The B-B-E Jaguars boys basketball team takes a 23-3 record into the Sub-Section 6A-South quarterfinal round this week Thursday, when they will host the #8-seeded Henning Hornets in a 7:00pm game.
Henning hosted and defeated #9-seeded Underwood (10-15) in the play-in round on Monday night by a 49-45 margin. The Hornets will be no slouch either, having an 11-15 record with a quality win over Battle Lake, along with pretty decent fights with high-octane teams such as Hillcrest Lutheran Academy and Bertha-Hewitt.
After a grueling week and weekend with the state wrestling tournament mashed together with some basketball playoffs, I took a much-needed break from the blogging. I'm back at it, and regular updates will follow throughout this week, leading into any and all future Jaguars boys basketball playoff games. Let's hope there's lots of 'em!
Back to playoff girls basketball action...
New London-Spicer was dethroned as Sub-Section 6AA-East champions tonight by a determined and well-oiled machine called the Sauk Centre Mainstreeters. The Maroon and White from north of Elrosa put on a defensive clinic, disrupting passing lanes and getting in the face of every shot the Wildcats put up.
Halftime: Sauk 23, NL-S 17. Final score: Sauk Centre 45, NL-S 32!
During the second half, sophomore sensation Kali Peschel broke the Sauk Centre girls scoring record, which was 1,177 entering the game. A free throw set the new record, and Peschel finished the game with 1,178 career points.
For comparison on playoff histories of New London-Spicer and Sauk Centre, NL-S won sub-section/district titles in the following years (and maybe more in this time span, I just don't remember them all)
1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2009.
Plus a bunch in the 1970s and 1980s.
Finally, Sauk Centre has one under their belt.
*B-B-E's girls basketball team even earned a couple themselves since the 1988 merger, under the old two-class system, in 1993 and 1995, under Coach Michelle (Marthaler) Perkins. They were also sub-section champions in Class A in 2005.
Sub-Section 6AA-West title game: The Benson Braves (21-7) had their strong post-season run ended at the hands of the Staples-Motley Cardinals (24-5) at UM-Morris, falling 56-52 after having a six-point lead during the second half.
Staples-Motley will take on Sauk Centre at Halenbeck Hall (SCSU) this Friday night at 6:30pm for the Section 6AA championship.
Out west in Section 6A-South... The Hancock Owls were stung in a very heartbreaking 43-42 loss to top-seeded Parkers Prairie.
After five minutes were gone in the game, the Panthers were up 8-0. A Bree Holleman three-pointer put the Owls on the board, and with 10:21 left before halftime, a three-pointer by Illissa Koehl made it a 10-8 deficit. A 17-foot bucket by Aria Walstad tied the game at 11-11 with 7:45 on the clock. Game on! Parkers Prairie had missed five straight field goals at that point, and would ultimately miss eight in a row before finding the bottom of the net from the floor.
Two free throws from Hancock's Kendra Schmidgall put the Owls up 13-11 with 5:02 on the clock. The Panthers' standout U of M Gophers recruit, Sari Noga, made four straight free throws and then a three-pointer to swing the momentum back in favor of Parkers Prairie, putting Hancock into an 18-13 hole.
Schmidgall's putback shot at the 2:59 mark made it 18-15, after the Owls went almost five minutes without hitting a field goal.
A putback by Micaela Noga made it a five-point game, and with 40 seconds left, her older sister Sari hit two free throws to cap the first half scoring. Parkers Prairie 22, Hancock 15 at the break.
The Panthers went up 25-15 early in the second half before Schmidgall hit five unanswered points to start an Owls' rally. Parkers Prairie went up 27-20 and then Schmidgall drained two more field goals within the span of 45 seconds to make it 27-24.
An Illissa Koehl college-length three point shot with 12:22 left in the game brought the Owls within one, down 28-27.
With six minutes left in the game, Hancock trailed 38-32.
The Owls went on a 7-1 run — helped by Illissa Koehl’s four points — to tie the game with four minutes left.
Parkers Prairie took a 42-39 lead with a three-pointer from Micaela Noga, but Hancock answered with a basket from Kendra Schmidgall one minute later and a free throw from Bree Holleman with 1:46 left.
Then the Owls milked the clock with the game tied to about eight seconds left, when Parkers Prairie got the ball back after a loose ball went out of bounds.
Noga drove into the lane on the inbounds, picked up a foul and made 1-of-2 shots to give the Panthers a one-point lead with less than two seconds left.
Hancock’s last-second attempt didn’t get close to the rim.
Parkers Prairie will face New York Mills in the Section 6A championship game this Friday night at UMM.
Over in Section 5AA:
Eden Valley-Watkins 39, St. Cloud Cathedral 29
Watertown-Mayer 66, Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 51 (Royals led 25-24 at halftime)
What an impressive win for Tom Jansen's Eagles ballclub! It's Eden Valley-Watkins' first sub-section championship since 2006, when they placed 4th at the state tournament. (Hannah Linz's freshmen season)
Eden Valley-Watkins is now 13-14, having won 11 of their last 15 games. They started the season 2-9. It's just crazy that B-B-E swept EV-W (for the first time ever) in Central Minnesota Conference action, the Jaguars went 0-1 in Class A playoffs and the Eagles are now one win from the state tournament.
They will be heavy underdogs against the W-M Royals, but don't ever count out a Tom Jansen-coached team!!!!
Hats off to HL-W-W for playing in their fifth straight sub-section championship game, as well as winning the Central Minnesota Conference title for the first time ever.
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