What a win! Jaguar girls basketball team scores biggest playoff win in school history, 77-26 over C-G-B

Maggie Gruber secures a rebound for the Jaguars early in the first half tonight in their playoff opener. She was one of four seniors playing their final home game of their careers in the blue and silver.

After jumping out to a commanding 48-17 lead at halftime, the 7th-seeded Jaguars girls basketball team limited Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley to nine second half points in a 77-26 blowout to start the sub-section playoffs. It is their eighth win in a row, tying the school record for consecutive girls basketball wins at B-B-E.

With their win over #10-seed C-G-B, the Jaguars (14-12) now travel to #2 seed Parkers Prairie for quarterfinal action on Thursday, March 3, at 7:00pm. A win that night would send the Jaguars into the sub-section semifinals, and their game would be at 7:30pm this Saturday (Mar. 5) at the University of Minnesota-Morris P.E. Center on Jim Gremmels Court.

The sub-section championship is next Tuesday at 8pm back at UMM.

The Panthers are the #2 seed, with a 22-3 overall record. Since starting the season 18-0, the Panthers have gone 4-3 in the final seven games of their regular season. They are the defending sub-section and Section 6A champions, bringing back a core group of players from a team that took third place in last year's Class A state tournament.


Ashley Kirckof's three pointer made it 38-12 with just over three minutes left in the first half in tonight's playoff opening win.

Starter introduction prior to tip off tonight...

Jaguars go up 65-23 with 10:45 left in the game...


Sub-Section 6A-South girls basketball playoff opener results:
Brandon/Evansville 23, Ashby 14 (crazy)
Wheaton/Herman-Norcross 59, Henning 45

Area boys basketball scores on Feb. 28:
CMCS 56, K-M-S 49
Redwood Valley 86, Tracy-Milroy-Balaton 84
Minnesota Transition Charter 73, Springfield 63
NL-S 68, Foley 49
Montevideo 75, Lac qui Parle Valley 50

Don't forget, you can view photo albums of recent B-B-E Jaguar varsity action at the Sauk Centre Herald website. The link is http://saukherald.mycapture.com. An album with photos from tonight's girls basketball win will be added early Tuesday morning.

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The freshmen swats a shot of a high-flying junior Pierz Caleb Janson

...and a moment later, some fan reaction from the B-B-E crowd.

**Don't forget, the playoffs begin tomorrow night for the Jaguars girls basketball team, as they host Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley to open Sub-Section 6A-South action. Tip-off is at 7:00pm.

The boys are next in action at Holdingford on Tuesday night.

More will follow on Monday morning.

Three Jaguars give it all in the Final Four round of the Section 5A wrestling tournament - but none get through to state

Patrick Rooney in action during his section quarterfinal win on Friday night. He ultimately took third place, a great accomplishment for the sophomore grappler.

Two of three Jaguars who made it into the third-place matches in their respective weight brackets of the Section 5A tournament ended up winning and grabbing a third place finish - Dillon Knutson and Ross Rath. The other, Patrick Rooney, lost by one point to Travis Schiefelbein of Kimball Area. Schiefelbein stalled for most of the match, and Patrick fought hard in a 10-9 loss.

Knutson was able to get into the "true second" place match, where he faced off with state-ranked Ryan Larson of Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City. Larson won 9-2 and advanced to state out of the 171-pound bracket.

Some video action from Friday...
Connor Goodwin has a nifty blocked shot early in this clip, but the ref called a foul that he had no business calling. Pierz missed both free throws, but they got the ball back while the Jaguars were fighting for the rebound.

Patrick Rooney doing battle in his quarterfinal match of the Section 5A tournament.



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Three Jaguar wrestlers still have a shot at the state tournament

The three Jaguars who were seeded highest in the Section 5A tournament, all at number four, still have a shot at making the Class A state tournament, after the wrestleback round is finishing up late on Saturday afternoon at Minnewaska Area High School.

Dillon Knutson, Patrick Rooney, and Ross Rath will all wrestle for third place in their respective weight classes. A win in that match could set up a chance at wrestling a "true second" match later this evening.

Daniel Rooney led 12-0 in his fifth place match and will take home some nice hardware from his individual tournament experience.

At 112 pounds, sophomore Ross Rath wrestled very well in a loss to his bracket's top seed in the semi-final match today, Quinten Berres of Kimball (who entered the tournament 36-1).

At 160 pounds in the semi-finals, sophomore Patrick Rooney lost in a decision to the top seed, Jacob Forcier of Eden Valley-Watkins. Forcier, the defending section champion, entered the tournament 29-2. During the regular season, Forcier had two pins to his credit over Rooney.

Check back later tonight to see if the Jaguars punched any tickets to the state tournament. It would be the third year in a row they achieved that feat if they can.

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Jaguar boys basketball wins an "it was closer than the final score" type of game over Pierz 85-65 - Girls' hoops win at Kimball

Kevin Kuefler muscles in two points against Pierz about six minutes into the second half of the game tonight.

Withstanding a tough challenge from a physical and athletic Pierz squad tonight, the Jaguars boys basketball team won 85-65 for their 12th win in Central Minnesota Conference play.

After trailing by around seven points at times in the first half, the Jaguars took charge and forged a 37-31 lead at halftime.

In the second half, the Pioneers got as close as a 40-38 deficit, but the Jaguars put it in overdrive and shot ahead by double digits.

With 4:30 remaining, the Pioneers canned a three to make it 67-60, but the Jaguars put the hammer down and ended up winning by the wide final score.

With HL-W-W losing to Maple Lake on Thursday night, the Jaguars have emerged as the sole champions of the Central Minnesota Conference this year. It's the third year in a row they have earned such status.

First half action with a tight ball game underway between B-B-E and Pierz; with five minutes left, Brady Koehler's rebound shot tied the game at 23-23.

Earning their seventh win in a row, the Jaguars girls basketball team defeated host Kimball Area 45-41 tonight to cap the regular season with a final record of 13-12 overall. Their final mark in the Central Minnesota Conference is 8-6, an outstanding finish after starting 1-4 in the league. The Jaguars open the Sub-Section 6A-South playoffs at home on Monday night, Feb. 28, against Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley.

Central Minnesota Conference girls basketball results in the final CMC game of the year, Feb. 25:
Pierz 46, Rockford 43
Eden Valley-Watkins 43, Maple Lake 26
Holdingford 48, Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 45

**Both Pierz and EV-W are co-champions of the Central Minnesota Conference title, both finishing the loop with a record of 10-4. HL-W-W finishes 9-5. B-B-E clinched fourth place alone.

Area boys basketball scores on Feb. 25:
Minnewaska Area 87, Benson 81 (TWO OT!)
Breckenridge 57, Wheaton/Herman-Norcross 47
Battle Lake 50, Brandon/Evansville 48 (Battlers are the sole Little Eight Conference champions, 10-2 league record)
Montevideo 68, BOLD 33
LQPV 58, Paynesville Area 55 (Bulldogs finish the regular season winless)
Ashby 74, Parkers Prairie 54
St.Cloud Cathedral 71, Melrose Area 69 (2 OT!)
New London-Spicer 76, Sauk Centre 73 (tough loss for the Streeters, who are going through a storybook turnaround season)
Henning 55, Hancock 46
Sebeka 75, Bertha-Hewitt 48

Battle Lake is 20-2 overall and will probably grab the #2 seed in Sub-Section 6A-South, followed by Hillcrest Lutheran Academy (13-7) and then Ashby at #4 (15-8).

Area girls basketball scores on Feb. 25:
Parkers Prairie 66, Eagle Valley 60
Underwood 48, Verndale 21

Check back on Saturday night for results from the Section 5A individual wrestling tournament.

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Ten Jaguar wrestlers remain in contention in the Section 5A individual tournament

Junior Dillon Knutson won his quarterfinal match over Jeff Hausladen (13-11) of Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted, improving to 27-10 on the season. He begins action a little after noon on Saturday in the 171-pound semifinals. Below, Knutson's arm is raised following the win.

Coach Rooney...coaching and enjoying the evening of wrestling at Minnewaska.

Adam Gregory and Matt Schmitz are both in action during wrestlebacks in the Section 5A tournament at Minnewaska High School on February 26.


A total of ten Jaguar wrestlers will compete in the second day of the Section 5A individual wrestling tournament, held at Minnewaska Area High School. Action begins at noon.

Three of the ten will open their day with semi-final action: Ross Rath, Patrick Rooney, and Dillon Knutson.

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Who's excited for some wrestling playoff action? Friday and Saturday, the Jaguars wrestlers are at Minnewaska Area High School in the section tourney

Below, a handful of Jaguar wrestlers watching the action at the Paynesville Tournament back in January.
Action begins at 3:00pm on Friday at Minnewaska Area High School, with the Section 5A individual wrestling tournament. It will be interesting to see how packed the MAHS gymnasium gets, they have capacity for about 2,000 fans - and I'd love to see it packed! Section individual wrestling is an awesome atmosphere to take in.

Also, in a home basketball game, the Jaguars boys basketball team will host a very good Pierz squad on Friday night. All kinds of action for B-B-E fans to take in.

I can't forget to also mention, the Jaguars girls basketball team travels to Kimball Area for their final regular season and conference game.

Here's action from the final minute of the game between B-B-E and Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted last week.


More will follow on Friday morning.

Thursday night prep results - Hancock girls basketball pummels Parkers Prairie

A shocking final girls basketball score out of Parkers Prairie tonight: Hancock 62, Parkers Prairie 40. The Owls (22-2) took a 19-5 lead in the first half and never looked back. The Panthers fall to 21-3 overall. Here's a light game report that I got tonight, regarding the Panthers' boxscore: Michaela Noga did not play (still sick apparently) Madison Dorn did not score in the first half and finished with 7 points. Her sister Kaylee didn't score in the second half and finished with 11 points. Only one other Panther player scored. (YIKES!)

Results involving Sub-Section 6A-South girls basketball teams on Feb. 24:
Battle Lake 49, Wheaton/Herman-Norcross 43
Hancock 62, Parkers Prairie 40
Hillcrest Lutheran Academy 54, Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley 37
Brandon-Evansville 55, Henning 48

Central Minnesota Conference boys basketball results on February 24:
Maple Lake 59, Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 47
Kimball 75, Rockford 55

Area girls basketball scores from February 24:
West Central Area 65, Minnewaska Area 36
Rockford 64, Milaca 31
Sebeka 80, Upsala 65 (Upsala is no longer undefeated)
Dawson-Boyd 58, Renville County West 40 (Sub-Section 3A-North play-in game)
Sauk Centre 72, Yellow Medicine East 35 (West Central Conference playoff game)
Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City 59, Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 46
Osakis 51, Melrose Area 47 (Pat Kalpin's Silverstreaks team is coming on strong as playoffs near, winning 5 of their last 7 games)

Area boys basketball scores on February 24:
Ortonville 91, Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg 53
Perham 74, West Central Area 40
Hancock 62, Rothsay 49
Swanville 61, Royalton 49

Blast from the past - March 6, 1998 West Central Tribune sports - Jaguar boys basketball open District 20 playoffs

The B-B-E Jaguars, seeded number two in Sub-Section 5AA-20, outlasted a determined Dassel-Cokato squad out of the Wright County Conference in a 72-60 win on their home court. The Chargers finished with a record of 6-17, while the Jaguars improved to 16-7 overall. B-B-E went 8-4 in the West Central South Conference, tying Minnewaska Area and Lac qui Parle Valley for second place. Morris Area won the conference with a final league record of 11-1.

In another quarterfinal game, the New London-Spicer Wildcats upset the Central Minnesota Conference champion Eden Valley-Watkins Eagles 48-46. A 27-2 run that spanned the 2nd and 3rd quarters fueled the #6 seed Wildcats to the win. The Eagles (16-7 finish) missed a 22 foot shot at the buzzer.

Paynesville Area upset #4 Kimball Area 59-54 in the other quarterfinal. The Cubs finish their season 13-10.

Tough, very tough - the Jaguar girls get the #7 seed - not happy (again) with the Little Eight Conference

For the second year in a row, the Jaguar girls got a rough seed in the sub-section...hopefully they can use it as motivation for a nice push through the playoffs, which begin next Monday night.

Real briefly, here's the seedings for Sub-Section 6A-South:

1 - Hancock (this I'm on board with)
2 - Parkers Prairie
3 - Underwood
4 - Hillcrest Lutheran Academy
5 - Battle Lake (no way!)
6 - Brandon/Evansville (no way!)
7 - B-B-E
8 - Wheaton/Herman-Norcross
9 - Henning
10 - Clinton/Graceville/Beardsley
11 - Ashby

• The playoff schedule for the Jaguars girls basketball team is as follows:

Monday, February 28 - a home playoff game against #10-seed Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley at 7:00pm. This is a play-in round game for the sub-section. The C-G-B Wolverines are 4-16 overall and have lost their last nine games. They beat Ashby 41-29 in Ashby on January 18.

**The Jaguars' playoff opener will be broadcast on 106.5 FM The Train, I just found out this afternoon.

Thursday, March 3 - if the Jaguars beat C-G-B, they will travel to #2-seed Parkers Prairie for another 7:00pm contest.

Action from early in the second half between B-B-E and Minnewaska Area on Saturday afternoon.




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My predictions on the Sub-Section 6A-South girls basketball seedings

The top five seeds have a first-round bye and begin playoffs with a quarterfinal game on March 3.

#1 - Hancock
#2 - Parkers Prairie
#3 - Underwood
#4 - BBE
#5 - Hillcrest Lutheran Academy
#6 - Battle Lake
#7 - Brandon/Evansville
#8 - Wheaton/Herman-Norcross
#9 - Henning
#10 - Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley
#11 - Ashby

The actual rankings should be released later this afternoon. Check back tonight to see how the playoff picture appears for the Jaguars girls basketball team.

In a nutshell, I am on pins and needles while waiting for these seedings!

Sidebar: in all the hoopla over the basketball teams, I would be remiss if I failed to mention the upcoming Section 5A individual wrestling tournament this weekend at Minnewaska Area High School. The Jaguars wrestling team has a great lineup who will do battle against some of the best wrestlers in Minnesota. The action begins at 3:00pm on Friday at MAHS west of Glenwood and continues the next day. The Jaguars have a good shot at sending at least two if not three wrestlers to the state tournament.

By late Saturday night, I will have results posted here on who did make the cut for the Jaguars and earned a state berth. I hope many of you can make the trip out to the Glenwood area and cheer on the Jaguars in what is some of the most exciting high school sports action of the entire year - section individual wrestling.

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Jaguar girls basketball beats Rockford 52-44 for 6th straight win - Jaguar boys wipe W/H-N off the court 87-49

Raeann Sorenson led the Jaguars tonight with 22 points and four threes.

With five minutes left, the Jaguars girls basketball team is leading Rockford 51-35 on the road. Update a few minutes later...the Rockets are threatening, and now trail 51-42.

The Jaguars won 52-44 to improve to 12-12 overall on the season. This is their third series sweep of the Rockets in the past four seasons. Sub-section seeding is tomorrow, and the Jaguars have now won six games in a row! Tonight they were led by junior Raeann Sorenson's 22 points. She connected on all four of her team's three pointers.

The CMC now has a three-way tie for first place, with three teams sitting at 9-4 in the loop after tonight's action. (See below) Those three teams just may all win out in the CMC and finish in a three-way tie for the league title. Rockford fell to 5-8 in the CMC and 9-15 overall with the loss.

Central Minnesota Conference girls basketball results on Feb. 22:
Eden Valley-Watkins 48, HL-W-W 33 (!)
Pierz 66, Kimball Area 29
Holdingford 52, Maple Lake 43

In a home game tonight on Parents' Night, the Jaguars boys basketball team made another big statement in Sub-Section 6A-South with an old-fashioned beat-down of Wheaton/Herman-Norcross 87-49. That is a real whipping! It is W/HN's worst loss of the season; they didn't even lose that bad to some of the North Dakota juggernauts who kept the Warriors on a five-game losing streak in December. The Jaguars opened up a 57-21 halftime lead tonight, with Kevin Kuefler draining 22 points and Brady Koehler 13 in the first frame. In the second half, the Jaguars still managed to score 30 points, with most starters seeing little action and the final frame, which progressed in running time the whole way.

The Jaguars are now 23-0 overall and really hitting high gear as the regular season winds down. The 23 wins ties the record for the most regular season wins in B-B-E school history. That record was set last season, when the Jaguars were 23-3 heading into the sub-section playoffs. This record means nothing, and I mean N O T H I N G, if they don't beat Pierz on Friday night and keep up the tempo heading into playoffs. Now is not the time for this team to lay an egg!

A score from out west, the Minnewaska Area Lakers boys basketball team is in a tough battle with neighboring sub-section rival West Central Area. They trailed for most of the game, and with 5:30 left, the Lakers pulled ahead on a rare four-point play 47-46.

Random boys basketball notes: Hillcrest Lutheran is struggling, and has now lost four if their past six games. The Little Eight Conference has a real race going on, with Battle Lake on top at 9-2, and HLA and Brandon/Evansville following at 8-3. Battle Lake hosts B/E on Friday night. Paynesville Area is 0-22 and will finish 0-23 this season after LQPV beats them on Friday night. B/E shot 57% (16-28) from the floor in a 48-40 win over HLA last night on the Chargers' home court; the Comets shot 28% from the field. Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta handed #8-ranked Montevideo its second straight loss by a 54-53 margin in Morris; the Thunderhawks' conference title hopes took a big dent. They now have to root for Roger Lindahl's Benson Braves to knock off Minnewaska on Friday night in Benson, in order for the Thunderhawks to have a shot at a tie.

Random girls basketball notes: With six minutes to go in the game, Hillcrest Lutheran Academy held a 47-44 lead over Parkers Prairie in Little Eight Conference girls basketball. The Panthers went on a 9-0 run and then closed out the game with good free throw shooting to defeat the Hillcrest Comets 58-50 on Tuesday night in Fergus Falls. The win handed the Little Eight Conference title to Parkers Prairie with an 11-1 record. Hillcrest and Underwood tied for second place with 9-3 marks. Underwood is 16-6 overall and has the third-best record in Sub-Section 6A-South. Paynesville Area is having their best girls basketball season since 2005-2006; they are 9-13 overall and 7-8 in the West Central South Conference. They should get a #6 seed in Sub-Section 6AA-East and will face either Albany or Pierz in the quarterfinals.

Area boys basketball results on Feb. 22:
Minnewaska Area 55, West Central Area 54
Redwood Valley 68, MACCRAY 57
Battle Lake 69, Parkers Prairie 53
Maple Lake 70, Milaca 67
Ashby 73, Underwood 66
Pierz 77, Staples-Motley 60
A-C-GC 75, Paynesville Area 67
Upsala 90, Osakis 67
Brandon/Evansville 49, Hillcrest Lutheran Academy 40
Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 54, Montevideo 53 (!)
Melrose Area 70, Sauk Centre 55 (tough loss for the Streeters)

Area girls basketball results on Feb. 22:
Osakis 58, Browerville 21
Minneota 36, MACCRAY 28
Montevideo 43, Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 31
New London-Spicer 47, Mora 33
A-C-GC 54, Paynesville Area 45
Barnesville 68, West Central Area 56
Sauk Centre 69, Melrose Area 38

Scores from games involving Sub-Section 6A-South teams on Feb. 22:
Parkers Prairie 58, Hillcrest Lutheran Academy 50
Hancock 60, Battle Lake 41
Underwood 65, New York Mills 34

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More boys basketball action from last week's wins for the Jaguars

Brent Koehler's breakaway layup that made it 13-9 in favor of the Jaguars with 12:55 left in the first half against HL-W-W.

Brady Koehler fights for a loose ball at Parkers Prairie. Photo courtesy of Jakki Wehking, Parkers Prairie Independent.

Did you know?

The Jaguars boys basketball team now has three conference championships to go with four conference runner-up performances in 1991, 1997, 2002, and 2003. Their head coach, Dave Montbriand, began his head coaching career in boys basketball with that first conference runner-up squad. In 1990-1991, the Jaguars had a three-game lead in the West Central South Conference before dropping their final three league games. In 1997, a homer referee job in Morris cost them a share of the WCCS, in a physical game where they were limited to two free throws overall. In 2002, the Jaguars were heartbroken when they lost on a last-second shot at Pierz and finished one game out of first place in the Central Minnesota Conference.

Snakebitten no more, the Jaguars are on a special run that will hopefully bring some playoff hardware to the high school trophy case to go with the CMC title trophy.

The exciting ride continues tomorrow night (Tues. Feb. 22) with a home game against Wheaton/Herman-Norcross. It will be Parents' Night for the team's families.

More scenes from the Jaguars girls basketball team's fifth win in a row

It's five in a row now for the Jaguars girls basketball team

Senior Ashley Kirckof drives the baseline and drops in a field goal during the second half of today's game.

This afternoon in a Saturday matinee affair against visiting Minnewaska Area, the Jaguars girls basketball team won its fifth game in a row 60-47. Most impressive about the win is that they recovered from a seven-point deficit in the first half of the game. Now 11-12 overall, the Jaguars are on a five-game winning streak for the first time since February 2009.

After trailing for most of the first half of the game, the Jaguars fought back for a 25-25 tie at halftime before pulling away in the final period. With just over five minutes gone in the second half, the Jaguars had built a 37-30 lead.

With 5:10 remaining, the Jaguars were leading 48-36.

The next game for the Jaguars is on Tuesday night at Rockford, where they will attempt to go over .500 in the Central Minnesota Conference. The Rockets are 5-7 in the CMC and 9-14 overall.

See over a hundred photos from the game at http://saukherald.mycapture.com

Area girls basketball scores on Feb. 19:
Benson 68, Lac qui Parle Valley 59
Campbell-Tintah-Fairmount 60, Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley 40
Pequot Lakes 68, Parkers Prairie 51 (a good test for the Panthers, they are obviously not invincible - Pequot is 22-1 and the #1-ranked team on the QRF in Class AA)

Area boys basketball scores on Feb. 19:
Bemidji 73, Willmar 56
Bertha-Hewitt 54, Osakis 43
Battle Lake 68, Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley 51
Dawson-Boyd 63, A-C-GC 62
Maccray 73, Benson 43

From the West Central Tribune, some wrestling results in Section Final Four action on Saturday, Feb. 19:
Willmar was the top-seeded team in the Section 8AAA wrestling tournament on Saturday, but lost to Bemidji 35-34 in the championship in Sauk Rapids. The Cardinals, who had beaten No. 2 Bemidji 36-31 in the regular season, defeated Alexandria 56-7 in the quarterfinals and Sauk Rapids 36-28 in the semifinals. In Section 3A, top-seeded Minneota earned a trip to the state wrestling tournament after beating No. 2 Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg 35-25 in the final. Minneota routed Pipestone 49-15 in its semifinal match, while KMS topped BOLD 32-25 in its semifinal match.

In the Section 7AA final, Pierz advanced to the state meet by beating Mille Lacs 36-33 at Royalton High School on Saturday. The Pioneers are 22-5 overall.

Section 6A championship: Border West 47, Wadena-Deer Creek 21.

Section 6AA final: #1 seed Foley 40, #2 seed New London-Spicer 20.

Section 5A final: #2 seed Kimball Area 31, #1 seed Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City 28. (A truly awful result, with the Cubs having a handful of not-quite-legitimate transfer students holding down starting positions. That is no way to build a wrestling program! Most of Section 5A was rooting for the A-C-GC Falcons to win the team title)

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Jaguar girls basketball is on the air today - Smooth Magic 107 FM of Glenwood

Tune in to the Minnewaska vs. B-B-E girls basketball game today at 107.1 FM or on your computer at http://www.smoothmagic107.com

Pre-game coverage begins at approximately 2:15pm.

Below, a couple clips from last night's home boys basketball action...

B-B-E starting lineup introduction.

Pre-game drills begin.

Jaguars three-peat! B-B-E clinches a share of the Central Minnesota Conference title for the third year in a row, wins vs. HL-W-W 81-76

The second-ranked Jaguars boys basketball team prevailed over a very physical, hard-nosed Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted Lakers team 81-76 tonight in front of a packed hometown crowd.

The Jaguars shot out to a 6-0 lead with 80 seconds gone in the game, but HLWW responded with a 7-2 run over a one minute stretch and the tone of the rest of the game was set.

The Lakers pulled in front briefly at 22-20 but the Jaguars would hold a 38-33 lead at halftime.

Two early B-B-E turnovers to start the second half helped the Lakers score an 8-0 run out of the locker room to go up 41-38. The Jaguars, like a hornet's nest getting punched by a stick, lit up the scoreboard with a 12-0 run and eventually built a double digit lead that propelled them to a 22-0 start to the season. Key to the win was a 28-of-41 performance at the free throw line for B-B-E.

HL-W-W fell to 17-6 overall and 8-3 in the CMC with the loss. It was exactly the type of game the Jaguars needed, as the March playoffs are nearing. It did get a touch more physical than I'm sure the B-B-E coaches would have preferred, but the Jaguars persevered.

B-B-E is now 11-0 in the Central Minnesota Conference, and getting at least one win in their final three CMC games (vs. Pierz, Holdingford, EV-W) will guarantee an outright title for the third year in a row. Their next game is on Parents' Night, coming up on Tuesday, February 22, when sub-section rival Wheaton/Herman-Norcross comes to town. W/HN defeated Hancock 63-52 on the home floor in Wheaton tonight.

The tip off and opening minute of the game tonight. The Jaguars made some outstanding plays that had me thinking, "Did that just happen?"




Below, about nine minutes left in the second half, with the Jaguars leading 58-47 over HL-W-W. Kevin Kuefler hauls in a defensive rebound and on the other end of the court is fouled on a drive to the hoop.

More action from the second half, this is late in the game. HLWW got hot from the arc to whittle a double digit deficit down to as low as five points in the final two minutes.

At halftime tonight, the B-B-E Dazzlers high kick squad gave an outstanding performance in front of over 500 hometown fans.

Central Minnesota Conference boys basketball results on Feb. 18:
Rockford 68, Eden Valley-Watkins 66
Maple Lake 75, Holdingford 68 (OT!) at Holdingford
Pierz 77, Kimball Area 60

Area girls basketball scores on Feb. 18:
Albany 66, Melrose Area 38
Brandon/Evansville 64, Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley 40
Maccray 67, Montevideo 60
West Central Area 64, Ashby 36
Canby 57, Hancock 36 (a tough loss for the Owls)
Sauk Centre 83, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 23

Area boys basketball scores on Feb. 18:
Royalton 45, Osakis 41
Sebeka 75, New London-Spicer 67 (Sebeka remains unbeaten, after beating visiting NL-S tonight)
Ortonville 56, Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley 39
Hillcrest Lutheran Academy 78, Parkers Prairie 50
Wheaton-Herman-Norcross 63, Hancock 52
Underwood 53, Battle Lake 41 (A stunning loss, as the Battlers beat Underwood 58-37 on January 13)
Barnesville 85, West Central Area 70 (Barnesville is one of the top five teams in Sub-Section 6A-North)

A quick programming note, head coach Greg Hagen of the Jaguars girls basketball team will be interviewed on Smooth Magic 107 FM of Glenwood (107.1) on Saturday morning. It will begin airing around 7:20am.

More will follow on Saturday morning.

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Jaguar boys basketball is on the air tonight on 106.5 FM The Train

Pre-game coverage begins at about 7:15pm, prior to tip off between the Jaguars boys basketball team and visiting Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted.

Both Jaguar girls, boys win tonight on the hard court

Senior point guard Julie Hieserich's gritty play down the stretch helped seal tonight's big win over Pierz on the home floor.

In an exciting home game tonight, the Jaguars girls basketball team evened their Central Minnesota Conference record at 6-6 with an improbable 57-45 win over Pierz. Senior Julie Hieserich went 6-of-6 at the free throw line down the stretch to help preserve the win. Brittany Roelike, a reserve sophomore forward, also hit some big free throws in the final minutes of the game (2/2) to help the team pick up their fourth win in a row.

The girls basketball team's four-game winning streak is their best such streak since February of 2009, when they went 5-0 after a tough 42-36 loss to Osakis that put them at 11-7 on the season.

With the loss tonight, Pierz falls to 8-4 in the Central Minnesota Conference and 15-8 overall. Eden Valley-Watkins won tonight over Holdingford and pulls into a tie for second place in the CMC with Pierz. Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted currently leads the pack by one game, sitting in first place at 9-3.

Final score from Ashby tonight: B-B-E 85, Ashby 62. The road-weary Jaguars (they went to Parkers Prairie on Monday night) jumped out to an early 19-8 lead on the Arrows' court on their way to a 42-25 halftime lead. Ranked number two in Class A, the Jaguars are now 21-0, while Ashby is now 12-8. There are only three undefeated boys basketball teams in the entire state of Minnesota right now, and one of them is B-B-E. They have a huge, huge, huge, HUGE game tomorrow night at their house, when Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted comes to town.

Did I mention that the game is huge?

More will follow later tonight.

A few notes on a game out west: Minnewaska Area picked up an improbable 59-58 win over visiting Montevideo tonight, in front of a near-full house crowd. What gave the game an added twist of drama is that the Lakers (20-2) were playing without their top scoring threat - senior Shane Bosek. Montevideo led 35-18 with a little over 2 minutes left in the first half. Halftime score: Thunderhawks 37, Lakers 26. At the end of regulation, the game was tied 52-52.

Central Minnesota Conference girls basketball scores on Feb. 17:
Eden Valley-Watkins 59, Holdingford 41
Kimball Area 65, Rockford 61

Games involving Section 6A girls basketball teams:
Brandon/Evansville 52, Battle Lake 46
West Central Area 65, Ulen-Hitterdal 20 (U-H is in SS-6A-North)
Hancock 46, Underwood 33

Area boys basketball scores on February 17:
Minnewaska Area 59, Montevideo 58 (OT thriller at MAHS in front of over 1500 fans!)
Dawson-Boyd 95, Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg 31
St.Cloud Apollo 68, Little Falls 57 OT
Melrose Area 68, Albany 66
Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 55, Sauk Centre 35 (I don't believe it, I have to see that score at a second source)

Area girls basketball scores on Feb. 17:
New London-Spicer 65, Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 41
Montevideo 47, Minnewaska Area 32
Marshall 69, Willmar 50
K-M-S 61, Central MN Christian 42 (K-M-S leads the Camden North Conference at 11-3)
Maccray 50, Lakeview 31 (Wolverines are tied at 2nd in the Camden North at 9-4 with CMCS)
Dawson-Boyd 80, Renville County West 37
Paynesville 57, Benson 55 (a huge win for the Bulldogs' program)
Upsala 77, Browerville 48
A-C-GC 48, Lac qui Parle Valley 41
Parkers Prairie 62, Ashby 20

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Jaguar girls hold early tie vs. Pierz tonight, build a big halftime lead!

The Jaguars and Pioneers are tied at 9-9 with 12 minutes left in the first half.

Halftime score: B-B-E 31, Pierz 20. It may be the best first half of basketball that the Jaguars have played all year long.

Up in Ashby, the Jaguars boys basketball team held an early 19-8 lead over the Arrows.

More updates to follow after 9:00pm.

Halftime score at Minnewaska in boys basketball action: Montevideo 37, Minnewaska Area 26.

Coming up - a home girls basketball game against Pierz on Thursday - Game will be aired on 106.5 FM

It should be an excellent ball game, when the Pierz Pioneers face off with the Jaguars girls basketball team in a home game tomorrow night.

The Pioneers are a half game behind Central Minnesota Conference front-runner Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted in the standings.

Here's the breakdown of the CMC in girls basketball:

1 - HLWW (9-3)
2 - Pierz (8-3)
3 - EV-W (7-4)
4 - Kimball (6-5)
5 (tie) B-B-E and Rockford (5-6)
7- Holdingford (4-7)
8- Maple Lake (1-11)

Meanwhile, the Jaguars boys basketball team has a solid test coming up with a road trip up I-94 to Ashby on Thursday night. The Arrows are the fourth-best team in Sub-Section 6A-South, and the game will most likely be well-scouted by coaches or assistants from many of the Little Eight Conference teams and fans. Ashby sits at 12-7 overall and 6-4 in the Little Eight Conference.

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Jaguar wrestlers score biggest playoff win in school history - Jaguar girls basketball picks up non-conference win vs. Osakis

Final score tonight against Long Prairie-Grey Eagle in the opening round of the Section 5A tournament: B-B-E 69, LP-GE 9.

The Jaguars (10-14) take on 3rd-seeded Holdingford in the final match tonight.

Update at 9:37pm...the Jaguars lost their bid for a Section Final Four berth, as the Huskers knocked them out of the playoffs tonight by a final score of 46-24. B-B-E finishes the team competition of the season with a dual meet record of 10-15. It's their best mark since 2005-2006, when they had a handful of very good seniors and went 11-15. This year, they finished out with one senior in the starting varsity lineup, Adam Gregory. The other 13 are all underclassmen.

Recording wins for the Jaguars against Holdingford were Ross Rath (112), Patrick Rooney (160), Eric Swenson (171), Dillon Knutson (189), and Brandon Roering (215).

