B-B-E Schools closed for Tuesday, March 31

The weather's pretty rotten out there. In western Minnesota, every school has closed down for the day, including Minnewaska Area and Alexandria. In our area, Benson, Osakis, Willmar, and NL-S were closed as of 8:00am. The lone school still 2 hours late was Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg.

In the Glenwood area, the snowfall is quite heavy and over 3 inches has already accumulated by 8am. The wind has turned the storm into a full-blown blizzard.

Big changes for future basketball playoffs

The changing face of rural Minnesota means fewer and fewer schools will be staying afloat, lowering the number of sports teams available for rural-area playoff sections. Three programs at B-B-E will see a significant change in the teams they will face for playoffs for the next two years. Football is moved to Section 4A (see separate story), while boys and girls basketball are now in Section 6A.

The Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) recently released the 2009-2010, 2010-2011 competitive section assignments for varsity-level playoffs. The information was highly anticipated by local basketball fans, as it was almost a sure bet that B-B-E would be dropped into Class A for the first time since 2004-2005.

The Jaguars boys and girls basketball teams have been moved into Section 6A, which reaches from Clinton, Minnesota on the south, all the way to Halstad, Ada, and Waubun to the north. (A distance of 170+ miles) B-B-E is in the extreme southeast corner of the section.

Section 6A for boys basketball in the next two seasons will include the following schools that are located in the Moorhead area, and further north: Ada-Borup, Barnesville, Lake Park-Audubon, Norman County East, Norman County West, Ulen-Hitterdal, Waubun, and Park Christian.

Schools in the Fergus Falls area include Battle Lake, Henning, New York Mills, Parkers Prairie, Rothsay, Underwood, Ashby, and Hillcrest Lutheran Academy.

Closer to home, the other teams in Section 6A are Chokio-Alberta, Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley (2009 Section 6A runner-up), Hancock, Brandon-Evansville, Campbell-Tintah/Fairmount (N.D.), and Wheaton/Herman-Norcross.

One important note is that Hancock, Chokio-Alberta, and Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley have been in discussions over recent months to consider pairing their boys basketball programs. According to recent reports, C-A will pursue agreements with Hancock or Morris Area for boys basketball.

Ada-Borup is the defending section champion, having just placed third in Class A over the weekend.

For girls basketball, Section 6A includes the same teams, with the exception of Chokio-Alberta, which pairs with Morris Area for that sport. Ada-Borup is the two-time defending section champion, as well as the two-time defending Class A state champion.

Jaguars football goes east in playoffs (story below)

In a surprise move, the Jaguars football program will move east for the next two seasons of playoffs, being a new member of Section 4A. This section stretches from B-B-E eastward, into the Metro Area to include a number of small private schools. The Jaguars have a good shot at being competitive in this section, just as they have been in Section 5A since joining Class A in for the 2001 football season.

Another big change is the inclusion of Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City in Class A, also members of Section 4A. The Falcons, a Class AA power in football this entire decade (2001 Class AA state champions), have suffered from open-enrollment losses over the past few years to bring this change about.

Also in Section 4A is the coop team of Lester Prairie/Holy Trinity from the Hutchinson/Winsted area. This public/private school all-sports pairing began in 2007-2008 season. The Bulldogs football team went 2-8 the first year before going 8-2 in 2008. They fell 42-16 to Royalton in the Section 4A semi-finals last October. Last summer, their school boards agreed to continue the pairing for the 2009 and 2010 seasons.

The remaining teams of Section 4A are all private schools. New Life Academy of Woodbury, PACT Charter School (in Ramsey, MN, north of Anoka/Coon Rapids), St.Agnes (in St.Paul), St.Bernard's (in St.Paul), West Lutheran (in Plymouth), and the Concordia Academy/Bethany Academy (in Bloomington) pairing. St.Agnes and St.Bernard's have been the most competitive schools in this bunch.

HL-W-W Lakers boys basketball falls 78-50 to Pelican Rapids in state semi-finals

The Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted Lakers lost their state semi-final berth to top-ranked Pelican Rapids 78-50 on Friday night.

The Lakers led 8-4 in the early minutes of the game before the Vikings went on a run to go ahead 29-21 at halftime.

Right into the second half, the Lakers scored first to close the gap to six points. That was all she wrote for HL-W-W, however, as the Vikings build on their lead through the entire second half.

In the end, the Lakers (23-9 finish) gave a great effort that the CMC should be proud of, advancing to the Class AA Final Four round. They lost 70-52 in the third-place game to Plainview-Elgin-Millville.

This was the first time since 2005 that a CMC boys basketball team has advanced to the Final Four round at state. That year, Rockford had a "dream team" that took 4th place at state, finishing 28-5 overall.

New Forecast for Sauk River Crest Causes Sandbagging at Fast Pace - Road Closure link below for Fargo-Moorhead area

First...a link for anyone interested in road closures in the Fargo-Moorhead area: http://www.inforum.com/event/article/id/235336/group/home/ **It does not sound good from what I've read and heard out of that area. It is a life-threatening situation in some areas up there.

Down in our neck of the woods...The Sauk River in Stearns County continues to rise at a fast pace and now stands at a flood level of 7.3 feet. The National Weather Service updated the crest level for the Sauk River to be 7.7’ which is expected to hit on Saturday. In comparison, this is still about a ½ foot below 2001 flood levels and a foot below 1997 levels. Flood level for the Sauk River is 6 feet.

Sandbagging continues to take place in communities along the Sauk River – Sauk Centre, Melrose, Cold Spring, Richmond, Waite Park.

Late last night, the Minnesota Department of Transportation closed approximately 6 miles of State Highway 22 north of Richmond, from County Road 43 to Highway 23 until further notice because of water over the road from the Chain of Lakes and the Sauk River.

The Mississippi River as well is at flood stage at 9 feet. This morning it rose to 9.3’ and is expected to crest at 10 feet on Friday night. This, too, is about a foot below the 2001 flood levels and a foot-and-a-half below the 1997 levels.

A reminder to citizens that they can get sand and sandbags from their local government for a small fee, at cost. People who live within city limits should call their local city hall. Others can call Stearns County’s flood hotline at 1-877-STCLOUD during business hours from 7:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. or the Sheriff’s Office non-emergency number at 320-251-4240 after 10 p.m. Sandbags cost forty-cents a piece and sand 5-dollars a yard. Items will be delivered by the County for free. Residents must do their own sandbagging.

All questions or information can be referred to the County’s information hotline at 1-877-STCLOUD.

Spring Sports Open for the Jaguars (in the midst of winter, yes) - Boys and Girls Track at CMC Indoor Meet on Friday

The Central Minnesota Conference indoor meet will be held on Friday night, March 27, at St.Cloud State University's spacious fieldhouse. It is an annual event, something the Jaguars track and field squads have been taking part in this entire decade.

Thursday - Many updates to follow, beginning with State tournament updates

Flooding west of Belgrade, along Highway 55...This area was hayed last summer!

The Central Minnesota Conference runners-up Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted Lakers improved to 23-7 on the season with a dramatic come-from-behind 47-45 win over Montevideo (21-8) in the Class AA state quarterfinals on Wednesday night.

Section 6AA champion New London-Spicer fell 71-56 to top-ranked Pelican Rapids in the other state quarterfinal last night at Williams Arena. The Wildcats (23-9) trailed 36-28 at halftime, then pulled ahead 48-47 with 10 minutes left. The Vikings (31-0) poured it on down the stretch to advance to the state semi-final round.

In B-B-E news...The Speech team earned the Central Minnesota Conference championship for the third time since 2006 over the weekend. They did so in dominating fashion, winning by a wide margin over second-place Eden Valley-Watkins.

A few flooding photos from the area will be posted today.

Road closed near Richmond (I think this is the road going down to Eden Valley)

Minnesota Highway 22 in Richmond has been closed due to flooding on the roadway.

The road is closed just north of Stearns County Road 42 to the junction of Minnesota Highway 55 near the cities of Watkins and Eden Valley.

The highway will remain closed until further notice, according to the Minnesota Deparment of Transportation.

Flood warnings around the area - from the National Weather Service - This is serious

Wednesday afternoon update... I've heard reports of flooding around the St.Martin area. It could get ugly, we're even talking road WASH-outs. Travel with care.

THE FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES FOR THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AT ST CLOUD SCSU. * UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE... OR UNTIL THE WARNING IS CANCELLED. * AT 7:30 AM WEDNESDAY THE STAGE WAS 9.3 FEET. * MINOR FLOODING IS OCCURRING AND MODERATE FLOODING IS FORECAST. * FLOOD STAGE IS 9.0 FEET. * FORECAST... THE RIVER WILL CONTINUE RISING TO NEAR 10.8 FEET BY SATURDAY MORNING THEN BEGIN FALLING. * FLOOD HISTORY... THIS CREST COMPARES TO A PREVIOUS CREST OF 8.2 FEET ON JUN 14 2005.

THE FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES FOR THE SAUK RIVER AT ST CLOUD. * UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE... OR UNTIL THE WARNING IS CANCELLED. * AT 6:00 AM WEDNESDAY THE STAGE WAS 7.3 FEET. * MODERATE FLOODING IS OCCURRING AND MODERATE FLOODING IS FORECAST. * FLOOD STAGE IS 6.0 FEET. * FORECAST... THE RIVER WILL CONTINUE RISING TO NEAR 8.6 FEET BY SATURDAY EARLY AFTERNOON THEN BEGIN FALLING. * IMPACT... AT 6.0 FEET... TWO HOMES ALONG THE RIVER MAY EXPERIENCE FLOODING. * FLOOD HISTORY... THIS CREST COMPARES TO A PREVIOUS CREST OF 7.2 FEET ON APR 25 2001.

