More on Tuesday night's basketball games - Jaguars girls basketball vs. Melrose Area will be aired on The Train

The border battle between the Jaguars girls basketball team and Melrose Area on Tuesday night (Jan. 4) will be aired on The Train, 106.5 FM. Pre-game coverage will begin at approximately 7:15pm. The Jaguars need to pick up a win in this game to get off to a good start on the January schedule. They have a real shot at a 15 or 16 win regular season, but it starts with a strong effort against a solid Dutchmen team tomorrow night. Melrose Area is 4-4 overall and 2-3 in the West Central North Conference.

Fun facts: up until the 2007-2008 season, the most wins in a regular season for the Jaguars girls basketball team was 16. They went 16-6 in 1994-1995 before reeling off four wins in Region 5A action and losing a 33-28 heart breaker to New London-Spicer in the region finals. (NL-S went on to finish 2nd at the two-class state tournament that year for the fourth year in a row.) The record of 16 regular season wins stood until 2007-2008, when the Jaguars went 17-9 in the regular season before going 1-1 in Sub-Section 6AA-East.

Below, another glimpse of the Jaguars girls basketball game against HL-W-W on December 17 in the Jags' home opener.

Turning to boys basketball...the Jaguars boys basketball team will host Maple Lake on Tuesday night. The Irish (6-2 overall) return three starters from last year's Sub-Section 5AA-South runner up and Central Minnesota Conference runner-up team, including 2009-2010 conference MVP Mitch Wurm.

Mitch Wurm scoring against Norwood-Young America during the season opener for the Irish on December 2. During that 70-67 win, Wurm surpassed the 1,000 point mark for his varsity career. Photo by the Maple Lake Messenger.


Wurm is a senior forward who passed the 1,000 points mark in their season opener against Norwood-Young America on December 2. He is a remarkably talented player who can take over a game. He could lead the Irish to a runner-up finish in the CMC this year, although Pierz and Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted should also be in the mix. (Yes, I call another CMC title for the Jaguars, no surprise there.)

They don't have the muscle that last year's Maple Lake team had, but they are quicker and play better on the perimeter. Through their first eight games of the season, the Irish are averaging 54.6 points per game on offense while giving up an average of 51.6 points per game on defense.

Wurm helped Maple Lake stage a stunning turnaround on the hardwood last season, as the Irish went 20-9 after going a dismal 5-22 (2-11 CMC, 8th place) in 2008-2009. The five-win season came on the heels of a sparkling 24-6 season in 2007-2008, in which the Irish made it to the Section 5AA finals and lost in a close one to Rockford 64-58.

It will be a treat for fans to watch Maple Lake and B-B-E duke it out tomorrow night. I hope the Jaguars are ready, it would be fun to watch them whip Maple Lake like they did two times last season (59-34 at Maple Lake and 63-38 at home).

The boys basketball team will next be on the radio when they travel to Osakis on Monday, January 10. Smooth Magic 107 will carry that game. (Thanks, Dave)

A final note, be sure to pick up a copy of this week's Sauk Centre Herald, which features a story on the B-B-E boys basketball team. It hits the local newsstands on Tuesday and the mailboxes on Wednesday.