Other Section 5A wrestling playoff results tonight:
#8 Osakis 50, #9 Browerville/Eagle Valley 18
#7 Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 39, #10 Minnewaska Area 33
#1 A-C-GC 76, #8 Osakis 0 (CRAZY, Falcons record 11 pins)
#4 Paynesville Area 60, #5 Eden Valley-Watkins 18

In home action tonight, the Jaguars girls basketball team opened up a 10-3 lead in the early stages of their non-conference match up with Osakis.

Update at 8:56pm...the Jaguar girls hold a 38-21 lead with 11 minutes remaining in the game.

The Jaguar girls won 54-37, improving to 9-12 overall while picking up their third win in a row.

They have a very tough test coming on Thursday night, when Pierz comes to town.

Central Minnesota Conference boys basketball results on Feb. 14:
Pierz 62, Rockford 54
Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 79, Holdingford 63
Maple Lake 76, Eden Valley-Watkins 44

Games involving Sub-Section 6A-South girls basketball teams on Feb. 15:
Hillcrest Lutheran Academy 46, Brandon/Evansville 39
Parkers Prairie 55, Battle Lake 51 (game was tied 24-24 at halftime)
Underwood 48, Ashby 33
Wheaton/Herman-Norcross 40, Rosholt S.D. 25

Area girls basketball scores on Feb. 15:
Pierz 71, Pine City 38
Lac qui Parle Valley 65, Minnewaska Area 43
New London-Spicer 77, St.Cloud Cathedral 33
Melrose Area 60, Milaca 31
Sauk Centre 72, Mora 69 2 OT (the Streeters get a much-needed close game)

Area boys basketball scores on Feb. 15:
Minnewaska Area 43, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 41 (the top teams in Sub-Section 6AA-West faced off in Long Prairie)
MACCRAY 93, K-M-S 40
Sauk Centre 69, Mora 60
Browerville 46, Osakis 36
Hancock 69, Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley 51 (battle of bottom-dwellers in Sub-Section 6A-South)
Bertha-Hewitt 75, Ashby 64 (B-H is 13-5 overall)
Upsala 70, Royalton 54
Battle Lake 53, Henning 38
Benson 74, A-C-GC 66
Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 82, Paynesville Area 33
Milaca 61, Melrose Area 57
West Central Area 46, Breckenridge 44 OT

More will follow on Wednesday morning.

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Not good - here's a story from the Morrison County Record, regarding athletes on the Pierz boys basketball team

Five Pierz High School students, two adults and three juveniles, have recently been charged with fifth degree assault allegedly stemming from a hazing incident.

The incident allegedly occurred on a school bus ride returning from a boys basketball game Jan. 7.

Misdemeanor citations were issued charging Brandon Deane Meyer, 18, Pierz with two counts and Andrew James Leidenfrost, 18, with four counts of fifth degree assault

If found guilty, Meyer and Liedenfrost each face a maximum penalty of 90 days in jail and/or a $1,000 fine.

Click here to read all the details: http://mcrecord.com/archives/480412/five-pierz-students-face-fifth-degree-assault-charge-in-hazing-incident

I am not sure how this will affect the status of the eligibility of the players, but I assume that senior Brandon Meyer will face further problems as the regular season winds down and playoffs approach in March. Meyer is a key starter and a big contributor to the team. He scored 16 points against Wadena-Deer Creek in a 71-61 win on February 8, to go with two rebounds, five assists, and four steals.

Pierz is 5-4 in the CMC and 8-11 overall.

Good grief - these are good numbers - Jaguar boys basketball lights up the scoreboard at Parkers Prairie

Halftime from Parkers Prairie tonight: B-B-E 51, Parkers Prairie 22.

For the second game in a row, the Jaguars boys basketball team was able to name the final score, as they put up points virtually at will against the host Panthers.

Final score: B-B-E 98, Parkers Prairie 66. Twelve Jaguars scored in the blowout win, their second such in a row.

The Panthers fall to 5-13 overall. They are 3-6 in the Little Eight Conference.

For the season, through 20 games, the Jaguars are averaging 75.9 points per game of offense, while giving up an average of 51.4 ppg.

The Jaguars have a couple days of practice now, as they prepare for a tough road game up at Ashby on Thursday night. On Friday, Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted comes to our house for a Central Minnesota Conference game. The Jaguars are two wins away from clinching a share of their third straight conference title.

Hope to see you there on Friday night!

Area boys basketball scores on February 14:
Albany 63, Sartell/St.Stephen 62 (2 OT!)
St.Cloud Cathedral 73, New London-Spicer 62 (Wildcats fall out of first place in the West Central North Conference, now 10-3 in a virtual tie for second with Sauk Centre)
MACCRAY 61, Minneota 57 (Wolverines survive a trip to the Vikings' house in a Camden North Conference battle)
BOLD 63, Central MN Christian 61
Holdingford 76, Paynesville Area 57
Minnewaska Area 62, Lac qui Parle Valley 61 (what a win for the Lakers on their home court)
Ortonville 44, Wheaton/Herman-Norcross 29 (this was the championship game of the Pheasant Conference, a disappointing loss for the W/HN Warriors)
Browerville 46, Brandon/Evansville 45 OT

Area girls basketball scores on February 14:
Kimball Area 62, St.John's Prep 23
Hancock 63, Ortonville 30
A-C-GC 65, Benson 43
YME 59, Paynesville 34
Pelican Rapids 70, West Central Area 61

This Jaguars sports update is brought to you by:

Action from halftime of the Rockford boys basketball game on Thursday night

Below, two clips from halftime last Thursday night.



Tonight, the Jaguars varsity boys basketball team travels to Parkers Prairie.

Area basketball scores from Saturday, Feb. 11

Area boys basketball results on February 11:
First four games listed were held at the University of Minnesota-Morris:
Battle Lake 58, Wheaton/Herman-Norcross 31 (Battlers led 24-17 at halftime)
Ashby 67, Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley 38
Parkers Prairie 79, Hancock 78
Ortonville 53, Hillcrest Lutheran Academy 46
Maccray 81, Russel-Tyler-Ruthton 67

Area girls basketball results on February 11:
Osakis 52, Holdingford 48
Maccray 63, Benson 53

Come out today to the 14th annual Glenwood Winterama - a very family-fun event in Pope County

Click here to see a list of events taking place in Glenwood today:

http://lifeinpopecounty.blogspot.com

Here's a clip from the beginning of the Polar Plunge on Lake Minnewaska...

What an awesome win for the Jaguars girls basketball team at Holdingford tonight

Raeann Sorenson (top photo) and Ashley Kircof both had a standout performances for the Jaguars tonight at Holdingford.

Now winners of two games in a row for the first time since the middle of December, the Jaguars girls basketball team won 70-64 in overtime at Holdingford tonight. Ashley Kirckof's heroics forced overtime with 16 seconds left in regulation, and the Jaguars' defense limited the Huskers to one field goal and a free throw in the extra session. The win reverses a 58-54 loss on January 11 to the Huskers.