Jaguars Danceline playoff group for the next two years

The Jaguars danceline squad has been moved from Section 4A (which stretched to the far north) into Section 3A (which is basically the southwest 1/4 of Minnesota):
Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City H.S.
B O L D High School
Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa H.S.
Canby High School
Central Minnesota Christian
G-F-W High School
Lakeview High School
MACCRAY High School
Mankato Loyola High School
Minneota High School
Montevideo High School
New Ulm Cathedral High School
Paynesville Area High School
Renville County West High School
Tracy-Milroy-Balaton High School
Yellow Medicine East H.S.
Coop: 152 "LQPV-DB Shadows"
Dawson-Boyd High School
Lac qui Parle Valley High School (HOST)

State tournament update - NL-S Wildcats win 67-51 for third place in Class AA

Ada-Borup won the Class A title after giving Cedar Mountain/Comfrey a 61-31 beating.

The NL-S Wildcats defeated Jordan in the third-place Class AA game.

Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted fell in the Class AA girls state championship 54-50 to Caledonia, who finished the season with a perfect record at 31-0. HL-W-W finishes 29-4, after earning the Sub-Section 5AA-North championship, the Section 5AA title, and now a Class AA State Runner-up trophy. They were runner-up in the Central Minnesota Conference with a 12-2 record, one game ahead of the Jaguars girls basketball team.

See below for future playoff pairings for the Jaguars basketball teams... big changes coming for post-season section assignments. B-B-E is now the southeastern most team in their basketball playoff section.

What's interesting is that I think Pierz ended up taking our spot in Section 6AA... as the Pioneers are moved out of Section 5AA for the next two years.

In football playoffs...I've done a little more research and I feel that the Jaguars shouldn't hang their heads too much about the new playoff section they're in (Section 4A), even though it includes Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City, and St.Bernard's.. honestly the Jaguars have the ability and opportunity to become a 3rd- or 4th-best team in Section 4A. There are a handful of some pretty low-talent private schools in this conference.

NL-S boys basketball returns to state - NL-S girls get pounded by Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted in AA semi's 46-31

The NL-S boys basketball team defeated Morris Area 82-75 to win the Section 6AA championship for the second straight year. It was Morris Area's first section final appearance since 2004, when they won Section 3AA.

Meanwhile, at the Class AA state tournament, the HL-W-W Lakers (29-3) girls basketball team earned their first-ever State Championship berth with a convincing 46-31 win over state-ranked NL-S. (That was great news to hear!)

With 12 minutes left in the second half, the Wildcats (30-2) came back from a 27-20 halftime deficit to force a 29-29 tie. After that it was all Lakers.

In Section 5AA boys basketball action: Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 64, Norwood-Young America 62, OT. The Lakers (22-7) earned their first state tournament berth since 2002.

Just to get into overtime, the Lakers' star senior guard Nash Faulk hit two FT's with 4 seconds left in regulation to tie it. Then in the waning moments of the extra session, 6'7" center Jeff Hammer hit a 15 footer with 2 seconds left in overtime for the win. What a game.

Track sections - Jaguars remain in Section 5A

Albany High School
Annandale High School
Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City H.S.
Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa H.S.
Braham High School
Dassel-Cokato High School
Foley High School
Holdingford High School
Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted H.S.
Litchfield High School
Maple Lake High School
Melrose Area High School
Milaca High School
Mora High School
New London-Spicer High School
Ogilvie High School
Paynesville Area High School
Pierz High School
Pine City High School
Rockford High School
Royalton High School
Rush City High School
Saint Cloud Cathedral High School
Saint Cloud Christian School
Saint John's Prep
Zimmerman High School
Coop: 141 "Eden Valley-W/Kimball"
Eden Valley-Watkins High School (HOST)
Kimball Area High School
Coop: 285 "Meadow Creek Christian"
Meadow Creek Christian School (HOST)
PACT Charter School
Coop: 336 "Mille Lacs"
Isle High School
Onamia High School (HOST)
Coop: 443 "Upsala/Swanville"
Swanville High School (HOST)
Upsala High School
Coop: 492 "Lester Prairie \ Holy Trinity"
Holy Trinity High School (HOST)
Lester Prairie High School

Golf teams remain in Section 5A, not many changes there either

Girls golf:
Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City H.S.
Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa H.S.
Browerville High School
Buffalo Lake-Hector High School
Canby High School
Dawson-Boyd High School
MACCRAY High School
Ortonville High School
Osakis High School
Renville County West High School
West Central Area School
Coop: 20 "Ashby/Evansville"
Ashby High School (HOST)
Country Bible Christian
Evansville High School
Coop: 484 "Wheaton/Herman-Norcross"
Herman-Norcross High School
Wheaton High School (HOST)
Coop: 502 "Clinton-Gr-B/Chokio-Alb"
Chokio-Alberta High School
Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley H.S. (HOST)

Boys golf:
Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City H.S.
Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa H.S.
Browerville High School
Buffalo Lake-Hector High School
Canby High School
Dawson-Boyd High School
MACCRAY High School
Ortonville High School
Osakis High School
Renville County West High School
West Central Area School
Coop: 20 "Ashby/Evansville"
Ashby High School (HOST)
Country Bible Christian
Evansville High School
Coop: 484 "Wheaton/Herman-Norcross"
Herman-Norcross High School
Wheaton High School (HOST)
Coop: 502 "Clinton-Gr-B/Chokio-Alb"
Chokio-Alberta High School
Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley H.S. (HOST)

Jaguars Baseball and Fastpitch - Section 5A doesn't change much

Baseball:
Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City H.S.
Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa H.S.
Braham High School
East Central High School
Eden Valley-Watkins High School
Hinckley-Finlayson High School
Isle High School
Kimball Area High School
Meadow Creek Christian School
Ogilvie High School
Onamia High School
Osakis High School
PACT Charter School
Pillager High School
Royalton High School
Rush City High School
Saint John's Prep
Spectrum High School
Coop: 458 "Upsala/Swanville"
Swanville High School
Upsala High School (HOST)

Fastpitch:
Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City H.S.
Barnum High School
Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa H.S.
Braham High School
Browerville High School
Cromwell High School
East Central High School
Eden Valley-Watkins High School
Isle High School
Kimball Area High School
McGregor High School
Meadow Creek Christian School
Ogilvie High School
Osakis High School
PACT Charter School
Royalton High School
Rush City High School
Saint John's Prep
Spectrum High School
Swanville High School
Upsala High School

Jaguars wrestling - No change in Section 5A

Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City H.S.
Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa H.S.
Eden Valley-Watkins High School
Holdingford High School
Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted H.S.
Kimball Area High School
Long Prairie-Grey Eagle H.S.
Minnewaska Area H.S.
Osakis High School
Paynesville Area High School
Sauk Centre High School
Coop: 67 "Browerville-Eagle Valley"
Browerville High School (HOST)
Eagle Valley High School

Girls tennis section doesn't change much, but picks up St.Cloud Cathedral, a tough private school

Section 5A:
Annandale High School
Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa H.S.
Glencoe-Silver Lake High School
Litchfield High School
Melrose Area High School
New London-Spicer High School
Saint John's Prep
Coop: 44 "Benson/KMS"
Benson High School (HOST)
Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg H.S.
Coop: 264 "MACCRAY WOLVERINES"
MACCRAY High School (HOST)
Renville County West High School
Coop: 395 "Saint Cloud Cathedral"
Saint Cloud Cathedral High School (HOST)
Saint Cloud Christian School

Cross Country doesn't change much: Section 6A
Albany High School
Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa H.S.
Benson High School
Hillcrest Lutheran Academy
Holdingford High School
Litchfield High School
Long Prairie-Grey Eagle H.S.
Minnewaska Area H.S.
New London-Spicer High School
Ortonville High School
Paynesville Area High School
Saint John's Prep
Sauk Centre High School
West Central Area School
Coop: 63 "Breckenridge/C-Tintah"
Breckenridge High School (HOST)
Campbell-Tintah High School
Coop: 141 "Eden Valley-W/Kimball"
Eden Valley-Watkins High School (HOST)
Kimball Area High School
Coop: 152 "Lac Qui Parle Vall/Daw-B"
Dawson-Boyd High School
Lac qui Parle Valley High School (HOST)
Coop: 206 "Ottertail Central Bulldogs"
Battle Lake High School
Henning High School (HOST)
Underwood High School
Coop: 310 "Morris Area Tigers"
Chokio-Alberta High School
Hancock High School
Morris Area School (HOST)

Jaguars football moves into a very very tough Section 4A, including very tough private school St.Bernard's

Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City H.S.
Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa H.S.
New Life Academy of Woodbury
PACT Charter School
Saint Agnes High School
Saint Bernard's School
West Lutheran High School
Coop: 254 "Lester Prairie \ Holy Trinity"
Holy Trinity High School
Lester Prairie High School (HOST)
Coop: 291 "Concordia -B./Bethany Lancers"
Bethany Academy
Concordia Academy-Bloomington (HOST)

******** Playoff assignments announced by MSHSL for the next 2 years *******

Hot off the presses... here's the info, in no particular order.

The Jaguars boys basketball team will be in Section 6A... Uuf Da! This section stretches north of the Moorhead area... Waubun is the farthest north team in this section.

The Jaguars have excellent chances at doing damage in this section!

Here's the list for Section 6A, boys basketball:
Ada-Borup High School
Barnesville High School
Battle Lake High School
Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa H.S.
Chokio-Alberta High School
Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley H.S.
Hancock High School
Henning High School
Lake Park-Audubon
New York Mills High School
Norman County East High School
Norman County West High School
Parkers Prairie High School
Rothsay High School
Ulen-Hitterdal High School
Underwood High School
Waubun High School
Coop: 20 "Ashby Arrows"
Ashby High School (HOST)
Country Bible Christian
Coop: 61 "Brandon/Evansville"
Brandon High School (HOST)
Evansville High School
Coop: 76 "Campbell-Tintah/Fairmount, ND"
Campbell-Tintah High School (HOST)
Coop: 213 "Hillcrest Academy"
Hillcrest Lutheran Academy (HOST)
Wentzel Home School
Coop: 484 "Wheaton/Herman-Norcross"
Herman-Norcross High School
Wheaton High School (HOST)
Coop: 555 "Park Christian"
Christian Home Academy
Park Christian High School (HOST)

Here's girls basketball, basically the same group of schools:
Ada-Borup High School
Barnesville High School
Battle Lake High School
Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa H.S.
Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley H.S.
Hancock High School
Henning High School
Lake Park-Audubon
New York Mills High School
Norman County East High School
Norman County West High School
Park Christian High School
Parkers Prairie High School
Rothsay High School
Ulen-Hitterdal High School
Underwood High School
Waubun High School
Coop: 20 "Ashby Arrows"
Ashby High School (HOST)
Country Bible Christian
Coop: 61 "Brandon/Evansville"
Brandon High School (HOST)
Evansville High School
Coop: 76 "Campbell-Tintah/Fairmount, ND"
Campbell-Tintah High School (HOST)
Coop: 213 "Hillcrest Lutheran Academy"
Hillcrest Lutheran Academy (HOST)
Sunde Home School
Twin Oaks School
Coop: 484 "Wheaton/Herman-Norcross"
Herman-Norcross High School
Wheaton High School (HOST)

Boys Baskeball playoff scores

The following are section final games... winner goes to "state" and the loser goes home.

