A fast-paced game is underway at home, Jaguars boys basketball takes early lead vs. Holdingford, ultimately blow Huskers away 77-43

Racing out of the gate to early leads of 4-0, 8-2, and 13-6, the Jaguars boys basketball team is off to a great start against visiting Holdingford tonight in a Central Minnesota Conference game.

In this week's Class A state rankings, the Jaguars find themselves rising to the #2 spot out of 171 teams in that division of boys basketball in Minnesota. Sebeka is the top-ranked team.

The Huskers entered tonight's game with a 4-10 overall record, 2-4 (7th) in the CMC.

Halftime score: B-B-E 32, Holdingford 22.

True to form, the Jaguars were not happy with a 10-point lead at halftime and knocked any thought of an upset from the Huskers' minds with a 19-7 run over the first six minutes of the second half. Three pointers from the Huskers' Damon Westrich and Ben Schwanberg made it a 55-36 game with about nine minutes left, but the Jaguars found another gear in their game and closed out their seventh Central Minnesota Conference win on a 22-7 run.

Final score: B-B-E 77, Holdingford 43. Running time employed down the stretch, when the Jaguars (16-0) had opened up a 35-point lead. For the first time ever, the B-B-E Jaguars have started the conference schedule with a perfect 7-0 mark. The previous best mark of 6-0 was set first in 2001-2002 and then tied in 2008-2009. I'm not 100% sure but 99% sure that in the West Central South Conference, the best start in league play was 5-0 back in 1996-1997.

Outstanding radio coverage of the game was provided by Bill Dean and Don Leukam, broadcasting on 106.5 FM The Train out of Norway Lake/Sunburg.

Central Minnesota Conference boys basketball results on Jan. 27:
Maple Lake 62, Rockford 50
Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 74, Kimball Area 61 (a solid win for the Lakers in Kimball)
Pierz 78, Eden Valley-Watkins 51 (12 Pioneers scored))

Notes from the Pierz vs. EV-W game last night...courtesy of the Little Falls radio announcer, Rick Grammond, the voice of the Pioneers..."Derek Streit was the lone Eagle to put up double figures, as he hit 4 three-pointers on his way to a season-best 14 point effort. 8th grader Brett Mattice scored 9 points, all from beyond the arc. The Eagles played their 2nd straight game without their top player, Peter Stenger, who remains sidelined with a knee injury suffered 2 games ago against Rockford. Stenger is averaging a double-double (10.6 rpg, 10.3 ppg). EV-W is 1-6 in the CMC and 4-11 overall. They travel to Paynesville for a border battle this Friday, then host the Jaguars on Tuesday."

Area girls basketball scores on January 27:
CMC score: Maple Lake 70, Holdingford 52 (don't believe that yet)
Sauk Centre 89, Albany 65 (wow!)
NL-S 77, Foley 28
Parkers Prairie 50, Brandon/Evansville 44 (Panthers get a scare in a Little Eight Conference battle against the arch-rival Chargers)
Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg 69, Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley 37
Mora 58, Melrose Area 40

Area boys basketball scores on January 27:
Sauk Centre 66, Albany 49
Rosholt (SD) 61, Wheaton/Herman-Norcross 54 (OT) (The Warriors' 4-game win streak is halted)
Upsala 78, Swanville 27
Eagle Valley 56, Royalton 52
Battle Lake 63, Osakis 41

More to follow in the morning.

This Jaguars sports update is brought to you by: