conference in girls basketball...
@ Kimball Area 39 (0-12 CMC, 3-18), Pierz 68 (7-5 CMC, 15-8)
@ Rockford 53 (7-5 CMC, 13-10), Eden Valley-Watkins 59 (11-1 CMC, 18-4)
**The Eagles manage to leave Rockford in first place alone in the CMC.
@ Maple Lake 56 (4-8 CMC, 10-13), Holdingford 53 (2-10 CMC, 5-16)
**The Huskers have gone 2-13 since beginning the season at .500 (3-3), the Irish meanwhile break a six-game losing streak. Oddly, the 7th-place Huskers remain as the only team able to defeat Eden Valley-Watkins in conference play so far this season.

Hot Off the Press: Sub-Section 5AA-20 Girls Basketball Seeding:
#1- Eden Valley-Watkins
#2- Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted
#3- New London-Spicer
#4- B-B-E
#5- St.Cloud Cathedral
#6- Maple Lake
#7- Paynesville Area
#8- Kimball Area
The Lady Jaguars open sub-section playoffs on Thursday, March 1, when they host St.Cloud Cathedral (8-6 4th-place West Central-North, 12-13).

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Jaguars Basketball -- Oh So Close: 70-67 Loss to conference unbeaten Rockford on the Rockets' Home Floor

What a difference one win can make?

Last week the Jaguars basketball team picked up their first conference win of the season, and second overall, by a one-point margin against Maple Lake. That exciting win came on the heels of a number of big losses to very good teams over the past three weeks.

Tonight the Jaguars traveled to Rockford to face the conference-unbeaten Rockets, CMC champions in 2005 and 2006. Coming in, the Jaguars were sitting tied for 7th place in the CMC with Kimball at 1-8. On paper they did not have a prayer, especially in the gym recently voted in an online poll as the toughest place to play in the Central Minnesota Conference (online at www.centralminnesotaconference.com).

However, the game is played on the hardwood, not on a stats sheet.

After trailing Rockford 41-28 at halftime, the Jaguars outscored the Rockets 39-29 in the second half and nearly pulled off the biggest upset of this decade in boys basketball action. They fell behind by as many as 19 points in the second half, and cut the deficit down to one point. Their last-ditch three-point attempt missed, after Rockford sank two free throws for a three-point lead.

The Rockets improved to 10-0 in the CMC and 17-5 overall. They have a two-game lead over second-place Pierz in the standings, with four CMC games left on the schedule.

For the game, the Jaguars shot 56% from the floor, including 60% (27-of-45) inside the three-point line.

They look forward to hosting two games this week Thursday (Upsala) and Friday (Kimball) at the high school, as they have a shot at doubling their win total for the season. More importantly, winning more games will only raise their confidence level heading into sub-section playoffs, where anything can happen on game night.

Results from Central Minnesota Conference boys basketball action tonight:
@ Holdingford 47 (5-5 CMC, 14-7), Pierz 56 (8-2 CMC, 16-4)
@ Kimball Area 50 (2-8 CMC, 5-12), Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 48 (2-8 CMC, 8-13)
*A big win for the Cubs as playoff seeding approaches next week, making a mess out of the standings and head-to-head combinations. The Lakers beat the Cubs 75-54 on January 8 in Howard Lake. They have been stung in their past two games against Sub-Section 5AA-20 teams, losing 84-81 to Paynesville last week. The Jaguars could really shake things up by beating Kimball this Friday and Howard Lake next Tuesday (both home games).

This week the Lady Jaguars have two games, a road trip to Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted (9-2 CMC, 18-5) on Thursday, and a home game on Saturday against Mayer Lutheran (11-11). The Saturday game begins at 2:30 at the elementary school, with the B/C squads playing at 1:00.