Ouch, down in Section 3A...Ellsworth 67, Ortonville 66. O'ville finishes 22-5.

Section 5A: Sebeka 66, Bertha-Hewitt 57.

Section 3AA: Montevideo 64, Windom Area 50. Good for Monte! What a season they're having, including a repeat trip to "state"...they are 21-7 overall.

In girls basketball state tournament action: Class A Quarterfinals.
Ada-Borup 66, Red Lake County Central 27
Barnum 65, Adrian 63
Bigfork 38, Goodhue 35
Cedar Mountain/Comfrey 49, New Life Academy 40

Items from today's Vice Presidential Town Hall Forum in St.Cloud - More will be posted on Friday

Regarding the current dairy crisis that the country is facing, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack stated, "We are very, very sensitive to the issues of our dairy farmers and we will do everything we can to see they get the help they need." He also announced that a new program is being released on Friday that will target help for the struggling dairy industry, as their price is crashing right as you read this website.

It is not good.

Blogging "live" from New Flyer Bus Company in St.Cloud at Vice President Biden's Road to Recovery Town Hall Meeting

Wow this is about as exciting as it gets, coming in as a runner-up only to President Obama himself!

10:01am, fired up the laptop & wireless internet.

10:33am, I have to say, they are treating media here like total royalty...gotta love it!

The following updates are courtesy of the St.Cloud Times:

*10:26, Biden's plane arrived at the airport. Nine minutes later, Biden
stepped off of the plane.

*10:40, Biden's motorcade left the airport for New Flyer's campus in the
outlying area of St.Cloud, due southeast.

At 11:10, Biden arrived at the hangar and the Town Hall meeting began.

By 1:30 it was wrapping up and at 2pm I was west-bound again.

NL-S Wildcats defeat East Grand Forks 57-53, they will face HL-W-W in state semi-finals - Lakers defeat Pipestone-Jasper 42-37

At the Class AA state tournament, the Section 6AA champion NL-S Wildcats faced the East Grand Forks Green Wave (28-2). It is the 14th time NL-S has advanced to "state" since their first trip in 1985.

With only a few minutes left in the first half, NL-S trailed by a big 25-15 margin, with the outlook being bleak.

(EGF entered the game averaging 78 points a game on offense. Uuf Da!)

Fueled mainly by a stronger defensive effort, the Wildcats went on a 10-1 run to tie the game at 26-all at halftime.

Into the second half, the Wildcats fell behind 38-34.

They then trailed 49-40 later in the second half before going on a huge run that brought NL-S the victory. Key free throws and a three-pointer by Dammerman to make it 49-45 fueled the comeback.

Final score: NL-S 57, EGF 53. Wow is all I can say.

The NL-S Wildcats are now 30-1, the best-ever girls basketball record at NL-S.

In the late quarterfinal game at Williams Arena on Wednesday night, Central Minnesota Conference team Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted defeated Pipestone-Jasper 42-37 to advance to the semi-final round. It is the first time in HL-W-W history that the Lakers girls basketball team has advanced to a State Final Four.

Seniors Lensing and Roelike of the Jaguars girls basketball team named to St.Cloud Times All-Area Basketball team

Just posted, the All-Area team from the St.Cloud Times.

Lensing and Roelike were named to the Honorable Mention squad. Both were invaluable to the Jaguars girls basketball squad this past season, in which they won 18 games, the 2nd-most ever in B-B-E history. (They also tied the regular season win record set in 2007-2008 at 17 wins.)

And lest anyone forget...here's a shot of the icy roads that existed as recently as last week! This is the view that one saw driving west towards the city of Kensington.

Jaguars boys basketball falls 85-60 to defending State Champion NL-S in the sub-section title game

The Jaguars lost 85-60 to the defending sub-section, section, and state champion New London-Spicer Wildcats (21-8), who advance to face Morris Area in the Section 6AA championship this Friday night at Halenbeck Hall at SCSU.

The Jaguars finish with an overall record of 24-5, the best-ever in B-B-E history, while also taking the Sauk Centre Holiday tournament championship, as well as the Central Minnesota Conference championship. The CMC title is the first conference hardware ever won by a B-B-E boys basketball team.

More updates will follow through the day on Wednesday.

Section 5AA scores:
Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 60, Pierz 57 F/OT! (HL-W-W is 21-7 going into the section final; Pierz finishes 21-7, this was their 3rd sub-section championship appearance in the past 4 seasons)
Norwood-Young America 47, Sibley East 41

Section 6A:
Ada-Borup 59, Park Christian 54
Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley 64, Wheaton/Herman-Norcross 63 (a 1-pt decision between neighboring rivals...gotta love it!)

Section 5A:
Bertha-Hewitt 61, Eagle Valley 48
Isle 65, Northland 55 F/OT
Sebeka 81, Upsala 62

This Jaguars sports playoff update, the final one of the Winter 08-09 season, is brought to you by:

Jaguars boys jump on NL-S by a 5-0 score in the first minute of Sub-Section 6AA-East championship

In the first 54 seconds, the NL-S Wildcats committed two fouls and two turnovers... and B-B-E scored 5 unanswered points on a three-point play in the paint by Shane Weller, then a drive by Jackson Illies for their second field goal of the game.

NL-S picked up the 3rd foul of the game too!

However, NL-S went on a tear to take a 24-15 lead later in the first half.

The Jaguars trail by 14 at halftime, 49-35.

Out west... Morris Area leads Staples-Motley 27-14 with about 2:00 left before halftime.

The Tigers ended up winning 79-64, advancing to the section championship game.

This Jaguars sports playoff update brought to you by:

This sounds interesting!

Tickets for Biden in St. Cloud available Wednesday

ST. CLOUD, Minn. (AP) — Tickets for Thursday's forum with Vice President Joe Biden in St. Cloud will become available Wednesday.

Ticketing will be first-come, first-served from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday in the reception area of the visitors' entrance to the New Flyer Co. bus plant in St. Cloud.

Biden and members of the White House Middle Class Task Force will appear at 11:30 a.m. Thursday at New Flyer. The town hall-style meeting will focus on the economy and the impact of the stimulus bill President Barack Obama signed last month.

The task force will take questions from participants in the forum, as well as via a White House Web site: www.astrongmiddleclass.gov.

Jaguars boys basketball appearing in 7th sub-section championship game in B-B-E history tonight at St.John's University

* Jaguars boys basketball update

The Jaguars have broken the school record for total wins in a season with their current 24-4 record, breaking what they did in 2001-2002 (23-4).

The Jaguars advanced to the sub-section championship game for the first time since 2005. That year, they won the 5A-South title for the 2nd time in a row before falling in a truly heartbreaking 58-56 loss to Battle Lake.

- Other years the Jaguars have played in a Sub-Section championship game:

1992 (48-35 loss to Bob Brink's Rocori)
1997 (win over Rothsay in 5A)
1998 (win over Paynesville in District 20, 5AA)
2002 (loss to Ortonville 65-41 in 5A-South)
2004 (win over Osakis 86-69 in 5A-South)
2005 (win over Wheaton-Herman-Norcross 53-41 in 5A-South)

(6 sub-section title game appearances in the first 17 years of B-B-E boys basketball.)

• The Jaguars won their first-ever boys basketball conference title this year. They went 12-2 in the CMC this year, tying their best-ever record in a conference as B-B-E (12-2 in 2002 as well).

Four other years (1991, 1997, 2002, 2003) the Jaguars finished 1 game out of the Conference Championship. They were also 2nd in the conference in 1998.

Playing in a tough conference both in the 1990s (West Central South) and this decade (The Central Minnesota Conference) has always prepared the Jaguars well for playoff battles. It is by far their most successful boys sport at B-B-E, since the 1988 pairing.

The Jaguars also won conference titles in wrestling (1989, 1990, 1997) football (1988), baseball (1995), and boys golf (2002, 2003).

* NL-S Wildcats

The NL-S Wildcats have had plenty of success on the hardwood, with numerous District and Sub-Section championship appearances in the 1980s, 1990s, and this decade.

* * Tonight against Albany, the Wildcats will be vying to advance to the sub-section championship for the 4th straight year.

They have played in the sub-section title game 4 of the past 5 seasons.

* Since 2004, the Wildcats have played in Sub-Section championship games these years:

2004 (Loss to Annandale in District 20 - 5AA)
2006 (Win vs. Eden Valley-Watkins 61-56 in District 20 - 5AA)
2007 (Win vs. Paynesville 65-60 in District 20 - 5AA)
2008 (Win vs. Melrose 56-49 in Sub-Section 6AA-East last year)

They also played in the state tournament in the 1990s under Bob Knutson. Now under Matt Cordes, the Wildcats are still on the map and still making a name for their program.

This Jaguars sports update brought to you by:

Monday, March 16 - "Freedom of Information Day" in Minnesota

Today is a day to celebrate the freedom of information act, and the ability for citizens to challenge their government and demand openness and transparency with what they do with our tax dollars.

The Minnesota Government Data Practices Act...presumes that everything is public. This is unique in the United States compared to other states in our country.

Technology and enforcement of Minnesota's version of the "freedom of information" act is vitally important.

It's very expensive to enforce these laws. Sadly, in many cases our government is establishing the upper hand in many disputes that are waged with citizens' demand for transparency in what our elected officials do with their power.

It will be war on Tuesday night - Jaguars boys basketball vie to knock out defending Sub-Section 6AA-East champion New London-Spicer at 7pm on Tuesday

The game will be broadcast on 107.1FM "Smooth Magic 107" out of Glenwood, as well as Norway Lake/Sunburg's "The Train" 106.5FM.

Fans can also listen to the game via the world wide web on their computers at http://www.smoothmagic107.com. High-speed internet as well as Windows Media Player is required for that very convenient option.

Tip-off is at 7:00pm at St.John's University on Tuesday, March 17.

New London-Spicer has played in four sub-section championship games since 2004 (4 out of 5 seasons)...in 2004 they were runners-up in Sub-Section 5AA-20. Beginning in 2006, the Wildcats have won three straight sub-section titles, culminating with their run through the postseason that ended with them winning the Class AA state championship.

B-B-E, meanwhile, has gone 0-1 in sub-section playoffs the past three seasons. In 2004 and 2005, they won Sub-Section 5A-South before falling in the Section 5A championship game.

More will follow through the day on Monday.

Jaguars boys basketball team advances to Sub-Section 6AA-East championship, Defeats Melrose Area 64-52

Also, a HUGE upset in Section 3AA... #4-seeded Montevideo knocked out the 6th-ranked team in Class AA, the Maccray Wolverines. Final score at Southwest State University in Marshall was 61-53. Ouch that hurts if you're a Wolverine fan!

The Jaguars advance to next Tuesday's sub-section championship at 7:00pm at St.John's University in Collegeville. They will face NL-S or Albany. It will be the first sub-section championship appearance for the B-B-E Jaguars since 2005, when they repeated as Section 5A-South champions.

Overall in B-B-E history, the Jaguars have played in sub-section or district championships in 1992, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2004, 2005, and now 2009.

The Jaguars are 24-4 overall now. They set a new school record for overall wins at B-B-E in boys basketball with tonight's win.

Melrose Area finishes 11-15.

In tonight's win over Melrose, the Jaguars held a huge 32-10 advantage in points off of turnovers. They were led by Jared McCleary's 16 points and 8 rebounds. Shane Weller and Kevin Kuefler were the other two Jaguars in double figures, with 13 and 11 points, respectively.

The Dutchmen jumped in front 4-0 before the Jaguars went on a 10-0 run after McCleary's shot just inside the arc started the scoring for B-B-E.

Norway Lake/Sunburg's 106.5 FM "The Train" and Glenwood's Smooth Magic 107 brought the game to the airwaves tonight. The will also broadcast next Tuesday's sub-section championship game. It will be fun.

**Update on Sunday morning... In Sub-Section 6AA-West, final score in the 2nd semi-final game at UM-Morris = Staples-Motley 61, Breckenridge 55.

NL-S trounced Albany 84-63. They earned two 3's in the game's opening minutes and never looked back. The Wildcats raced out to leads of 11-4, 20-8, 30-17 (with 7:15 left in the first half), and 48-31 with 91 seconds left before halftime.

Out west... In Section 6AA-West, Morris Area defeated Benson 78-62 at the University of Minnesota-Morris campus. The Tigers led 31-25 after a back-and-forth first half played out.

Also, Hancock fell to Wheaton-Herman-Norcross 65-60 in Section 6A.

• The Section 6AA Final Four looks like this:

Morris Area (22-4) vs. Staples-Motley (20-8) at 8:00pm on Tuesday, March 17, at the University of Minnesota-Morris.
B-B-E (24-4) vs. New London-Spicer (21-8) at 7:00pm at St.John's University on Tuesday, March 17.

All four teams are conference champions. Staples-Motley was sole champion of the Mid-State Conference. NL-S won the West Central North Conference, with Morris Area taking the West Central South. B-B-E was the Central Minnesota Conference champions.

Update at 9:10pm... Pierz is ahead of St.Cloud Cathedral by 13 points with 4 minutes left in the game. No exact score available.

Section 5AA scores, including Central Minnesota Conference teams...
Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 54, Foley 49
Pierz 71, St.Cloud Cathedral 52
Sibley East 74, Watertown-Mayer 58

Pierz closed the game against St.Cloud Cathedral with a big 23-4 run. Standout forward Tyler Monson scored 28 points for the Pioneers.

It was a great night for the Central Minnesota Conference...now 3 of the teams from the CMC will play in a sub-section championship game, next Tuesday night. HL-W-W and Pierz will actually face eachother, in the Sub-Section 5AA-North title game. That will be a battle!

Section 3A score:
Ortonville 57, Canby 52 (3A-North sub-section final)

This Jaguars sports update brought to you by:

Holy smokes - Osakis Silverstreaks giving the NL-S Wildcats a battle!! 20-all halftime score. Final: NL-S 34, Osakis 29

NL-S won the game by a 34-29 score. They advance to the state tournament for the first time since 2004 with this hard-earned win in a defensive battle over Osakis.

NL-S advances to the Class AA state tournament to face East Grand Forks in the quarterfinals on Wednesday night at 6:00pm. EGF (28-2) destroyed Crosby-Ironton 75-40 in the Section 8AA championship.

Osakis finishes with 5 seniors graduating. They led the Silverstreaks to a 21-8 record their final year, while also becoming Prairie Conference champions, as well as Sub-Section 6AA-West champs.

Earlier notes from the game...
Osakis started the game with an 8-0 lead, jumping on the Wildcats in the first few minutes.

It's tied at 20-all going into the final minute of the first half.

The game can be heard on 106.5 FM or 107.1 FM...Or online at http://www.smoothmagic107.com.

Halftime score: 20-all!

My un-edited notes from the final 2 minutes of the first half:

Osakis led by 6 for brief spell!

18-18 tie with under 2:00 to go in the first half. (Thompsen 3')

Quistorff (Jackie) grabbed a loose ball and worked in the paint to score. 1:40 left, 20-18.

Dammerman tied the game with a 17' shot. 20-all going under :90

Osakis throwing around the 2-3 zone, showing patience...

:24 left

Proell traveling call in the final seconds, defense clamped down.

Both teams missed shots in the final 10 seconds before halftime.

In the second half...which starte at 10:00pm...

NL-S scored first in the second half, nearly 3 minutes into the final period, to take a 22-20 lead. It was the first time of the night that the Wildcats had a lead in the game.

They stretched it to 24-20 with a Karli Wendlandt shot, as the Wildcats had a 6-0 run going.

Osakis got a score from Whitney Lee, 24-22 deficit for the Wildcats.

Kelsey Proell scored on her own steal on a layup to tie the game at 24-all.

**Update at 10:18pm...
NL-S is playing a very tough matchup 2-3 zone defense.

Under 12:00 left, 24-all score remains.

10:41 to go, 24-all still!

Osakis has been playing with 6 girls thus far in the game.

Brianna J puts the Wildcats ahead 26-24.

The Silverstreaks' Kelsey Larson turns around in the lane to tie the game at 26-all with some fast ball movement.

Jacobson then scored to put the 'Cats up 28-26 with 8:25 to go in the second half.

Update at 10:27pm...
NL-S took a 30-26 lead with a steal and layup.

2:45 left, it's 30-26.

Larson scored to make it a 30-28 deficit moments later.

32-28 score after a score by Knisely for NL-S.

1:37 remaining in regulation, NL-S leads 32-28.

30 seconds left...Rachael Grundman is at the line for 2 free throws, trying to cut into a 4-point deficit (30-26) for Osakis. She went 1-of-2.

In the final seconds, the Silverstreaks committed a turnover, basically ending their chances. NL-S advanced with a five-point win over Osakis.

Two radio stations will carry the Jaguars boys basketball team on Saturday night - Glenwood's 107.1 FM and "The Train" will air the 6:30 broadcast

106.5 FM and 107.1 FM on your radio dials will bring in the game.

"Smooth Magic 107" out of Glenwood can also be found online with a good internet connection at http://smoothmagic107.com.

If the Jaguars can beat Melrose on Saturday night, they would advance to the Sub-Section 6AA-East championship. That game will be held next Tuesday, March 17, at 7:00pm at St.John's University.

Section 5AA girls basketball championship: Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 55, Watertown-Mayer 49

What a game for the HL-W-W Lakers tonight!

What a great statement for the Central Minnesota Conference as well.

According to initial reports, the Lakers played a superb game against their big rival due south of their district, the Royals of Waterwown-Mayer.

Stock Market skyrockets by a 9% margin today - President Obama critics noteably silent

It's a wonderful day to enjoy the sunshine!

The Dow is cracked 7,000. Wall Street opened higher this morning on news that the U.S. Trade Deficit fell sharply last year.

It's been a crazy night of basketball around Central Minnesota - Benson's Aaron Lindahl cans a 65-foot buzzer-beater in OT to defeat Minnewaska 69-66

The Benson Braves survived an incredible challenge from 5th-seeded Minnewaska.

With 2.9 seconds on the clock near the final gasps of overtime, the visiting Lakers tied the game at 66-all with a 2-for-2 performance at the free throw line.

A second overtime session was in the works...right?

Then on the inbounds play, senior guard Aaron Lindahl of Benson drilled a shot from 65 feet out, right as the buzzer sounded, tearing the hearts out of the Minnewaska fans.

Benson advances to the semi-finals to face top-seeded Morris Area. They face off at 6:00pm on Saturday at the University of Minnesota-Morris. Morris defeated Benson twice in the regular season, 65-45 and 62-49. The third meeting will by no means be a cakewalk for the Tigers.

Morris Area last went to "state" in 2004...Benson went to state in 2006 and 2007. All 3 of those trips followed section championships in the old Section 3AA.

The Braves are 16-9 overall. The Lakers end their season 11-14; entering playoffs, they had won 4 of their last 5 games.

Benson is one of the hottest teams in Section 6AA right now, as they are on an eight-game winning streak. Coach Roger Lindahl's Braves have won 12 of their last 14 games, after opening the season 4-7 through January 16th.

State-ranked Morris Area survived a HUGE scare from 8th-seeded Long Prairie-Grey Eagle...Overtime was needed to decide the winner in Morris, final score MAHS 51, LP-GE 46. Morris Area, the #9-rated team in Class AA, improves to 21-4, while LP-GE finishes their season at 8-16.