It was a match up of two teams tied for sixth place in the Central Minnesota Conference, with the Jaguars (8-12) improving to 5-6 in the CMC and Holdingford falling to 4-7. Read more on the important win in next week's local newspapers.

Up next for the girls basketball team: a home game against Osakis next Tuesday night, February 15. The Silverstreaks played tough tonight in Clarissa, falling 50-48 to Eagle Valley.

A real quick update, the Jaguars wrestling team went 1-1 tonight at the Parkers Prairie triangular. I have limited information, but I do know the Jaguars held the host Panthers to three points. Against Paynesville Area, the Jaguars earned 18 points in a loss. Seeded number six in the 11-team Section 5A, the Jaguars will enter post-season action with a 9-14 overall record in dual meets this season. It's their best mark since 2007-2008, when they were 9-10 entering the playoffs.

Here are two results from the triangular last night: Paynesville 48, B-B-E 18 (The Jaguars started out strong in the lower weights, but the Bulldogs won six of the final seven matches.) Paynesville 80, Parkers Prairie 0. More updates will follow on Saturday morning.

Central Minnesota Conference girls basketball results on Feb. 11:
Pierz 56, Maple Lake 42
Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 46, Kimball Area 41
Eden Valley-Watkins 55, Rockford 30

Area girls basketball results on February 11:
Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart 52, Minnesota Valley Lutheran 43 (a nice win for the Mustangs)
Melrose Area 66, Minnewaska Area 51
Sauk Centre 77, Milaca 36
Lac qui Parle Valley 57, Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley 18
K-M-S 68, Dawson-Boyd 53
Hancock 61, Hillcrest Lutheran Academy 47 (The Owls survived a challenge from the Comets, one night after HLA knocked off section kingpin Parkers Prairie)
Eagle Valley 50, Osakis 48 (Osakis nearly pulls off the upset tonight in Clarissa, Eagle Valley falls to 14-5 overall and 9-2 in the Prairie Conference)

Area boys basketball results on February 11:
New London-Spicer 75, Albany 74 (an absolute thriller at Fort Knox tonight)
BOLD 75, Paynesville Area 49
Alexandria 70, Willmar 65 OT
Hillcrest Lutheran Academy 62, Ashby 56 (this was a great match up, held in Fergus Falls)
Sauk Centre 70, Milaca 32
Minnewaska Area 73, Yellow Medicine East 42
Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 59, Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City 54
Pelican Rapids 69, West Central Area 53
Brandon/Evansville 56, Underwood 39

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More from last night's basketball games...starting with the National Anthem

William White performed the National Anthem prior to the boys basketball game against Rockford last night.




A clip from the Ashby win on Thursday night, the final couple of minutes of the game. Brittany Roelike scores the final points of the game, hitting a layup off the glass for the Jaguars.


More photos and video to come later tonight.

I don't believe it yet - but it was reported...Hillcrest Lutheran Academy's girls basketball team knocks off Parkers Prairie tonight

The game was held in Parkers Prairie, and minnesota-scores.net is reporting that Hillcrest Lutheran Academy won 55-52.

I won't believe it until I see a game report posted to craigolsonsports.com.

The Panthers are the #2-ranked team in Class A, with an overall record of 18-0 coming into the Little Eight Conference game tonight. HLA was 9-8 overall.

Both Jaguars boys and girls basketball teams win handily tonight

Brady Koehler puts up a successful baseline shot on a fast break tonight against Rockford, mid-way through the first half.

Coach Montbriand couldn't sub in players fast enough as the first half wore on tonight, and while he did a very admirable job of rotating personnel it did little to slow the pure onslaught of offense displayed by his Jaguars boys basketball team over visiting Rockford. At halftime, the Jaguars led 59-21, which meant running time was employed from beginning to end of the second half.

Four minutes into the game, the Jaguars led 10-0 on a rebound shot by Connor Goodwin. The junior post player was completely unstoppable through the entire first half. Four and a half minutes later into the game, his three-point play made it 26-6 in favor of the Jaguars. The fact that the Rockets had many other Jaguars to worry about defensively brought immense challenges to whichever five players they had on the floor. Quite simply, it was a pure blowout.

The Jaguars had scored 82 of its 83 points with nine minutes left in the game. That's simply crazy, scoring 82 points in 27 minutes of game time!

Final score: B-B-E 83, Rockford 35.

The win over Rockford completes the season sweep for the Jaguars in Central Minnesota Conference play for the second year in a row. They are now 10-0 in the CMC and 19-0 overall. Rockford falls to 2-7 in the CMC and 3-17 overall.

Up next for the boys basketball team: a road trip up to Parkers Prairie next Monday, February 14. (Parkers Prairie will also be where our wrestling team is going tomorrow night, incidentally.) It is located about a half hour north of Alexandria. The Panthers boys basketball team is 4-12 overall.

Here's a photo album with some action from the first half tonight in the Rockford game: http://saukherald.mycapture.com/mycapture/folder.asp?event=1169638&CategoryID=64636&ListSubAlbums=0

The Jaguars took a 59-21 lead into the locker room tonight against Rockford.


The Jaguars girls basketball team won 55-38 over Ashby in a non-conference game at the high school. The Arrows entered the game with a 3-16 overall record. The Jaguars, who led 24-14 at halftime over the Arrows, improved to 7-12 with the win. Junior guard Raeann Sorenson led B-B-E with 18 points and three three-pointers. The Jaguars shot over 50% from the field. (23-of-45 on field goals)

Up next for the girls basketball team, a road trip to Holdingford tomorrow night, where they will take on a very tough Huskers squad that has had new life breathed into its season. The Huskers (7-12 overall) suffered a seven game losing streak before winning their last two games. The most noteworthy was the last game, on Tuesday night, when they beat the visiting Pierz Pioneers 66-55.

Action early in the second half between B-B-E and Ashby tonight, starting off with Whitney White hitting a short baseline shot to make it 28-18 in favor of the Jaguars.


It's been a long night, which didn't get over for me until about 9:18pm, soon after the girls basketball game was completed. They had a late start, with tip off at about 8:05pm. The C-squad girls game apparently ran very long due to an unusually high amount of fouls. That was what I heard from the father of Ashby's star player Haley Ness, as the second half of the varsity game got underway.

Central Minnesota Conference boys basketball scores on February 10:
Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 76, Eden Valley-Watkins 37 (Quite a win for the Lakers)
Kimball Area 57, Holdingford 38
Maple Lake 62, Pierz 56 (a huge win for the Irish, at Pierz no less; the Pioneers led 29-27 at halftime)

I will say one thing, look out for HL-W-W. They are playing some excellent ball right now!

