Jaguars boys basketball team buries Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted - Final score 71-48

The #4-ranked Jaguars boys basketball team has built a 46-21 lead heading into the second half at Howard Lake. Final score: B-B-E 71, HL-W-W 48. Impressive if you ask me! Coming into the game, HL-W-W was rated #31 out of 127 teams in the QRF rankings for Class AA on Minnesota-Scores.net, only two spots behind New London-Spicer. This was a high quality win for the Jaguars. Another little nugget to ponder: in the last three years, the Jaguars have only three conference losses, with two of them coming during their trip to HL-W-W.

With all that said, I have to get this off my chest, it's terribly frustrating that NL-S isn't on the Jaguars' schedule! I do know for a fact it is because NL-S is afraid of losing to the Jaguars. And I know damn well that Jayme Moten wouldn't hit nine threes against the Jaguars either. (Eat crow, Wildcat fans)

The Lakers fall to 2-2 in the Central Minnesota Conference and 9-4 overall. Tonight is the first time since January 28, 2005 that the Jaguars have won at HL-W-W's house. In that meeting, the Jaguars beat the Lakers 41-39, avenging a loss suffered in their first meeting on December 14, 2004 in a 61-58 final in Belgrade that marred a 4-0 start to the Jaguars' season that year.

The 12-0 start by the Jaguars this season ties the 1996-1997 squad for the second-best winning streak to start a season. Fourteen seasons ago, the Jaguars started 12-0, then went 5-5 the rest of the regular season while finishing 8-4 (2nd) in the West Central South Conference and then also second in the Section 5A tournament.

The Jaguars have another strong test coming this Thursday, when they travel to Pierz for another CMC showdown against a very good Pioneers squad. Pierz was nipped by Kimball tonight by two points, no surprise considering what Kimball did against the Jaguars last week.

Central Minnesota Conference boys basketball results on January 18:
Kimball Area 56, Pierz 54 (Pioneers definitely miss the guys who are out for two weeks)
Maple Lake 66, Holdingford 41

Notes on the Kimball vs. Pierz game, courtesy of Little Falls radio sports broadcaster Rick Grammond: The Kimball Cubs handed the Pierz Pioneers their first loss in the CMC with a 56-54 win in Kimball tonight. Pierz jumped out to a 6-0 lead to start the game, but then went ice cold from the field and Kimball got their offense going, rattling off 13 consecutive points to grab the lead. Kimball led 24-19 at halftime. The Pioneers battled back, led by the hot hand of Preston Weber, eventually taking a 41-40 lead with about 3:30 left to play. Credit the Cubs, though. They run a disciplined half court offense and hit some key free throws down the stretch. Neil Helgeson led Kimball with 14 while Dillon Menson had 10. Weber led all scorers with 29, including 22 in the 2nd half. In his last 3 games, Weber has scored 27, 32 and now 29. Caleb Janson had another double-double with 10 points and 15 rebounds. Pierz is now 3-1 in the CMC and 5-7 overall.

Area boys basketball results on January 18:
New London-Spicer 65, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 59 (Both teams were undefeated in the West Central North Conference coming into the game, held in New London)
Montevideo 71, Redwood Valley 63 (Thunderhawks survive a good test from the Cardinals)
Royalton 64, Osakis 57
Melrose 77, Paynesville 55
Brandon/Evansville 45, Ortonville 39
Parkers Prairie 54, Verndale 43
Sauk Centre 84, A-C-GC 68 (a big output for the Streeters)
Wheaton/Herman-Norcross 51, Underwood 39

Area girls basketball results on January 18:
Minnewaska Area 40, Osakis 33 (Lakers pick up 1st win of the season, they are 1-11)
Hancock 79, Henning 39
Sisseton (S.D.) 53, Wheaton/Herman-Norcross 17 (Ouch!)
Battle Lake 56, Brandon/Evansville 34
Rockford 67, Lester Prairie/Holy Trinity 53
Sartell 55, Alexandria 53 OT
Pierz 74, Foley 48
Maple Lake 47, Milaca 23
Paynesville Area 68, Swanville 41
St.Cloud Cathedral 57, Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 53
Sauk Centre 64, Holdingford 30
Melrose Area 59, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 28

Another clip from the first half of last night's girls basketball game...they host Rockford on Thursday night in a CMC game.

The Rockford Rockets girls basketball team is 7-8 overall and 3-2 in the Central Minnesota Conference. They beat Lester Prairie/Holy Trinity 67-53 tonight to snap a two-game losing streak.