The score at Morris was 42-42 after regulation ended. Morris won the game at the free-throw line, but just barely, going 13-of-27 from the charity stripe for the game. The Thunder was 2-of-5 at the free throw line.

I'm just going through the list of basketball scores I've been getting all night.

New London-Spicer is playing with a chip on their shoulder (not a bad thing)...They pistol-whipped their neighbors to the east, Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City, to the tune of a 61-24 halftime score tonight. NL-S is the #3-seed, A-C-GC was the #6 seed. I have a feeling the Wildcats think they are better than a #3 seed in Sub-Section 6AA-East, and they plan on taking out their frustration on their opponents as the playoffs develop.

NL-S went 23-of-34 from the floor in the first half, including 7-of-10 from three-point land.

A-C-GC finishes their season 14-13 overall...they had a meltdown after opening up the season 5-1 and 9-4. They were a solid team that got simply manhandled by NL-S tonight.

Again, nothing wrong with using anything at your disposal for motivation...as the big "Mo" is usually 90% of the battle in Prep Sports.

Central Minnesota Conference winners tonight include: Pierz, Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted, and B-B-E. Rockford was knocked out tonight by Watertown-Mayer 73-63. Eden Valley-Watkins fell 63-56 to Foley. All of these CMC teams that I mentioned here reside in Section 5AA for the playoffs, with the exception of B-B-E.

Rockford finishes their season 13-14. Eden Valley-Watkins finishes 10-15, finishing nothing less than a spectacular collapse to their season. On January 20, they were 7-2 overall and looking to be a challenge in the Central Minnesota Conference... after that day, they went an amazing 3-12. (No broken hearts in Jaguars country for the Eagles!) Their only wins in late January, and February into March were against A-C-GC, Holdingford, and Rockford.

In their loss to Foley tonight, the Eagles blew a 7-point lead with 6:00 left in the game. Foley improved to 16-9 overall. They opened up their season 9-0 before losing 51-49 on their own court to Eden Valley-Watkins on January 17. Almost 2 months later, the Falcons got the upper hand when it counted: in the playoffs.

Some more notes on the Sauk Centre vs. Albany game, continuing what I have on my earlier post tonight... Albany trailed by 7 at halftime, then trailed 39-35 with 11:00 left. They went on a big 13-4 run to pull in front 48-43. With 3:30 left, Albany clung to a slim 54-50 lead. They led 56-52 with 1:14 left, then 58-54 with :26 left. Talk about a defensive battle down the stretch.

In Section 6A...Third-seeded Hancock out of the south sub-section scorched the nets of their own gymnasium to the tune of a 103-64 win over 6th-seeded Underwood. Six players scored in double figures for Hancock. (Whew!)

The Owls (12-11) move on to the semi-finals, where they face 2nd-seeded Wheaton-Herman-Norcross (14-9) at 2:30pm on Saturday at the University of Minnesota-Morris.

This Jaguars sports playoff update brought to you by:

Jaguars boys basketball wins playoff opener 63 to 27

The Jaguars boys basketball team limited the Holdingford Huskers to a mere 9 points in the first half. In the second half they led by as much as 50-20.

It marked the second year in a row that they hosted the sub-section opener, and it was their first playoff win since 2005.

Recent playoff results: 2006, 79-75 OT loss at Maple Lake; 2007, 56-48 loss at Paynesville Area; 2008, 71-69 loss at home to Paynesville Area.

The Jaguars are now 23-4 going into Saturday's sub-section semi-final game. They will face neighboring rival Melrose Area at 6:30 at St.John's University on Saturday, March 14. Melrose defeated Paynesville Area tonight 80-71 in a game between huge rivals that not only neighbor one another, but reside in the same conference, the West Central North.

Paynesville hung around for the whole game, after falling behind by double-digits midway through the second half. They trailed by one point at halftime, and fell behind by as wide of a margin as 63-48 during the second half. The Bulldogs finish their season 12-12 overall.

Senior guard Ryan Klassen led the Dutchmen with 31 points.

Melrose Area, the #4-seed, is 11-14 going into Saturday's game. They are a very tough team that's without a doubt capable of beating the Jaguars. Both games at St.John's on Saturday night will be great battles that will also be carried on 106.5 FM radio.

Second-seeded Albany withstood what was nothing less than "war" on its own hardwood, when they picked up a come-from-behind win over West Central North Conference rival Sauk Centre 59-56. The Mainstreeters were the #7-seed. The Huskies trailed by 7 points at halftime, and then with 11:00 left, had a deficit of 39-35 to work out of.

I've got more information from the Albany-Sauk game that I will post later tonight.

Section 6AA scores:
Morris Area 51, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 46 F/OT!!
Albany 59, Sauk Centre 56 (#2-seed Albany survives a big scare)
Benson 69, Minnewaska Area 66
Breckenridge 67, West Central Area 42
Melrose 80, Paynesville Area 71
New London-Spicer 84, Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City 50
Staples-Motley 90, Osakis 50

In the Sub-Section 6AA-West semi-finals, Morris takes on Benson, and Staples-Motley faces Breckenridge. In the east semi's, NL-S faces Albany, and B-B-E takes on Melrose.

Scores out of Section 5AA:
Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 58, Kimball Area 45 (HL-W-W is 19-7)
Pierz 61, Maple Lake 24 (Pierz is the #1-seed in Sub-Section 5AA-18)
Watertown-Mayer 73, Rockford 63
Foley 63, Eden Valley-Watkins 56
St.Cloud Cathedral 80, Zimmerman 71
Norwood-Young America 63, Litchfield 56

In the Sub-Section 18 semi-final, Pierz will face St.Cloud Cathedral. HL-W-W will take on Foley in the other semi-final.

Section 3AA scores:
MACCRAY 83, Redwood Valley 69 (Maccray is 26-1, Redwood finishes 20-6)
Martin County West 59, Tracy-Milroy-Balaton 45
Montevideo 66, Minnesota Valley Lutheran 53

Neighboring rivals Maccray and Montevideo, who reside in different conferences, will slug it out for the 3AA-North championship on Saturday. The game will be held at 6:00pm at Southwest State University in Marshall. What a game that one will be!

Section 6A scores:
Hancock 103, Underwood 64 (Wow!)
Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley 68, Parkers Prairie 47
Wheaton/Herman-Norcross 66, Battle Lake 33

Section 3A scores:
Ortonville 56, Dawson-Boyd 52 (Ortonville was the #1 seed, D-B was #5)

Section 5A score:
Swanville 68, Verndale 55

Hancock advances to face #2-seeded Wheaton/Herman-Norcross.

A score in girls basketball playoffs...
Section 2AAA: Worthington 54, Willmar 31 (Willmar finishes 22-4)

This Jaguars sports playoff update brought to you by:

A very good playoff bracket for the Jaguars boys basketball team...

A very good bracket can be found online at the following link: http://net.minnesotasportsonline.com/brackets/bracket.php?bid=275&yid=0809. It is at the Minnesota-Scores.net website.

The Jaguars open playoffs tonight at home against Holdingford, with tip-off at 7:00pm.

4th-seeded Osakis buries Minnewaska 54-33 in 6AA-West title game - NL-S trounces Sauk Centre 51-29 - HL-W-W humbles Eden Valley-Watkins 51-31

What a night of basketball.

First off, Eden Valley-Watkins was knocked out of the playoffs for the second straight year by conference rival Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted. The Lakers threw a diamond-and-one defense on Hannah Linz and held her scoreless from the field, limiting her to three free throws for the game.

All I can say is "wow"...definitely a blow to the Eagles' girls basketball program.

Best of luck to the Lakers girls basketball team and Head Coach Jason Kuehn in the 5AA championship on Friday night, when they face Sub-Section 5AA-18 champion Watertown-Mayer. Tip-off is at 7:15pm at SCSU's Halenbeck Hall gymnasium.

Update on Thursday night...Osakis is completely shutting down the Lakers' star post player Cassie Jacobs, holding her scoreless in the first half.

Meanwhile, the 4th-seeded Silverstreaks had jumped off to a 13-0 start in the first 5:00 of play.

The 3rd-seeded Minnewaska Lakers trail 34-15 at halftime. The game is being held at the University of Minnesota-Morris.

As the buzzer sounded, Minnewaska's Emily Roering launched a shot just inside the halfcourt line, draining it for a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to under 20.

Only three players have scored for the Lakers at halftime.

Update into the second half at UM-Morris...after 6:00 gone, the Lakers cut the deficit to a 34-20 margin. However, they had committed 6 team fouls so in the final 12:46 of the game, the Silverstreaks will be at the foul line for every defensive foul the Lakers will commit.

Roering had 18 of the Lakers' first 28 points in the game, when they trailed 41-28.

The final score at UM-Morris was 54-33. Osakis improved to 21-7, while the Lakers finish their season 19-8. Minnewaska went 14-2 in the West Central South Conference, repeating as the conference champions.

Over at St.John's, top-seeded New London-Spicer won their 28th game of the season (against only one loss) by soundly beating 2nd-seeded Sauk Centre 51-29 in the Sub-Section 6AA-East championship game. Sauk Centre finishes the season with only three losses - all coming against NL-S.

After Kali Peschel drained a layup to start the game's scoring, Sauk Centre fell behind 18-5 and was never in the game after falling behind 4-2.

Sauk Centre trailed 28-10 at halftime. They went 1-of-14 from beyond the arc, while NL-S was 7-of-16 from three-point range. That was essentially the difference in the game, with the Wildcats' impenetrable 2-3 zone defense frustrating the Mainstreeters all night long.

It was NL-S's second straight sub-section championship appearance. In 2008, they were defeated by #1-state ranked Albany 43-38. They ended Sauk Centre's season last year, in the sub-section semi-final game.

Sauk Centre ends their best-ever girls basketball season 25-3. They played in 2 of the last 3 sub-section championship games.