Area boys basketball scores on February 10:
Browerville 68, Upsala 57 (Tigers pull into a tie for first place in the Prairie Conference with the Cardinals)
Montevideo 60, Benson 49 (a very competitive game for Roger Lindahl's Braves tonight, on the home court of the state-ranked Thunderhawks)
Ortonville 72, Hancock 47
Renville County West 62, Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg 51
Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley 57, Wheaton/Herman-Norcross 42 (a border battle and Pheasant Conference match up is won by the underdogs, with the C-G-B Wolverines reversing a 65-39 loss on their home floor with this big win in Wheaton tonight; C-G-B is now 3-13, W/HN is 6-10)
Swanville 57, Eagle Valley 51
St.John's Prep 47, Osakis 37

Area girls basketball scores on February 10:
Paynesville Area 52, BOLD 45
Yellow Medicine East 56, Minnewaska Area 27
A-C-GC 47, Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 45
Benson 52, Montevideo 49
New London-Spicer 62, Albany 45
Underwood 46, Battle Lake 39
West Central Area 71, Breckenridge 50

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As promised - Section 5A wrestling seedings - Jaguars get #6!

With their best regular season of wrestling since 2007-2008 almost wrapped up, the Jaguars wrestling team was awarded the number six seed in this week's Section 5A seeding meeting out of 11 total teams. It's a truly terrific achievement for the Jaguars, as they have wrestled through the season with only 1 to 2 seniors on the roster. On top of that, they are the smallest school in the 11-team section.

The Jaguars (8-13 overall) open up Section 5A playoffs with a play-in round match at Holdingford next Tuesday, February 15 at 6:00pm. Their opponent will be #11 seed Long Prairie-Grey Eagle. If they beat LP-GE, they will then face off with #3-seed Holdingford in the section quarterfinals in a match that takes place later that same evening at the same location.

Holdingford defeated the Jaguars 39-31 on January 11 at the B-B-E High School.

The #6 seed for the Jaguars is their best playoff ranking in Section 5A since the 2005-2006 season, when they were ranked #5 out of 9 teams. That year, they upset Meadow Creek/Christian Academy in the quarterfinals 35-31 before bowing out to eventual section champion Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City. Incidentally, A-C-GC is the #1 seed this year. (And they are very, very good) Last season, the Jaguars were seeded #12 out of 12 teams.

2011 Section 5A wrestling seeding:
1 - Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City
2 - Kimball Area
3 - Holdingford
4 - Paynesville Area
5 - Eden Valley-Watkins
6 - B-B-E
7 - Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted
8 - Osakis
9 - Browerville/Eagle Valley
10 - Minnewaska Area
11 - Long Prairie-Grey Eagle

Tomorrow night, Friday, the Jaguars compete at the Parkers Prairie triangular. (See more on that below.)

Trying this out for the first time...a "Jaguar sports notebook" installment. Click to enlarge.


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Scheduling note on Jaguar wrestling

The Jaguars wrestling team will compete in a triangular on Friday night, February 11, in Parkers Prairie. The Quad begins at 5:00pm and includes Paynesville Area.

I previously noted that the Jaguars were in a dual at Parkers Prairie tonight. That was changed to a 2/11 triangular.

For the Section 5A playoffs, the seeding should be released soon. Team competition for Section 5A begins on February 15.

Thursday night - Jaguars boys basketball is on The Train

The Thursday night basketball game between the Jaguars and Rockford Rockets will be aired on 106.5FM The Train, with Bill Dean and Don Leukam providing the play-by-play coverage.

The Rockets always play the Jaguars tough, but I have a feeling our boys in Blue and Silver will run away with this one.

We'll know by this time tomorrow night how they fare.

Meanwhile, on Thursday night, the Jaguars girls basketball team will host Ashby, and the Jaguars wrestling team will compete in the final match of the regular season at Parkers Prairie.

Jaguars girls basketball trails big at halftime

At halftime, visiting Eden Valley-Watkins posted a 35-10 lead over the Jaguars girls basketball team.

It's not pretty.

After giving a much better effort during the second half, the Jaguars lost by a final score of 55-32.

The Jaguars will host Ashby on Thursday night in a truly must-win situation. The Arrows (3-16) picked up their third win of the season tonight by defeating Henning on the road 53-43.

Central Minnesota Conference girls basketball results on Feb. 8:
Holdingford 66, Pierz 55 (a huge upset, 7th place team knocks off 1st place team; Huskers led 29-17 at halftime and as much as 41-22 with 12 minutes to go; Pioneers' only lead was 3-2 early)
Kimball Area 53, Maple Lake 43
Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 53, Rockford 29

A small Sub-Section 6A-South boys basketball update...Hillcrest Lutheran Academy was tagged with their first loss since January 8, when they fell to Battle Lake tonight 61-52. The Battlers led 22-19 at halftime. The QRF ranking on minnesota-scores.net held up, with the Battlers sitting at #28 and the Comets further down the list at #48. The B-B-E Jaguars have moved up to #2 in the latest QRF computations, with an 18-0 record. They had fallen back as low as #5 a couple weeks ago.

Ashby has come out of nowhere to sit as the third-best team in the south half of the section, in terms of QRF rankings. They are 11-5 as of now. Two years ago they went 6-18, and last year they were 10-14. A strong mix of players return from last year's squad, so it's not too terrible of a surprise. Their 66-57 win over Battle Lake last week launched them upwards in the QRF. The Arrows host our Jaguars next week Thursday, February 17, in a crucial must-win game for B-B-E.

Area girls basketball results on February 8:
New London-Spicer 77, Melrose Area 35
Upsala 79, Eagle Valley 71
Osakis 76, Swanville 44
Yellow Medicine East 56, Benson 51 (Braves fall out of first place in the West Central South Conference)
Sauk Centre 70, Foley 34
Paynesville Area 45, Minnewaska Area 34
Parkers Prairie 71, Sebeka 60
Ashby 53, Henning 43
Hancock 70, Wheaton/Herman-Norcross 42
Ortonville 66, Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley 48
LQPV 58, Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 38
Albany 68, LP-GE 53
Maccray 65, Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg 61 (Wolverines pull into virtual first place tie in the Camden North with a win on their tough home court in Clara City)
Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart 51, New Ulm Cathedral 34

Area boys basketball results on February 8:
Melrose Area 83, New London-Spicer 82 (an incredible win by the Dutchmen at Fort Knox)
Pierz 71, Wadena-Deer Creek 61
Battle Lake 62, Hillcrest Lutheran Academy 51 (Battlers take over 1st place alone in the Little Eight Conference at 7-1)
Nevis 60, Browerville 57 OT (Nevis is 14-5, Browerville is 13-3, both are in Sub-Section 5A-West)
Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 58, Albany 50 (2 OT!)
Sauk Centre 69, Foley 54
A-C-GC 91, BOLD 86 OT (now that is an exciting border battle game)
Bertha-Hewitt 46, Henning 37
Brandon/Evansville 58, Osakis 46
Benson 74, YME 68
Underwood 62, Parkers Prairie 48
Litchfield 70, Maple Lake 49

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