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Jaguars Wrestling : 42-32 Win in Section 5A Opener, Loss in Quarterfinals -- Lady Jaguars Basketball Wins Big Against Melrose 73-43

Tonight in their Section 5A team playoff opener, the Jaguars wrestling team had an excellent night of action during two dual meets. They opened against Meadow Creek Christian/Rivers Academy (private school in Andover) and won 42-32, boosted by some very impressive wins throughout the lineup. Against the number-two seeded Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted Lakers, who hosted these matches, they did not far as well, though, losing 53-15.

The young squad that has had an incredibly tough season filled with ups and downs finished with an overall record of 5-11. However, for the second straight season they won their playoff opener (both times, being seeded lower than their opponent) and will bring a host of talent into the individual round of Section 5A wrestling.

The Jaguars set their eyes on the Section 5A individual tournament, to be held at the Kimball Area High school on February 23-24.

Meanwhile at the elementary school, the Lady Jaguars basketball team was hosting the Melrose Dutchmen. They won 73-53 for their fifth straight win. Their next action is on Thursday at Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted. They also have a game on Saturday when they host Mayer Lutheran (11-11) in an afternoon game at the elementary school, with the C- and B-squad games starting at 1:00 and the Varsity to follow around 2:30.

Results from games involving Central Minnesota Conference girls basketball teams:
@ Holy Family Catholic 81 (15-8), Rockford 59 (13-9)
@ Albany 64 (20-1), Eden Valley-Watkins 60 (17-4)

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**Urgent Update for B-B-E -- RE: Public Input Meeting at the High School Tuesday Night (Feb 13)

While I was in St.Cloud for a work-related meeting tonight, I completely overlooked spreading the word about encouraging the public to attend Monday night's public input meeting for the B-B-E school board at the elementary school. I dropped the ball.

I realize many probably already knew and attended it anyways. I wanted to make this post to point out there will be another public input meeting Tuesday night (Feb 13) at the High School's library at 7:30pm.

This website is not a sounding board for me to influence the debate on what happens at B-B-E, but I will step out and give my 2 cents and then hit the "publish" button at the bottom of my screen.

Our school's first mission is to give a first-rate academic experience to our students, and by most measures B-B-E is doing a very good job here. Our extra-curricular activities bolster and support that academic experience and make B-B-E an attractive school for area residents.

Public input must be given in order for our school board to set our budget priorities at the proper levels. The world is run by those who show up.

An important school board meeting will take place on Monday, February 26 to continue the discussion of budget cuts at B-B-E. Stay tuned to your local newspaper for continued coverage of this important discussion.

Jaguars Wrestling : 42-31 Win Over Trinity Lutheran of Bloomington During Home Quadrangular -- Lady Jaguars Basketball Beats Kimball 68-38

Tonight at a big home Quadrangular involving four Section 5A teams, our Jaguars wrestling team performed well during three matches, including a nice 42-31 win over Trinity Lutheran. They also had strong performances in losses to Eden Valley-Watkins and #3-Class A state ranked Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City.

The highlight of the evening came in the very last match of the final dual, the heavyweight division involving the senior from ACGC, and the Jaguars' freshmen Jerry Villalbazo, who battled to the very end of the third period in a 4-3 loss that went to the final second. It was an outstanding performance for the Jaguar freshmen, with the crowd noise reaching an overpowering level as fans and teammates stood to their feet through the final two periods. Jerry pulled into a tie at the beginning of the third period, 2-2, with a clasping penalty awarded his way. He then pulled into the lead, sending B-B-E fans into a frenzy, with an escape with 1:33 left. The lead was short-lived, however, as he gave up a takedown with 66 seconds left to fall behind 4-3 for the final score. He fought and fought through the final ticks for an escape or reversal, but it was not meant to be.

Meanwhile, at Kimball, the Lady Jaguars basketball team was throttling the Kimball Cubs 68-38 for their 10th win of the season, against seven losses. It also raised their Central Minnesota Conference record to 7-4. All 15 girls on the roster saw the floor. The B-squad Lady Jaguars also won, 54-18, to up their overall record to 13-3. The C-squad Lady Jaguars were also victorious.