Over in Sub-Section 5AA-20, it was not Eden Valley-Watkins' night, as Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted ended their season for the second straight season in the sub-section title game. The Lakers won 51-31. That is a whooping when you consider that the Lakers fell 53-42 and 52-32 in conference play. It repeats the results of last season, when the Eagles swept the Lakers in Central Minnesota Conference action before falling when it really counted, in the playoffs. The Lakers ended up winning Section 5AA last season for a state tournament berth. This year they take a 26-3 record into the 5AA championship, which will be held on Friday night at Halenbeck Hall at SCSU.

Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted will face Watertown-Mayer (18-10) on Friday for the Section 5AA championship. The Royals defeated Norwood-Young America 63-55 in the Sub-Section 5AA-18 championship.

In boys basketball playoff action, Maple Lake won a "pigtail" game against St.John's Prep 61-49. The Johnnies end their season 7-19, while the Irish take a 5-21 record into Thursday night's quarterfinal game against top-seeded Pierz in the Sub-Section 5AA-20 playoffs.

More will follow on Thursday morning.

Wednesday, March 11 - B-B-E schools is 2 hours late

The area picked up 5 to 10 inches of snow on Tuesday. The weather cranked it up and ushered in bitter cold. The overnight low was between 5 and 10 below zero around west central Minnesota.

To illustrate how bad the weather in western Minnesota was...The publisher of the Wheaton Gazette told the printer in Lowry (near Glenwood) that he did not want the driver who carries the printed newspaper from Lowry to Wheaton to drive out there on Tuesday...he said, wait until Wednesday. So instead of normally getting the paper on Wednesday, subscribers to the Gazette will get it tomorrow on Thursday. It's the first time in the 25 years that the manager at Quinco (the printer in Lowry) was told by a newspaper publisher not to send a driver with the paper.

Check this out, it was released on Wednesday morning:
North lane of I-29 closed north of Watertown, S.D.

PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — The northbound lane of Interstate 29 from Watertown to the North Dakota border remained closed this morning until further notice from the South Dakota Department of Public Safety.

Snow gates were closed Tuesday afternoon and motorists were not allowed through in order to keep them from being stranded north of Watertown, where there's limited lodging.

In North Dakota, both lanes of I-29 were closed to Canada.

Tuesday will be a horrible day to be outside, and definitely a horrible day to be on the road

Note: Roads in the Glenwood area are glare ice as of 9-10pm on Monday night.

The National Weather Service this afternoon issued a blizzard warning beginning Tuesday for portions of west central Minnesota.

Heavy snow and strong winds will affect west central Minnesota and much of central Minnesota on Tuesday.

The Willmar area is in a winter storm warning; areas including Benson, Glenwood, Granite Falls, Madison, Montevideo and Morris are now in a blizzard warning.

The Weather Service says accumulating snow will begin by daybreak Tuesday in west central Minnesota and expand across the state during the day.

Central Minnesota could see a mix of rain and snow in the morning, changing to snow.

Heavy snow will continue through Tuesday evening. Northwest winds will develop in the afternoon, reducing visibility and making travel dangerous.

Blizzard conditions are forecast in west central Minnesota, and the blizzard warning is in effect from Tuesday morning through Wednesday morning. Low visibility in blowing and drifting snow is expected to last into Wednesday morning.

Snowfall amounts are expected to range from 5 to 10 inches across much of west central and central Minnesota. Higher snowfall amounts up to a foot are possible from Morris to Alexandria to Little Falls to Onamia.

Complete Section 6AA boys basketball seedings, East and West sub-sections

Sub-Section 6AA-East seedings:
1- B-B-E
2- Albany
3- NL-S
4- Paynesville
5- Melrose
6- A-C-GC
7- Sauk Centre
8- Holdingford

Sub-Section 6AA-West seedings:
1- Morris Area
2- Breckenridge
3- Staples-Motley
4- Benson
5- Minnewaska Area
6- Osakis
7- West Central Area
8- Long Prairie-Grey Eagle

Final Central Minnesota Conference boys basketball standings - Jaguars rise to the top for the first time ever

Final Central Minnesota Conference boys basketball standings:

1st - B-B-E (12-2)
2nd (tie) Pierz & Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted (11-3)
4th - Rockford (8-6)
5th- Eden Valley-Watkins (5-9)
6th- Holdingford (4-10)
7th- Kimball Area (3-11)
8th- Maple Lake (2-12)

Another big milestone was achieved for one member of the Jaguars boys basketball team, as senior point guard Michael Rodgers earned his 1,000th varsity point in Saturday's win over Kimball Area. The win clinched the Central Minnesota Conference title outright for the 22-4 Jaguars boys basketball team.

Area boys basketball playoff results from Saturday:
*Section 3A:
Dawson-Boyd upset Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg 76-72 to end the Fighting Saints' season in the playoff opener for K-M-S. It was a very tough way for K-M-S to end a great season on the hardwood, where they finish 17-8 overall. Dawson-Boyd was the #5-seed, while K-M-S was the #4-seed. The Blackjacks (15-11 overall) move on to face top-seeded Ortonville in the Sub-Section 3A-North semi-finals. Ortonville is 20-4 overall. Neighboring and conference rivals Minneota and Canby meet in the other semi-final game.

*Section 3A boys basketball scores:
Adrian 76, Edgerton 45
Canby 64, Russell-Tyler-Ruthton 52
Dawson-Boyd 76, Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg 72
Ellsworth 91, Fulda 62
Hills-Beaver Creek 72, Southwest Star Concept 61
Minneota 72, Central MN Christian 64
Ortonville 70, Renville County West 51
Southwest MN Christian 60, Westbrook-Walnut Grove 57

*Section 3AA boys basketball scores:
Fairmont 51, St. James 46
MACCRAY 70, Yellow Medicine East 32
Martin County West 75, Luverne 40
Minnesota Valley Lutheran 79, Lac qui Parle Valley 62
Montevideo 77, BOLD 66
Redwood Valley 80, Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop 71
Tracy-Milroy-Balaton 69, Pipestone Area 54
Windom Area 62, Jackson County Central 60

Jaguars girls basketball falls 50-39 to top-seeded New London-Spicer

The B-B-E Jaguars girls basketball team's season ended for the second straight year in the Sub-Section 6AA-East semi-final game. Just as last year against Albany, the Jaguars fell behind by a big margin in the first half and were unable to close the gap in the second frame.

NL-S is the 4th-ranked team in Class AA, and they improved to 27-1 overall while advancing to the Sub-Section 6AA-East championship game for the second straight season. They will face West Central North Conference rival Sauk Centre, who is playing in the sub-section title game for the second time in the past three seasons.

Sauk Centre withstood an incredible challenge from third-seeded Albany, finally prevailing 64-63 in double-overtime in the 2nd game at St.John's tonight. At one point in the second half, the Mainstreeters trailed by seven points to the Huskies, who had won the previous six sub-section championships.

Two outstanding seniors end their basketball career at B-B-E, Heidi Lensing and Emily Roelike. They won a total of 48 games their final three years at B-B-E, the most wins in any three-year run in the 21-year history of the Jaguars girls basketball program. They also had an excellent three-year run in the Central Minnesota Conference, where they went 7-7 as sophomores, 9-5 as juniors, and then 11-3 as seniors. (Combined 27-15 in three seasons.)

In Sub-Section 6AA-West, Minnewaska Area dropped the hammer on the West Central Area Knights in the game's final seven minutes. With about 7:30 left in the game, the Lakers led 32-31. The final score was 58-34. WCA finishes their season 21-4. They were the sub-section champions last year out of Sub-Section 6AA-West.

Scores from Section 6AA:
Minnewaska Area 58, West Central Area 34
Osakis 60, Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 55
Sauk Centre 64, Albany 63, 2 OT!

Section 5AA scores:
Eden Valley-Watkins 69, Foley 27
Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 48, Litchfield 32
Norwood-Young America 45, Sibley East 44
Watertown-Mayer 62, Holy Family Catholic 28

Section 6A scores:
Ada-Borup 70, Park Christian 50
Brandon-Evansville 53, Underwood 37
New York Mills 48, Norman County West 44
Parkers Prairie 53, Hancock 46

Section 2AAA scores:
Willmar 53, Hutchinson 40
Worthington 84, Mankato West 49

In wrestling news...K-M-S won the Class A state title by a 32-25 score over Kenyon-Wanamingo.

This Jaguars sports playoff update brought to you by:

Jaguars boys basketball knocks down Kimball Area to win CMC title outright - Girls basketball game coming up

The Jaguars set a new school record for wins this afternoon, defeating Kimball Area 68-45 in an afternoon game at the high school. They will take a 22-4 record into playoffs, beginning next Thursday, March 12, at 7:00 against Holdingford.

The Cubs enter Section 5AA playoffs with an 8-16 overall record.

The Jaguars girls basketball team controlled the opening tip-off and scored right away tonight against NL-S. Emily Roelike scored from the corner to give the Jaguars the first score of the game.

With about 7 minutes gone, NL-S pounded on the Jaguars with a 15-0 run to go up 15-2. The Jaguars then went on an 8-0 run to cut the deficit to five, down 15-10. The Wildcats then took a 20-10 lead.

With just over 8:00 left to halftime, NL-S had a 22-12 lead.

At 7:00pm, going into halftime, the Jaguars trailed by the wide margin of 42-25. The Wildcats hit six first-half three-point shots.

Out west...Morris and Osakis are tied at 43-43 with 7:23 left in regulation.

In the second half, the Jaguars are fighting hard and cut the deficit down to single digits, down 48-39 with just over 7:00 left. They have rattled the Wildcats while turning up the intensity to keep their chances alive at a sub-section championship berth.

Final result out west: Osakis upset the top-seeded Morris Area Tigers 60-55.

The Jaguars played a great second half, but ultimately fell 50-39 to the Wildcats. NL-S scored only 8 second-half points.

This Jaguars sports playoff update brought to you by:

"Smooth Magic 107" has Sub-Section 6AA-West on the radio, while "The Train" will have coverage out of Sub-Section 6AA-East

Out west at the University of Minnesota-Morris, Dave McClurg will have coverage of two girls basketball games in the west half of Section 6AA.