In other girls basketball action in the CMC...A big win for Pierz over number-one CMC team Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted. The Pioneers hosted the first-place Lakers and won 59-48 to knock Howard Lake out of first place in the CMC. At Rockford, Maple Lake visited the Rockets, trying to break out of a five-game losing streak. It did not happen tonight, as the Rockets handed the Irish their sixth straight overall and fourth straight CMC loss, 67-56.

Eden Valley-Watkins 64 (10-1, 17-3), @ Holdingford 44 (2-9 CMC, 4-14)
*With Howard Lake's loss to Pierz, the Eagles are now in first place by themselves in the CMC.*
Updated Girls Basketball CMC standings: (CMC) overall
Eden Valley-Watkins (10-1) 17-3
Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted (9-2) 18-5
Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa (7-4) 10-7
Rockford (7-4) 12-8
Pierz (5-5) 13-7
Maple Lake (3-8) 9-13
Holdingford (2-9) 4-14
Kimball (0-11) 3-16

Boys basketball action involving two Sub-Section 5AA-20 teams:
@ Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 81 (8-14), Paynesville Area 84 (12-5)

Results from Saturday night action involving CMC teams:
BOYS BASKETBALL
@ Rockford 63 (16-5), Annandale 67 (15-4)
@ Little Falls 66 (12-7), Pierz 59 (14-4)
GIRLS BASKETBALL
@ Pierz 51 (13-8), Hawley 59 (17-3)
@ Rockford 55 (13-8), Annandale 54 (8-12)

Results from Monday night action:
WRESTLING, SECTION 5A: #1 seed ACGC 63, #8 seed Kimball 8
GIRLS BASKETBALL: New London-Spicer loses to Sauk Centre 44-41, both teams are tied in the West Central North Conference with 9-4 records. The Wildcats are 18-6 overall, while the Mainstreeters are 17-4.

Next action for basketball and wrestling:
Tuesday, Feb 13...Lady Jaguars host Melrose (5-15), while the Jaguars wrestlers travel to Howard Lake for the Section 5A team wrestling opening round and quarterfinals. The Jaguars basketball team travels to Rockford.

Thursday, Feb 15...the Lady Jaguars basketball team travels to Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted for a rematch against a Lakers team that gave the Lady Jags their worst beating in CMC play on January 23rd, 76-54. The Jaguars basketball team hosts the Upsala Cardinals (4-13) at the high school. The Cardinals are on a two-game winning streak, and they defeated our Jaguars in an upset last year 73-70 in overtime on the Upsala floor.

Friday, Feb 16...the Jaguars basketball team hosts Kimball (4-13) at the high school for the B-B-E Booster Club's "Pack the Stands" night. The Jaguars need to have their 20-0 football loss from last fall and the 54-34 drubbing on January 5th in their mind and give payback to the Cubs this Friday night.

Special note: The Lady Jaguars basketball game on Saturday (Feb 17) against Mayer Lutheran (11-11) at the elementary school will have a 1:00pm start time for the C/B-squad games, and then the Varsity will follow at about 2:30pm.

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Jaguars Wrestling -- Fall to Parkers Prairie and Sauk Centre at Triangular -- Playoffs Start Next Week

The young Jaguars wrestling team traveled to Parkers Prairie Thursday night to face the host Panthers as well as Sauk Centre in a triangular, their first action after the recent MSHSL-mandated 8-day layoff. They lost both duals, although the Parkers match was close and could have gone either way with a difference in two individual matches.

Austin Kampsen and Brett Landwehr led the team by going 2-0 in their matches.

Next week on Tuesday (Feb 13) the team begins Section 5A playoffs with a "pigtail" match against Meadow Creek Christian/Rivers Academy at 6:00. These matches are held between the teams seeded 7th through 10th in the 10-team section. The dual will be held at the Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted High School. If the Jaguars win their opening match, they would advance to the quarterfinal round on the same night in the same location to face number-two seeded Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted at 7:30.

At 5:30 tonight at the High school, the Jaguars are set to begin their quadrangular beginning with a dual against Eden Valley-Watkins. Trinity of River Ridge Bloomington and Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City are the other two teams that will participate.
1st match: BBE vs EV-W & ACGC vs Trinity
2nd match: BBE vs ACGC & EV-W vs Trinity
3rd match: BBE vs Trinity & ACGC vs EV-W

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Another thriller on the basketball court for B-B-E -- Boys' Turn This Time -- Jaguars Basketball Earns Second Win of the Season, 48-47 Over Maple Lake

This shot by Josh Roelike went through for two points in the first half. His shot identical to this one, from 15 feet out, also dropped with 22 seconds left for the game's final razor-thin margin.

What a game. A large crowd at the High School, complete with the B-B-E Pep Band, witnessed an incredible performance on the hardwood from their Boys in Blue & Silver tonight. Maple Lake came to town with a 12-8 overall record, 6-3 in the CMC, and had just defeated Eden Valley-Watkins 56-53 two nights ago. Eden Valley had the inside track on the number-one seed in Sub-Section 5AA-20. So after Maple Lake put a huge wrinkle into Eden Valley's designs on a top playoff seed, our Jaguars followed that by putting a big wrinkle into Maple Lake's hopes of a top seed. Maple Lake had beaten Paynesville 77-71 and had an excellent 7-1 record since a 66-56 loss to Pierz on January 16, coming on strong and appearing as the top team in the sub-section. The top five teams in S.S. 20 are very balanced, and the only thing certain is Paynesville has two wins over New London-Spicer, giving them the edge between those two teams. Now our Jaguars have shown they can play two halves of basketball in the same night, and they will not back down to anyone as they go through the final games of the regular season. You can all but throw the records out of the window every night for the remainder of the season in the Central Minnesota Conference.

In tonight's game, after building a lead as big as 24-17 in the first half, the Jaguars went into the locker room leading 28-26. In the second half, after trailing only twice (32-30 with 13:44 left, 47-46 with 0:45 left), they came through at the end with a nearly flawless performance in the game's final four minutes. Josh Roelike's long-range jumper with 22 seconds on the clock put the Jaguars ahead, and their defense held on to force a wide-left three-point shot by the Irish at the buzzer.

A simply fascinating evening of boys basketball throughout the Central Minnesota Conference...having two of the eight overtime games in the state tonight.
Pierz 67 (7-2, 14-3), @ Eden Valley-Watkins 66 (6-4 CMC, 10-6)
@ Rockford 60 (9-0 CMC, 16-4), Kimball Area 57 (1-8 CMC, 4-12)Overtime! First place team and last place team
Holdingford 58 (5-4 CMC, 14-6), @ Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 51 (2-7 CMC, 8-11)Overtime!
Two conference games decided by one point, and the other two conference games decided in overtime. The Central Minnesota Conference suddenly was ridden with parity up and down the standings. Who would have guessed in a lifetime that Kimball would travel to Rockford and push the two-time defending CMC champion Rockets into overtime? Then Pierz holds onto its chances of repeating as CMC co-champs by barely getting out of Eden Valley with a win. The Eagles, meanwhile, seem to be in a tailspin, losing two straight conference games, and five of its past seven games overall. Then our B-B-E Jaguars breath new life into their season by defeating Maple Lake, essentially taking the Irish out of the conference race (coming into the game at 6-3, they had an outside chance of gaining CMC hardware). Almost worse, though, is that the loss to our Jaguars will hurt the Irish at playoff seeding time. It is a huge step in the right direction for first-year Head Coach Chuck Thompson's squad.

Updated boys Central Minnesota Conference Standings:
Rockford (9-0)
Pierz (7-2)
Eden Valley (6-4)
Maple Lake (6-4)
Holdingford (5-4)
Howard Lake (2-7)
B-B-E (1-8)
Kimball (1-8)

From a game not having any bearing on B-B-E sports, but from our neighbors to the north: @ Melrose 59, Sauk Centre 57, 2 OVERTIMES. If Sauk would have won, they would have pulled into a tie for first place in the West Central North Conference with Melrose, who won the first meeting in overtime at Sauk Centre. If they meet up in the Sub-Section 6AA-West playoffs, it will be one bruising basketball game. Tonight in Minnesota there were eight games decided in extra sessions, six in single overtime, and two in double overtime. What a night for high school basketball in Minnesota.

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Thriller for the Lady Jaguars Basketball Team -- 56-55 Come-from-behind Win Over the Rockford Rockets

Celebration for the Lady Jags moments after tonight's win over the Rockford Rockets.

Avenging a last-second 74-72 loss to Rockford from December, tonight the Lady Jaguars basketball team won an intense come-from-behind victory over the Rockets 56-55. April Hansen's two-for-two performance on a double bonus opportunity with :05 on the clock lifted them on top. Their defense spread the court and denied a clean shot at the basket for the Rockets, as their jump shot bounced off the backboard to the floor as time expired.

It was the Lady Jaguars' first win over Rockford since January 2000, when they were debuting in their first season in the Central Minnesota Conference, finishing 9-14 overall and 7-7 in the conference (their best CMC record to date).

The Lady Jaguars C-squad continued playing solid basketball and won their third straight, 36-28, while the B-squad team won 57-41 and avenged an eight-point loss to the Rockets from December (their first loss of the season).

More photos from this game can be found on the Jaguars Sports Photos website. Click on the link in the right column to go there. http://bbejaguarsphotos.blogspot.com/

On a side note, the 10-12 enrollment for Rockford is 407, by far the largest school in the conference. B-B-E's 10-12 enrollment is 181. In any sport, it's always sweet to beat the Rockets.

The Lady Jaguars' next game is on Friday at Kimball against the 2-15 Cubs. They are now 6-4 in the CMC and 9-7 overall.

Results from around the Central Minnesota Conference tonight in girls basketball:
@ Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 69 (9-1 CMC, 18-4), Kimball 30 (0-10 CMC, 2-15)
@ Eden Valley-Watkins 68 (9-1 CMC, 16-3), Maple Lake 38 (3-7 CMC, 9-12)
*Maple Lake is on a five-game losing streak, EV-W has won 12 in a row.

Results from games involving Central Minnesota Conference boys basketball teams:
@ Pierz 70 (6-2 CMC, 13-3), Rockford 74 (8-0 CMC, 15-4)
**The Rockets remain unbeaten in the CMC, while the Pioneers fall two games back.**
Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 58 (8-10), @ Mayer Lutheran 56 (15-5)
**A big win for the Lakers over a solid Mayer Lutheran team**

The Jaguars basketball team hosts Maple Lake on Thursday night, while the wrestlers travel to the Parkers Prairie Triangular that also includes Sauk Centre. On Friday night the wrestlers return to action at the B-B-E High School for a quadrangular. They face off with Eden Valley-Watkins at 5:30.

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Jaguars Basketball -- Another Close First Half Leads to Another Big Loss, 82-59 to the Benson Braves

The Jaguars basketball team played a competitive first half against a very good Benson Braves squad (State tournament team in 2006), then gave up four unanswered buckets in to start the second half. They got within one point, down 21-20, before the Braves went on a 34-13 run stretching from the final 6:00 of the first half through the first five minutes of the second half.

The next game for the Jaguars is on Thursday night at the high school against
Maple Lake in a Central Minnesota Clash. Tonight at Maple Lake, the Irish smashed a heavy wrecking ball in Eden Valley-Watkins' hopes of a top seed in Sub-Section 5AA-20 when they defeated the Eagles 56-53. Not that there's any tears being shed for Eden Valley-Watkins, of course.

Results from games involving Central Minnesota Conference teams:
@ St. John's Prep 45 (7-10), Holdingford 56 (13-6)
@ Kimball Area 58 (4-11), Royalton 45 (5-11)
Shocker: @ Maple Lake 56 (6-3 CMC, 12-8), Eden Valley-Watkins 53 (6-3 CMC, 10-5) This will hurt the Eagles at playoff seeding time.

Tomorrow (Tues Feb 6) the Lady Jaguars basketball team hosts Rockford in their second matchup with the Rockets (6-3 CMC, 11-7) this season. At stake for the Lady Jaguars is a shot at lifting themselves into a third-place tie in the CMC with Rockford. Then on Friday they travel to Kimball (0-9 CMC, 2-14) for another CMC game.

Central Minnesota Conference Girls Basketball Standings:
Eden Valley-Watkins (8-1)
Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted (8-1)
Rockford (6-3)
B-B-E (5-4)
Pierz (4-5)
Maple Lake (3-6)
Holdingford (2-7)
Kimball (0-9)

The Jaguars wrestling squad finally gets back into action on Thursday when they travel to Parkers Prairie for a triangular with the host Panthers as well as Sauk Centre. Then on Friday they host a big quadrangular at the high school that involves four Section 5A teams (ACGC, EV-W, Trinity at River Ridge Bloomington, and B-B-E).

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Jaguars Basketball -- 82-54 Loss to Conference Leader Rockford on the Home Court

The Jaguars basketball team hosted the 13-4 Rockford Rockets tonight in a re-scheduled Central Minnesota Conference game from December. The Jaguars were soundly outplayed in the opening minutes and fell behind 32-8 before they got their act together and began playing good basketball. They managed to end the first half on a 20-9 run, down 41-32 at the break.

In the second half, they fell behind 54-32 and never recovered.

The Rockets moved to 7-0 in the CMC as the only team with an unblemished league record. They are 14-4 overall.

The C-squad Jaguars held on after building a 22-11 halftime lead to overcome a 32-30 deficit in the game's final minutes. After tieing the game at 32-32, they came through down the stretch with free throws to win 38-34.

Up next for the Jaguars basketball team is a Monday night game against Benson at the B-B-E High School. The Braves are currently 10-8 and are on a 2-5 streak in their past seven games, and their head coach Roger Lindahl, a 1981 Belgrade High School graduate and former standout Redmen football player, was seen in the stands scouting the Jaguars in tonight's game.

Six of the Jaguars' final ten regular season games are at home, so hopefully they can put together a string of wins as March playoffs get closer on the horizon. They host Maple Lake (5-3 CMC, 11-8) on Thursday (Feb 8) night.

The Lady Jaguars basketball team hosts the third-place team in the conference, the Rockford Rockets, on Tuesday night at the elementary school. Rockford is 6-3 in the CMC and 10-7 overall. Our Lady Jaguars (5-4 CMC, 8-7)are looking to avenge a 74-72 loss at Rockford from December in which they gave up a 9-0 run to lose their conference opener. They are in a solid position to continue building momentum as the regular season winds down and earn a high Sub-Section 5AA-20 seed. They have done a remarkable job since the New Year started, going from a 2-4 record and sixth-place sub-section standing to an 8-7 record and a solid grasp on fourth place in their playoff league. They must continue winning in order to stay ahead of St.Cloud Cathedral (9-12) and earn a first round home playoff game.

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Jaguars Basketball -- Close First Half Leads to 73-54 Loss at Holdingford

The Jaguars basketball team traveled to Holdingford tonight to avenge a loss to the Huskers from early January. After falling behind 12-5 early on, they came back to force eight lead-changes in the final eight minutes of the first half. After being down 31-27 at halftime, the Jaguars were shelled by simply unbelievable shooting from Huskers senior guard Lee Maciej, who went 7-of-10 from behind the arc and finished with 31 points on the night. He entered the game with a 12.8 ppg average.

The Jaguars fell behind by 18 points at one point of the second half, and then cut the lead down to 62-51 with under three minutes left. The Huskers poured it on at the end for the game's 19-point final margin.

The Jaguars have little time for rest as they are set to entertain the 13-4 Rockford Rockets tomorrow (Sat Feb 3), with B-squad at 4:30 and Varsity at 6:00 at the B-B-E High School.

Results from the other two Central Minnesota Conference games tonight...
Eden Valley-Watkins 63, Kimball Area 45
Maple Lake 67, Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 50

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