At 6pm, the first game begins on 107.1 FM at UM-Morris:
Morris-Area/Chokio-Alberta is the #1-seed with a 20-4 record. They face Osakis, who is seeded #4 with a record of 19-7 overall.

Third-seeded Minnewaska Area (18-7) plays in the nightcap, taking on West Central Area, who is 21-3 and is the #2 seed.

In Sub-Section 6AA-East, the Jaguars girls basketball team faces top-seeded New London-Spicer at 6:30 at St.John's University. Following that, Albany (3-seed) takes on Sauk Centre (2-seed), in the nightcap at St.John's.

The NL-S vs. B-B-E game will be on 106.5 FM "The Train" with Bill Dean and Don Leukam providing coverage.

"The Train" 106.5 FM carrying tonight's Jaguars girls basketball game vs. NL-S, tune in at 6:15 if you can't make it to St.John's

Tip-off is scheduled for 6:30 tonight. NL-S (25-1) is the 4th-ranked team in Class AA. The Jaguars haven't beaten the Wildcats since January 1997.

In the nightcap at St.John's, 3rd-seeded Albany faces neighboring and conference rival Sauk Centre, who is the 2nd-seed in Sub-Section 6AA-East.

The Jaguars boys basketball team (21-4) ends the regular season today when they host Kimball Area at 2:30 at the high school. A win would set a new school record for regular season wins at B-B-E.

In wrestling news...Cole Tensen lost out of the tournament with a loss to Cooper Moore of Jackson County Central on Friday. The junior finishes the season with a 35-8 record, ranking as one of the best individual season records at B-B-E.

K-M-S won their state semi-final match, and tonight at 6:30 they face Kenyon-Wanamingo in the Class A state championship. The Fighting Saints will have their hands full, as K-W smoked Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City 42-17 in the other semi-final match on Friday.

This Jaguars sports playoff update brought to you by:

Jaguars boys basketball wins share of Central Minnesota Conference title - defeats Eden Valley-Watkins

The Jaguars are 21-4 going into the final game of the regular season, on Saturday at 2:30pm at the high school.

The 21 wins ties the school record for regular season wins. They are 11-2 in the CMC, clinching a share of their first-ever conference championship in boys basketball.

The Jaguars have been runner-up in the conference numerous times in the 21-year history of B-B-E.

1990-1991, 1996-1997, 1997-1998, 2001-2002, and 2002-2003. Four out of those five seasons, the Jaguars finished one game out from a share of the conference title.

Much like the Jaguars volleyball team did in November 2005 when they first went to "state," the Jaguars boys basketball's conference title jinx has finally been broken.

More will follow on Saturday morning.

Update from Stearns County Sheriff on Wednesday 3:00am morning incident at Cenex

Belgrade – Law enforcement continues to investigate an medical incident in Belgrade early Wednesday.

According to a Stearns County Sheriff’s report, at about 2:45 a.m. on March 4, the sheriff’s office received a report of suspicious activity at the CENEX Convenience Store in Belgrade, phoned in by a Mn-DOT plow driver in the area. The driver had stopped to assist occupants of a stalled vehicle on Highway 55, west of Belgrade. He drove them to the CENEX store and dropped them off. He was concerned about their well being and behavior and notified the sheriff’s department.

A deputy arrived and found Johnathan Kobow, 28, of Stacy in the CENEX parking lot with an injury to his neck. Another individual with Kobow left before officers arrived.
Kobow was transported to the Paynesville hospital and treated for a non-life threatening injury.

Assisting at the scene was Belgrade fire/rescue and the Brooten ambulance service.
The sheriff’s office continues to work with the Belgrade Police Department on this ongoing investigation.

Jaguars boys basketball hosts Eden Valley-Watkins tonight, a win gives them a share of the Central Minnesota Conference title

A large crowd will undoubtedly be on hand tonight at the B-B-E High School, as the Jaguars host the Eagles in the second-to-last CMC game of the season.

Eden Valley-Watkins is 5-8 in the CMC (5th place) and 10-13 overall. After opening the season with a strong 7-2 record, they have literally nosedived by losing 11 of their last 14 games. On January 23, the Jaguars picked up their first win since 2002 in Eden Valley by a 59-46 margin.

The Eagles are very capable of beating the Jaguars, so it will be a battle for the hometown team if they want to clinch a share of the CMC crown tonight. On Tuesday this week, Eden Valley hosted Rockford and defeated the Rockets 56-48. They also pounded on Holdingford last Saturday 59-31.

Cole Tensen wins a 5-1 decision in State Wrestling tournament wrestle-backs, moves on to Day 3 of action

Tensen, a junior, survived Round 1 of the wrestlebacks to move on to Friday's action at St.Paul's XCel Energy Center. His round of action on Day 3 begins at 5:00pm in the Class A consolation quarterfinals.

In a match that took place at about 8:30 on Thursday night, Tensen defeated Casey Boettcher of Triton 5-1. Boettcher is a senior that came out of Section 1A, entering the tournament with a 26-5 record.

This Jaguars sports state tournament update brought to you by:

Jaguars girls basketball trailed 26-24 at haftime at Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City, then pulled ahead 40-32...64-63 Final score - Jaguars win!

The Jaguars were in a battle at fourth-seeded A-C-GC, held in Grove City tonight. The game was broadcast on "The Train" 106.5 FM out of the Norway Lake/Sunburg area. Bill Dean and Don Leukam provided excellent play-by-play action.

The Jaguars will face top-seeded NL-S at 6:30 on Saturday in the semi-finals. That game will also be aired on 106.5 FM "The Train," so be sure to tune in if you are unable to make it to St.John's University that night.

The 5th-seeded Jaguars held on for a huge win at A-C-GC tonight. As time expired, a three-point shot by the Falcons snapped the cords to narrow the four-point deficit to the final margin.

Emily Roelike led all scorers with 26 points in the game. The standout senior guard for the Jaguars had 17 at halftime.

A-C-GC finishes their season 14-11, while the 5th-seeded Jaguars improve to 18-8 overall. That equals the win total from last season.

At 8:18pm, the Jaguars had built a 59-53 lead with 3:02 left in regulation. It might come down to the wire.

With 2:23 left, the Jaguars led 61-53 after Heidi Lensing made a bucket. The Falcons then cut it to a 61-57 deficit.

In Sub-Section 6AA-West, at Minnewaska, the host Lakers defeated 6th-seeded Benson 59-53. Also, the 4- vs. 5-seed game in the West sub-section was a barn-burner, as the host (4-seed) Osakis Silverstreaks defeated Staples-Motley 45-44 in Overtime.

In another game in Sub-Section 6AA-East...60-36, NL-S won over Melrose Area. Third-seeded Albany survived a huge scare from sixth-seeded Holdingford, winning 71-69 in overtime. Sounds like it was a typical game between neighboring rivals where you could throw the records out the door at the opening tip-off.

State tournament wrestling update... Cole Tensen wrestles tonight at 8:30 in a wrestleback match at XCel Energy Center in St.Paul. More will follow on that in a post later this evening.

Area girls basketball playoff scores:
*Complete Section 6AA scores:
Albany 71, Holdingford 69 F/OT
Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa 64, Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City 63
Minnewaska Area 58, Benson 53
Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 59, Breckenridge 32
New London-Spicer 60, Melrose 36
Osakis 45, Staples-Motley 44 F/OT
Sauk Centre 57, Paynesville Area 24
West Central Area 73, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 60

*Section 6A:
Ada-Borup 74, Rothsay 29
Brandon-Evansville 70, Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley 50
Hancock 52, Wheaton/Herman-Norcross 48 (the 2-seed survived a big scare from W-H/N)
New York Mills 75, Barnesville 46
Norman County West 68, Lake Park-Audubon 38
Park Christian 61, Norman County East 45
Parkers Prairie 71, Battle Lake 49
Underwood 56, Ashby 45

*Section 5AA, which has a number of Central Minnesota Conference teams:
Eden Valley-Watkins 64, Maple Lake 27 (no surprise)
Foley 61, Pierz 55 (4th-seeded Pierz is upset at home, falling in the first round of girls basketball playoffs for the first time this decade)
Holy Family Catholic 70, Glencoe-Silver Lake 55
Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 59, Kimball Area 26 (also no surprise)
Litchfield 58, Zimmerman 49
Norwood-Young America 51, Lester Prairie/Holy Trinity 48
Sibley East 43, Mayer Lutheran 40
Watertown-Mayer 55, Rockford 33

This Jaguars sports playoff update brought to you by:

Jaguars boys basketball team earns #1 seed in Sub-Section 6AA-East, will host 8th-seed Holdingford on Thursday, March 12

Tip-off for the opening round of playoffs will be at 7:00 next Thursday, March 12. They will host Central Minnesota Conference rival Holdingford, who was the bottom seed in the sub-section. The Huskers are 6-18 overall and 3-10 in the CMC, with one game remaining on their schedule, Friday against Kimball at home.

Coach Montbriand was able to deliver a number-one seed for the Jaguars, during Wednesday night's playoff seeding meeting. He has bruised through numerous such meetings before, and that experience no doubt paid off in what was probably a tense meeting amongst some very sub-section coaches from A-C-GC, Albany, NL-S, Melrose, and Paynesville. He has coached 17 of the 21 Jaguars boys basketball teams, beginning in the 1990-1991 season.

A win over Holdingford would send the Jaguars into the semi-finals at St.John's on Saturday, March 14. That game would take place at 6:30pm, against the winner of the Melrose vs. Paynesville quarterfinal game. (The Dutchmen vs. Bulldogs matchup will be a heckuva game, between 4-seeded Melrose and 5-seeded Paynesville.)

Another big game will be in Albany, where the second-seeded Huskies host neighboring and conference rival Sauk Centre, who is seeded number seven. Albany has had a "Cinderella" type of season, as they went from a 5-20 season last year to 19-5 this season with one game left before playoffs.

Third-seeded New London-Spicer (West Central North Conference champs) will host sixth-seeded Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City on quarterfinal night, March 12. NL-S is the defending Section 6AA and Class AA champion. NL-S has won every sub-section that they've played in since the 2005-2006 season. In 2006 and 2007, they won the Sub-Section 5AA-20 title; then winning the Sub-Section 6AA-East title in 2008.

This is the first time since 2002-2003 that the Jaguars have earned a #1 playoff seed in boys basketball. That year, the Jaguars entered Section 5A playoffs with a 20-5 record but were upset by a score of 67-56 to fourth-seeded Hancock in the sub-section semi-finals. The Jaguars finished 21-6 that year. Hancock went on to win Section 5A and finish 3rd at state. Leaders on that senior-dominated team were Ryan Koehler, Troy and Andy Rosengren, and Martin Gjerde.

• A little more history is as follows:

In 2004-2005, the Jaguars were seeded #2 in Sub-Section 5A-South, and ultimately defeated fourth-seeded Wheaton-Herman/Norcross 53-41 in the championship. W-H/N upset top-seeded Osakis 47-45 in the semi-finals to earn a shot at B-B-E. The Jaguars bowed out after a 58-56 loss to Battle Lake in the 5A championship game, finishing 21-9 overall. Key players on that team included a large number of seniors, including 2005 graduates Robbie Leukam, Pete Marthaler, Cody Sobiech, and Justin Montbriand.

In 2003-2004, the Jaguars were seeded number three in Sub-Section 5A-South, then proceeded to knock out 2-seeded Hancock 44-41 and 1-seeded Osakis 86-69. They fell in a tough loss to Bertha Hewitt 62-54 in the Section 5A championship, finishing 16-13 overall. (Awesome considering that they started that season 0-5!) Leaders on that team were 2004 graduates Jonathan Olmscheid, A.J. Hadley, and Kevin Gruber.

In 2001-2002, the Jaguars opened the season 13-0 (the school record for consecutive wins) and went 12-2 in the Central Minnesota Conference, finishing one game out of first place to 13-1 Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted. They set the current school record for regular season (21) and overall wins, finishing 23-4 after losing 65-41 to top-seeded Ortonville in the Sub-Section 5A-South title game. The Jaguars were seeded number two that season. Ortonville went on to finish 2nd in state. HL-W-W finished 4th that year at state also, coming out of Section 4A that year. Leaders on that team were 2002 graduates Zach and Adam Dingmann.

One other season, 1997-1998, the Jaguars earned the number-one seed in the old Sub-Section 5AA-20, after going through the regular season with a 15-7 record. They defeated Paynesville Area for the sub-section championship, ultimately losing 61-52 in a heartbreaker to Sibley East in the Section 5AA championship at Halenback Hall, SCSU. They finished 18-8 that year. Leaders on that team were 1998 graduates Kasey Schoumaker and Brent Frikken.

In 1996-1997, the Jaguars began the season 12-0, cracked the State Coaches Poll for the first time in B-B-E history (rising to #7 before falling out), and entered Sub-Section 5A-South playoffs as the number two seed behind Hancock. A mid-season slump cost them the West Central South Conference title, as they finished 8-4 behind champion Morris Area, who went 9-3 in the league. B-B-E regrouped to make a strong playoff run, farther than any B-B-E team had in school history. The Jaguars ultimately lost 54-31 in the Section 5A championship game to Hancock, who went on to win the Class A State championship in the first year of 4-classes in Minnesota. Leaders on that team were 1997 graduates Jeff Zenner and Tony Nemmers. They finished 20-6 that season.

This Jaguars sports update brought to you by:

Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg Fighting Saints beats up Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial 40-21 in Class A State Wrestling Quarterfinals

In other action this morning, Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City rocked Royalton-Upsala-Swanville Area 56-12 in another quarterfinal match.

K-M-S is the number-one seeded team in this year's 8-team field of the Class A state wrestling tournament. They advance to play #4-seeded Medford in the semi-finals. The match begins at Noon on Friday, March 6.

A-C-GC, who won Section 5A this year for its sixth straight trip to "State" as a team, will face #2-seeded Kenyon-Wanamingo at Noon on Friday, March 6. A-C-GC is the 3-seed in Class A.

Tensen drops Wrestling State Tournament opener by a 12-0 score to Jake Long of West Central Area

Jaguars wrestling junior Cole Tensen faced a tall order in his first match at state tonight: 38-1 Jake Long of West Central Area, two-time defending Section 6A champion. Tensen fell in a 12-0 match.

If Long wins his second round of action, Tensen would have a second chance at advancing in the individual tournament bracket. He entered the tournament with a 34-6 record for this year. He has 103 wins total for his career.

This Jaguars sports state tournament update brought to you by:

Jaguars boys basketball takes over first place in the Central Minnesota Conference, Coming out on top of Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 92-82

The Jaguars are now 10-2 in the CMC with two games left on the schedule. Now 20-4 overall, the Jaguars have the inside track on the CMC title, as well as a good shot at the number one seed in Sub-Section 6AA-East. Seeding takes place by a coaches vote tomorrow night.

HL-W-W falls to 10-3 in the league, with one game left, this Friday at home against fourth-place Rockford. The Lakers are 17-7 overall. HL-W-W had just defeated the 20-4 Lester Prairie/Holy Trinity Bulldogs 67-47 on Monday night.

The Jaguars led by 15 at halftime, 52-37, mostly due to 7-of-9 shooting from beyond the arc. The Lakers poured it on near the end, cutting the deficit down to three at 80-77 with just over 2:00 left. The Jaguars pulled away in the end with prolific free throw shooting.

After halftime, Rodgers was 11-of-13 from the free throw line, including 8-of-8 in the last 90 seconds.

The 92 points scored is a season-high. It's also the most points scored by the Jaguars boys basketball team since early February of 2006, when they hit the century mark in a 100-69 win over Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City.

New London-Spicer won the West Central North Conference title outright for the second straight season, when they defeated Melrose on Tuesday night 60-48 in New London. NL-S improved to 14-2 in conference play and 18-8 overall. Melrose falls to 7-9 in the WCCN and 10-13 overall.

Area boys basketball results:
Eden Valley-Watkins 56, Rockford 48
Pierz 73, Kimball Area 45
Holdingford 66, Maple Lake 56
Albany 69, Mora 60
New London-Spicer 60, Melrose 48
Sauk Centre 41, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 35
Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City 71, BOLD 68 (*A-C-GC ends a tough four-game slide)
Hancock 61, Hillcrest Lutheran Academy 49
Montevideo 62, Minnewaska Area 59
Morris Area 70, Paynesville Area 37
Redwood Valley 67, Tracy-Milroy-Balaton 51
Osakis 49, St. John's Prep 41 (*Osakis locks up the Prairie Conference title all alone)
Upsala 76, Royalton 56 (Royalton's hopes of winning a share of the Prairie Conference title are dashed with this tough loss to their neighboring rivals)
Swanville 59, Verndale 37

Area girls basketball scores:
Paynesville 44, Melrose 40 (Paynesville goes into playoffs 4-18, Melrose is 1-23)

Area girls basketball playoff scores:
Section 3A:
Adrian 61, Murray County Central 60
Canby 56, Minneota 48
Southwest MN Christian 69, Red Rock Central 66
Wabasso 48, Lakeview 41

Section 6A:
Barnesville 74, Mahnomen 39
Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley 59, Henning 47
Lake Park-Audubon 50, Ulen-Hitterdal 44
Rothsay 69, Waubun 50
Wheaton/Herman-Norcross 54, Hillcrest Lutheran Academy 46 F/2OT

Just found this...Girls basketball Sub-Section 6AA-West seedings:
1. Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta, 2. West Central Area, 3. Minnewaska Area, 4. Osakis, 5. Staples-Motley, 6. Benson, 7. Long Prairie-Grey Eagle, 8. Breckenridge.

I predict that all four top seeds will win. That sets up the following showdowns for Saturday, March 7...at the University of Minnesota-Morris: Morris vs. Osakis at 6:00pm and then Minnewaska vs. WCA at about 7:45. I also predict that West Central Area will come out on top of this sub-section for the second straight season.

In Sub-Section 6AA-East...The Jaguars girls basketball team (17-8 overall, 11-3 CMC) should be able to defeat Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City on Thursday night to advance to the semi-final round for the second straight season. If they beat A-C-GC, they will face top-seeded New London-Spicer (25-1) at 6:30pm on Saturday, March 7 at St.John's University.

Seedings for Sub-Section 5AA-20, which includes numerous Central Minnesota Conference girls basketball teams:
1- Eden Valley-Watkins
2- Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted
3- Litchfield
4- Pierz
5- Foley
6- Zimmerman
7- Kimball Area
8- Maple Lake

March Madness is here!

This Jaguars sports update brought to you by:

Big news - Jaguars boys basketball game vs. Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted will be aired on "Smooth Magic 107" on Tuesday night

I just got this e-mail on Monday night from Smooth Magic 107's sports broadcaster, Dave McClurg:

"I want to let you know that KMGK is adding the Tuesday night Boys' Basketball game, featuring the Jaguars and Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted to our schedule. I originally thought the Gopher Men's Basketball team played Tuesday night vs. Wisconsin, but that game is Wednesday evening, opening up our Tuesday broadcast schedule. It will also be available on the internet, at www.smoothmagic107.com.

With the great importance of this game (major CMC title implications), it's appropriate to add this game to our schedule. Our coverage will start around 7:15 or so from Belgrade Tuesday night."

The website to go to for the online broadcast is: http://smoothmagic107.com. A strong internet connection is required to use this feature.

Coming early Monday morning: Video clips from the Eden Valley girls basketball game

Get your web browser ready for some great video clips from the Jaguars girls basketball huge upset win at Eden Valley-Watkins this past Friday night.

I'll be posting them when the sun is rising on Monday morning. A big thank you to Bernice Gruber for getting me a DVD of this historic win over Eden Valley-Watkins.

More will follow, including information on Cole Tensen's trip to the State wrestling tournament, which runs from Wednesday through Saturday at the Xcel Energy Center in St.Paul.

Also, look to the March 3rd issue of the Sauk Centre Herald for more on the Jaguars girls basketball and the Jaguars wrestling teams' performances last week.

A clip from late in the second half, when Heidi Lensing gets pounded (literally) to the floor, Eden Valley-Watkins style.


Here's another clip, showing the game's final seconds: