extended sports coverage for the B-B-E community brought to you by the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper in Brooten, MN. (Address: P.O. Box 250, Brooten) http://www.bonanzavalleyvoice.com. ALL VIEWS posted are strictly and without exception the opinions of the newspaper owner and no one else; they're written in first hand format. Please submit feedback in writing to the address posted above. **This is Minnesota's oldest varsity high school sports blog. We hope to keep it going into the future!
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Jaguars get top seed in Sub-Section 6A-South
2012 Sub-Section 6A-South boys' basketball seedings: 1- B-B-E 2- Battle Lake 3- Ashby 4- Henning 5- West Central Area 6- Hancock 7- Wheaton/Herman-Norcross 8- Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley 9- Brandon/Evansville 10- Parkers Prairie 11- Underwood
Round one of the playoffs for the Jaguars boys' basketball team begins on Thursday, March 8 with a home game beginning at 7:00. Their opponent will be the winner of the 8-vs-9 game of C-G-B and Brandon/Evansville, which takes place in Graceville on Monday, March 5. The semifinal round of sub-sections is at 6:00 and 7:30 on Saturday night, March 10 at James Gremmels Court on the campus of the University of Minnesota-Morris. The Jaguars' bracket goes in the first game that night.
The Sub-Section 6A-South championship is at 8:00 on Tuesday, March 13 at UMM.
It's premature to talk about the section championship, which is March 16. The Jaguars haven't gotten there yet.
Sub-Section 6A-North: 1- Ada-Borup 2- Ulen-Hitterdal 3- Hillcrest Lutheran Academy 4- Norman County East 5- Norman County West 6- Waubun 7- Park Christian 8- Lake Park-Audubon 9- New York Mills 10- Rothsay
More scenes from Friday night's Rockford win...and boys' basketball seeding is coming out at 1:30 today
The B-B-E Dazzlers concluded their season on Friday night at halftime of the Rockford game with a special "Cowgirl" dance performance... **Sub-Section 6A-South boys' basketball seeding and accompanying brackets will be posted a little after 1:30pm this afternoon. Stay tuned!
It was very wise to postpone the game until Saturday. The call was made earlier today by the administrations of B-B-E and Pierz.
...the trip between Westport and Glenwood got a little dicy after 5:30pm tonight...
**Update on Tuesday night regarding the basketball games this week... If either the B-B-E or Pierz girls' basketball teams win their playoff quarterfinal on Thursday night, the boys' match up will have a B-squad tip off of 12:30 p.m. and varsity at 2 p.m. If they both lose, then the boys' match up will have a 6 p.m. JV tip off and a 7:30 p.m. varsity tip off.
...and another video from last night...more video/photos will be posted after 10:00 tonight...Coach Montbriand is clearing the end of his bench with under 3:00 to go in the second half.
The highly-anticipated match up between the top two boys' basketball teams in the Central Minnesota Conference has been postponed to Saturday. The time for all three A/B/C games will depend on if the girls' basketball team is still alive in the sub-section tournament. If the Jaguars beat Parkers Prairie on Thursday night, they would play in Morris on Saturday.
Currently, a severe snow/sleet/rain storm is heading our way from Iowa.
Jaguar boys drub Ashby by halftime in a big win over the Arrows - Girls' hoops team takes home a thrilling playoff win
An excited hometown crowd had plenty to cheer about tonight for Parents' Night of the B-B-E boys' basketball team...even 'superfan' Jay Swanson showed his school pride throughout the game. (Notice the two arms raised high in the upper right corner of the photo)
It's 45-25 with the Jaguars ahead of the Ashby boys' basketball team at halftime! The Jaguars were up by only one point, 24-23, with 5:50 on the clock. Then they blasted the Arrows with 21 unanswered points to blow the game wide open.
At Battle Lake, the Jaguars girls' basketball team has a small 30-27 lead early in the second half of their playoff opener. They trailed 19-17 at the break against the 11-13 Battlers after posting an early 13-3 lead.
With 2:30 left, it's 34-34 in the girls' basketball game. Regulation ended with the game tied 38-38. B-B-E's Brittany Roelike hit a layup with about 20 seconds left in regulation to force the first overtime period.
**Update (video) at 20:18 hours...in the waning minutes of the first half against Ashby tonight...
**The girls' basketball game is going to overtime!
**Update at 20:56...the boys' basketball team obliterated Ashby 78-49, with running time employed for about the final 7 minutes of the game. Simply put, the Arrows ran out of gas, while B-B-E's game got stronger as the game wore on.
Ashby, who was ranked way down at #39 on the QRF, takes a 19-3 overall record into Sauk Centre tomorrow night for another non-conference game. Incidentally, the Arrows' prime conference rival, Battle Lake, is 22-0 and ranked way up at #14 on the QRF.
At Battle Lake, the Jaguars girls' basketball team prevailed in a double-overtime thriller 51-49. They travel to #1-seeded Parkers Prairie on Thursday night in the sub-section quarterfinal round, with tip off at 7 p.m.
Sub-Section 6A-South play-in round game results on Feb. 27: Underwood 66, Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley 40 Henning 45, Ashby 42
**Just saw this...quite the outcome...as expected, when Parkers Prairie hosted Upsala's girls' basketball team tonight in a battle of state-ranked teams, a barn burner was in store for whoever was lucky enough to get to the game. Final score: Upsala 82, Parkers Prairie 78 OT! I had a hunch that Upsala would be the winner...I believe they've played a slightly better schedule in terms of non-conference teams and that only played in their favor tonight.
Area boys' basketball scores on Feb. 27: Montevideo 83, Benson 44 Osakis 56, Minnewaska Area 43 Hillcrest Lutheran Academy 59, Hancock 52
This Jaguars sports update is brought to you by the support of:
Monday night's girls' basketball playoff game will be on Smooth Magic 107 - meanwhile, the Train will be in Brooten
Dave McClurg's pregame coverage will begin at 6:45 on Monday night at Battle Lake for the opening round of the Sub-Section 6A-South tournament.
*Update on Monday...I learned from Bill Dean that 106.5 FM the Train will be at the boys' basketball game against Ashby at home. That was what was on their original schedule, and it makes the most sense to get coverage of both squads versus having both in Battle Lake. (D-Mac's closer to Battle Lake anyway)
...and the final moments of the Rockford game and a very excited girls' basketball team winning their final regular season contest...
Patrick Rooney wins a section title and advances to 'state' wrestling tournament! Jaguars take 4th overall in Section 5A
Junior Patrick Rooney won the 170-pound Section 5A championship today at the Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted Middle School gymnasium. Patrick opens 'state' against senior Esteban Zelaya (25-8) from St. James.
At 126 pounds, junior Ross Rath also advanced to the state meet with a runner-up finish in his division. Ross opens against another junior, Gus McCarthy of Border West, who has a 36-6 record. They did not meet on Jan. 27 when the Buccaneers and Jaguars met in Browerville in a 39-35 B-B-E win. Border West, incidentally, finished as Section 6A runners-up to champion Barnesville after going to 'state' for the past three seasons.
*Update on Sunday afternoon... At 120 pounds, junior Tyler Tensen made it to state with a runner-up finish. Tyler opens with Section 4A champion Richy Soto, a junior from St. James, who has a 33-4 record.
The 'state' individual tournament takes place on Friday and Saturday, March 2-3 at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
Other placewinners for the Jaguars who did not advance to 'state': At 106 pounds, freshmen Josey Tensen placed fourth. At 113 pounds, Colby Schramel placed sixth. At 132 pounds, junior Austin Jaeger placed fifth. At 145 pounds, senior Daniel Rooney placed fourth. At 182 pounds, Dillon Knutson had a tough ending to his wrestling career with a third-place finish and a 30-9 overall record during his senior campaign on the mats.
This Jaguars sports playoff update is brought to you by the support of:
Patrick Rooney made it to the championship match in his 170-pound bracket at the Section 5A tournament. Dillon Knutson is in the 182-pound championship match.
Josey and Tyler Tensen and Daniel Rooney are all wrestling for third place. I'm not sure which wrestlers still have a chance at a "true second" match and making it to state.
The chalk holds for B-B-E's top wrestlers at sections
Josey Tensen, Tyler Tensen, Ross Rath, Daniel Rooney, Patrick Rooney and Dillon Knutson all earned semifinal berths in the individual Section 5A wrestling tournament, which began yesterday at HLWW Middle School in Howard Lake.
Patrick Rooney had a first-round bye in his seven-team bracket. He is the top seed at 170 pounds.
Jaguars surge in the overtime period over the HLWW Lakers! They 'four-peat' as CMC champs!
Kirby Montbriand flies high to defend the shot of HLWW's sophomore center Tyler Sale tonight...Photo courtesy of Aaron Schultz, Howard Lake Journal. The Lakers are faltering in the final two minutes of the game, and the Jaguars now hold a 71-65 lead with under 30 seconds left in overtime.
At 9:23pm, the game went final! The Jaguars won 73-68, with their final bucket coming on a layup by Brian Goodwin in the final 10 seconds of overtime.
The Lakers had a 40-32 lead a few minutes into the second half.
The Jaguars tied the game 50-50 after they trailed 46-41 with 10 minutes left in the game. From there it was close down the stretch. With 6 minutes left the Jaguars were up by one.
The Lakers held a 61-59 lead with around 3 minutes left, but at the 1:46 mark, James Kuefler hit two bonus free throws to knot it at 61-61.
HLWW ran down most of the final 90 seconds of regulation but couldn't break the 61-61 tie.
B-B-E outscored the Lakers 12-7 in the extra period.
At Belgrade, a large contingent of girls' basketball fans cheer as the overtime period ends at Howard Lake. The game was aired on Smooth Magic and broadcast over the public address system at the high school gymnasium...
**With the win, the Jaguars improved to 12-0 in the CMC and clinched a share of the conference title!
Following the game, Connor Goodwin said on the post-game interview on Smooth Magic 107, "We knew they were going to come out and try burning down the clock. We let them go awhile...then we did some quick double teams and tried to keep them from getting to the basket."
Kirby Montbriand and James Kuefler were also interviewed.
Kirby Montbriand said, "This is just an amazing experience for us. This is one of the greatest games I've played in."
About the overtime period, "Our defense really stepped it up at the end. Our guys ran the double teams really well. Their passing was disrupted, and they couldn't get off a good shot. We can still improve our defense, though."
About HLWW, Montbriand added, "They are definitely the quickest team we've played. They are excellent off of the dribble and can shoot the three."
...other information from D-Mac...
The second half was tied 50-50 with around 7 minutes left after the Jaguars had fallen behind 40-32 and 46-41 after halftime. Ties took place at 50, 51, 54, 59 and 61-all. Brian Goodwin went off for 27 points. He had countless drives to the basket and went 4-of-4 at the line in overtime. He was perfect on free throws for the game. Connor Goodwin had 26 points; Kirby Montbriand had 11 points. James Kuefler had 7 points and Billy Borgerding had 2. B-B-E won the battle on the boards by a 39-26 margin. HLWW had 26 fouls, and BBE had 17. The Jaguars went 25-for-33 at the line and 6-of-6 at the free throw line. HLWW went 10-of-15 at the stripe. For the game, ties took place at 2, 17, 23, 25, 29 and 50, 51, 54, 59 and 61-all. Five lead changes took place, with the final one taking place on the first bucket of the overtime period.
What a game!
HL-W-W falls to 17-7 overall and 8-4 in the CMC; they can finish no better than second from here on out.
Central Minnesota Conference boys' basketball score on Feb. 24: Rockford 64, Eden Valley-Watkins 38 (the Rockets could be a dangerous team in the Section 5AA playoffs)
Central Minnesota Conference girls' basketball scores on Feb. 24: Maple Lake 66, Holdingford 30 Eden Valley-Watkins 50, Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 31 (a mild upset; HLWW finishes 13-1 in the CMC with sole possession of the title) Pierz 38, Kimball Area 29
Area girls' basketball scores on Feb. 24: Melrose Area 55, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 35 Osakis 63, West Central Area 55 Ashby 49, New York Mills 26
Area boys' basketball scores on Feb. 24: Sauk Centre 57, Albany 52 (Albany led 32-30 early in the 2nd half; both teams finished tied for 2nd in the WCC-North at 7-3) Willmar 77, St. Cloud Tech 62 Melrose Area 73, Paynesville Area 49 (the Dutchmen win the WCC-North title outright) New London-Spicer 66, Minnewaska Area 47 (NL-S led 38-22 at halftime) Montevideo 66, Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 44 Battle Lake 52, Brandon/Evansville 28 Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg 69, Hancock 68 Ashby 69, Underwood 43 Dawson-Boyd 80, Russel-Tyler-Ruthton 59 Henning 69, Sebeka 57
This Jaguars sports update is brought to you by the support of:
B-B-E boys, girls basketball teams play in closely-fought conference battles tonight - Girls' basketball beats Rockford
Mariah Rach dribbles against the pressure late in the Rockford game tonight... With 3:30 gone in the game, the Jaguars boys' basketball team and HL-W-W Lakers are tied at 2-2 at HLWW high school.
Six minutes into the first half, HLWW led 7-6 but had accumulated six personal fouls already.
The girls' basketball game began at 7:40.
At halftime, it's 26-25 advantage HLWW. The Jaguars have shot 10-of-17 at the free throw line compared to 6-of-8 for the Lakers.
At halftime against Rockford, the Jaguars girls' basketball team has a 34-29 lead thanks to two free throws from Raeann Sorenson with 2.6 seconds on the clock.
During halftime, the B-B-E Dazzlers dance team performed a special "cowgirl" dance for the hometown fans.
Action from late in the first half vs. Rockford tonight...
Early in the second half at HLWW, the Jaguars have taken their first lead of the game 29-26 with a 4-0 start. The Lakers responded with a 14-3 run, however, to go up by five points 46-41.
Against Rockford, the Rockets pulled ahead 38-37 with 14:30 remaining in the contest. The lead changed hands numerous times in the second half after the Jaguars had built a 36-31 lead on a shot in the paint by Amy Bast. A drive by Raeann Sorenson with 14 minutes left put the Jaguars back on top 39-38. Rockford responded with two straight shots, though, to move in front 42-38.
With 8:35 left, the Rockets had a 48-42 lead and things started to look bleak for B-B-E. The Jaguars stepped up to the challenge, though, and a free throw from Brittany Roelike, a three by Sorenson and a paint shot by Megan Weller tied the game 48-48 with 6:47 left.
This shot by Megan Weller tied the game at 48-48 with 6:47 left after the Jaguars fell behind 48-42... Rockford then took leads at 50-48, 55-51, and 58-57 before the Jaguars pulled away over the final three minutes. A rebound shot by Weller put her team up for good with 2:46 left to make it 59-58. **The Jaguar girls' basketball team won 68-62! They take a 6-20 record into the upcoming sub-section playoffs, which begin on Monday at Battle Lake. Rockford falls to 10-16 overall and 5-9 in the CMC in a tie for fifth place with Kimball Area. The Jaguars took 7th place at 4-10 in the league.
(below) The final moments of the Rockford game and a very excited girls' basketball team winning their final regular season contest...
...and at HLWW, the Jaguars and Lakers boys' basketball teams are going to overtime! It's 61-61.
This Jaguars sports update is brought to you by the support of:
Area girls' basketball scores on Feb. 23: Sauk Centre 59, BOLD 35 (WCC championship playoff game) Upsala 76, Royalton 52 Watertown-Mayer 65, New London-Spicer 54 Brandon/Evansville 45, Wheaton/Herman-Norcross 36 Parkers Prairie 51, Hancock 32 Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 42, Minnewaska Area 25
Area boys' basketball scores on Feb. 23: Benson 75, Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City 74 Upsala 66, West Central Area 58 Maple Lake 81, Holdingford 50 (a CMC game) Pierz 61, Kimball Area 25 (a CMC game) Browerville 54, Osakis 31
The Jaguars girls' basketball team (5-20 overall) opens up the playoffs on Monday, Feb. 27 at #8-seed Battle Lake (11-13 overall) in a Sub-Section 6A-South play-in round game. Battle Lake is located northeast of Ashby approximately 17 miles. From the B-B-E High School, it's a 91-mile trip up Highway 71 and I-94 and then State Highway 78 from Ashby. Tip off is at 7:00 that night. All sub-section games begin at 7:00 until the semifinal round at UM-Morris on March 3.
And by the way, I tried mapping a shorter route (versus through Ashby) from Belgrade to Battle Lake, and I couldn't come up with one...even after consulting with Sauk Centre Herald publisher Dave Simpkins, who lives in southern Otter Tail County.
Also, I incorrectly reported earlier this week that the Train will be at the Ashby game (boys' BB) next Monday. They will cover the girls' basketball playoff opener...then go to Pierz the following night.
Sub-Section 6A-South is very tough, with 7 of the 11 teams having winning records and 8 of the 11 having 11 or more wins. The favorites are clearly Parkers Prairie (23-1) and Hancock (19-3).
The rankings were determined according to the QRF formula on the Minnesota-Scores.net website. In some sub-sections across Minnesota, coaches still voted to determine the playoff brackets.
If the Jaguars win on Monday, their quarterfinal round game will be at Parkers Prairie on Thursday, March 1 at 7:00. The Panthers are the top seed and were sub-section runners-up in 2011 behind eventual Class A State 4th-place finisher Hancock.
In Sub-Section 6A-North, defending sub-section champion Ada-Borup is the top seed.
In Sub-Section 6AA-North, two-time defending sub-section champion Sauk Centre is the top seed, with Staples-Motley coming in as the second seed. Staples-Motley was sub-section champions the last two years in the old Sub-Section 6AA-West. Sauk Centre was in Sub-Section 6AA-East for the past 15 seasons.
Random inclusion of these Feb. 15 state polls...courtesy of the Swift County Monitor (Benson newspaper) Click to enlarge.
B-B-E Blaze volleyball fundraiser tournament is this Saturday
**A special note from one of the B-B-E Blaze Junior Olympics volleyball coaches... The B-B-E Blaze JO Volleyball Club will be hosting the 1st Annual B-B-E, Redmen & Buccaneers Alumni Volleyball Tournament on Saturday, February 25th starting at 9:00 a.m. at the high school in Belgrade. Please come and support the JO Volleyball program as well as watch some exciting volleyball from the graduating years of 1989, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010 & 2011. Admission will be charged at the door: Adult $3.00, Students $1.00 and 6 & Under Free. Hope to see you there!!
In the second-to-last game of the regular season, theJaguars girls' basketball team picked up a huge upset win at Pierz on Tuesday night. The Pioneers were 14-9 overall coming in and 9-3 in the Central Minnesota Conference.
The Jaguars trailed 29-28 at halftime. By the time the game was over, they had shot a red-hot 17-for-18 from the free throw line. Pierz went 6-for-16 at the stripe.
Final score: B-B-E 55, Pierz 50.
More will follow on Wednesday.
**A special note from one of the B-B-E Blaze Junior Olympics volleyball coaches... The B-B-E Blaze JO Volleyball Club will be hosting the 1st Annual B-B-E, Redmen & Buccaneers Alumni Volleyball Tournament on Saturday, February 25th starting at 9:00 a.m. at the high school in Belgrade. Please come and support the JO Volleyball program as well as watch some exciting volleyball from the graduating years of 1989, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010 & 2011. Admission will be charged at the door: Adult $3.00, Students $1.00 and 6 & Under Free. Hope to see you there!!
Wouldn't you know it...Pierz stubs its toe at Maple Lake
In a rather surprising upset, the Maple Lake boys' basketball team defeated visiting Pierz tonight 66-63. The Pioneers fall two games behind the B-B-E Jaguars in the Central Minnesota Conference at 9-2. The Jaguars are 11-0 and now only need one more conference win to clinch a share of their fourth straight conference title.
That win very well could come this Friday at Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted.
The Irish improved to 6-5 (4th) in the CMC and 11-10 overall. Pierz is 17-6 overall.
I just learned late tonight that in one of the accidents, four college-age girls died when their car was struck by an SUV that crossed the median on I-94 near Garfield.
The Jaguars scored early and often tonight against the visiting Cubs, who found the going difficult any time they went to the basket...Photo courtesy of Images by Marguerite of Kimball. It was another blowout win on the home court for the B-B-E boys' basketball team tonight, as they named the score in a 76-36 win over Kimball Area.
The Jaguars, now 22-0 overall and 11-0 in the Central Minnesota Conference, have a long break in action before traveling to Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted next Friday, Feb. 24. The Lakers are 7-3 (3rd) in the league.
In a home game, the Jaguars girls' basketball team lost to Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg 60-42.
**A big game at Battle Lake tonight...Ashby led early but the Battlers came back to post a 71-64 win over the Arrows. Here's some light information on the game: Ashby led 34-25 at halftime and created a steep hill for the Battlers to climb. Battle Lake's Zach Wilkie (senior forward) nailed five three-pointers in the second half to spark his team to the comeback. The crazy stat was at the foul line, where Battle Lake had 28 attempts and Ashby had only six. Ashby clearly didn't play defense and let the Battlers put up 46 second-half points. That won't get it done in the playoffs. What the Arrows can take away from the game is that they certainly can stick with a good team like Battle Lake; they just have to give 100% for all 36 minutes. While Battle Lake is up at a respectable #18 on the QRF, the Arrows sit way down in the lower 30s(tie at 38) ...but that didn't matter on this night. I would guess in a 3rd meeting Battle Lake will understand they won't be a lock to defeat Ashby either. It's anyone's guess as to how that game would play out (probably a sub-section semifinal game at Morris)
Central Minnesota Conference boys' basketball results on Feb. 17: Eden Valley-Watkins 62, Maple Lake 51 Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 78, Holdingford 39 Pierz 66, Rockford 46
Area boys' basketball scores on Feb. 17: Albany 81, Melrose Area 75 (OT! 1st WCC-North loss for the Dutchmen) Browerville 56, Royalton 33 Osakis 62, St. John's Prep 56 Wheaton/Herman-Norcross 58, Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley 49 Hillcrest Lutheran Academy 48, Brandon/Evansville 34
Area girls' basketball scores on Feb. 17: Sauk Centre 46, Minnewaska Area 31 (Mainstreeters win 3rd straight WCC-North title) Melrose Area 41, New London-Spicer 32 Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 87, Kimball Area 60 Albany 64, Paynesville Area 47 (Albany has won 4 in a row and is now 16-7 overall)
Section wrestling championship results: 6AA Foley 39, New London-Spicer 14 7A Pierz 48, Holdingford 16
Jaguars fall behind 26-0 vs. Kimball in section wrestling playoffs
Through the 132-pound match, the Kimball Area Cubs jumped out to a 26-0 lead over the Jaguars wrestling team in tonight's Section 5A semifinal. By the time the 195-pound match was starting, the Cubs had built a 44-6 lead. Picking up wins for B-B-E were sophomore Alex Schramel at 138 pounds (7-5 decision) and junior Patrick Rooney at 170 pounds (7-3 decision).
The match is taking place at the Minnewaska Area High School.
Final: Kimball Area 59, B-B-E 6. The Cubs are 31-1; the Jaguars finish 11-9. Both teams will compete in the individual portion of the Section 5A playoffs next Friday and Saturday at Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted middle school in Howard Lake.
In the other semifinal tonight, #2-seed A-C-GC leads 45-6 through the 195-pound match over #3-seed Paynesville Area.
From the section playoff opener at Osakis on Tuesday night...
**Update in the Section 5A wrestling championship: Kimball Area jumped ahead 16-6 through the 138-pound match, and then the A-C-GC Falcons tied it 16-16 going into 152. The Cubs (32-0) would pull away in dramatic fashion, though, to lead 45-16 going into the heavyweight match. They likely will draw the #2 seed at the Class A state tournament.
Coming tonight: Jaguar wrestling will be on Smooth Magic 107
The playoffs heat up for the Jaguars wrestling team as they take on #1-seed Kimball Area in the final four-round of Section 5A.
The action begins at 6 p.m. at Minnewaska Area High School; it will be aired on Smooth Magic 107 FM (107.1) with Dave McClurg providing play-by-play coverage.
Central Minnesota Conference girls' basketball results on Feb. 16: Eden Valley-Watkins 66, Rockford 34 Pierz 63, Maple Lake 57 B-B-E 57, Holdingford 47
Area boys' basketball scores on Feb. 16: Albany 64, New London-Spicer 54 Ortonville 56, Hancock 45 Minnewaska Area 57, Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 43 Holdingford 68, Paynesville Area 64 Crosby-Ironton 67, Upsala 61 BOLD 59, Montevideo 57 **A huge, huge upset in the West Central South Conf.)
Jaguar girls' basketball trails 25-21 at halftime after a back-and-forth first half...and the Jaguars win!
A very excited Raeann Sorenson was interviewed on 'The Train' by Bill Dean and Don Leukam following the 10-point win tonight over Holdingford... Holdingford leads the Jaguars girls' basketball team 25-21 at the break tonight.
Then 90 seconds into the second half, a three-point play by Megan Weller got the Jaguars within one point.
The Jaguars pulled in front on a rebound shot by Becca Gruber with 10:20 left to lead 33-31.
Second-half action tonight...
**Final score: B-B-E 57, Holdingford 47. It's the second win of the year in the Central Minnesota Conference for the Jaguars. They host Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg (6-17, 5-10 Camden North Conference) tomorrow night in a non-conference game.
The B-squad Jaguars handily defeated Holdingford by almost 20 points tonight.
Pierz defeated Maple Lake 63-57 in another CMC girls' basketball game tonight.
More will follow on Friday morning.
**Don't forget...the Jaguars boys' basketball team hosts Kimball Area on Friday night.
Area girls' basketball scores on Feb. 16: Osakis 67, Browerville 36 Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 67, Royalton 43 Upsala 73, West Central Area 33 (Ouch!) Battle Lake 47, Brandon/Evansville 42 OT BOLD 53, Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City 47 Underwood 65, Ashby 33 Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley 61, Hillcrest Lutheran Academy 54 Central MN Christian 62, Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg 60
More footage from Monday night's B-B-E community meeting
Superintendent Bullard discusses the local tax levy and what the appetite is for a property tax increase...
**Note: in Nov. 2010, local taxpayers approved a 10-year extension to an $837 per pupil levy by a slim 54-46 percent margin. The actual vote totals showed 735 "yes" to 636 "no" votes on the 10-year extension.
Had it not been approved, the district would have lost over $550,000 of funding beginning with the 2011-12 fiscal year.
My two cents: Mr. Bullard nailed it on the head...there is no appetite in today's economic climate for arbitrary property tax increases. Times are tough enough as it is.
Jaguar matmen stumble early in playoff opener before rallying to post a huge win at Osakis - Boys' basketball wins, Girls' basketball falls in OT
Members of the Jaguar wrestling team welcome Tyler Tensen back to the huddle after he won by pin (1:42) at 120 pounds against Osakis tonight... With one match complete, the Jaguars wrestling team trails 3-0 against Osakis in the Section 5A playoff opener.
Tyler Tensen got things going for B-B-E at 120 pounds, when he earned a first-period pin in a time of 1:42. Osakis 7, B-B-E 6.
Ross Rath is in a tight match at 126 pounds now. With a tough ending, Rath went on to lose by injury default in the second period. Osakis 13, B-B-E 6.
**The Jaguar wrestlers will advance to the semifinal round of Section 5A. They hold a commanding lead with one match remaining, ahead 46-25. Jared Steffensen's match at heavyweight was underway when I left. They will compete against #1-seeded Kimball Area at Minnewaska Area high school on Friday night. One other note, Patrick Rooney earned win number 100 of his wrestling career with a 1st-period pin tonight. He's a junior.
Austin Jaeger won by pin at 138 pounds tonight...below he's shown in action during his match at Osakis...
Up at Ashby, the Jaguars girls' basketball team is tied at 6-6 in the opening minutes against the Arrows. B-B-E trailed 31-23 at the break, though. Final: Ashby 63, B-B-E 58 OT. The Arrows improve to 7-13 overall.
**Update from Rockford...the Jaguars boys' basketball team built a 46-14 halftime lead, then went up 57-22 with about 6 minutes gone in the second half before they fell asleep at the wheel.
With around 6 minutes left, the Jaguars' lead shrunk to 63-42. Final: B-B-E 67, Rockford 58.
Central Minnesota Conference boys' basketball scores on Feb. 14: Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 75, Eden Valley-Watkins 44
Area girls' basketball scores on Feb. 14: Sauk Centre 67, Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 33 (Kali returns to the court...read more at http://heraldsportsblog.blogspot.com) Rockford 55, Maple Lake 52 (a CMC game held on Monday night) Albany 59, St. Cloud Cathedral 50 Paynesville Area 49, BOLD 41 Benson 68, West Central Area 57 Melrose Area 62, Minnewaska Area 36
Area boys' basketball scores on Feb. 14: Montevideo 92, Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City 69 Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 67, West Central Area 46 Melrose Area 80, Minnewaska Area 62 Brandon/Evansville 43, Wheaton/Herman-Norcross 31 Hillcrest Lutheran Academy 59, Underwood 47 Battle Lake 64, Parkers Prairie 37 Pierz 67, Albany 51 Maccray 79, Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg 54
Turnout of around 20 attend B-B-E community meeting tonight
A great discussion with a fair amount of back-and-forth questions and answers took place at tonight's community meeting at the B-B-E High School commons area.
Information on employee pay freezes, the local property tax levies and enrollment figures was given along with lengthy analysis of what school officials have learned so far on the move to a 4-day week.
Coming tonight: the 2nd of two community meetings at B-B-E
The meeting begins at 7:30pm at the B-B-E High School media center. A couple topics on the agenda are district goal-setting as well as review and updates on the 4-day flexible schedule that was implemented at the start of the 2011-12 school year.
B-B-E elementary boys' basketball competes at Benson tournament
From Saturday...6th grade vs. Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley in a first-round game.
...and 6th grade action against MACCRAY in the 2nd game of the day, the consolation semifinals...shown here is the final action of regulation play, which ended with the Jaguars and Wolverines tied at 18-18.
More footage from the Maple Lake boys' basketball game...and Sno-Daze...plus elementary basketball at Benson
From about 4 minutes into the second half...against Maple Lake
...and later in the 2nd half...
...and more Sno-Daze from yesterday...
On Saturday at Benson, the 5th grade Jaguar boys' basketball team defeated Lac qui Parle Valley 15-12 for 7th place...below, members of the team react after the win. They lost a heartbreaker 17-16 to Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta in a consolation game earlier.
...and some faculty-led halftime entertainment during the Dodgeball competition today...Huey Lewis and the News is one of the best bands of the 80s & 90s, no doubt!
A side note...the boys' basketball game at Holdingford last night went into overtime. Rockford went home with a 62-56 win after holding the Huskers to three points in the extra session.
Another note...this is the 2,012th post on this blog since I created it in October 2006.
...Yet another note...the Kimball Area Cubs wrestling team completed a 7-0 tour through the Central Minnesota Conference this season with a 58-15 home win over Rockford. They take a 29-0 record into next week's Section 5A tournament.
**Area boys' basketball scores on Feb. 10: Fosston 45, Ulen-Hitterdal 43 (Fosston was #40 on the QRF; U-H was up to #13) Sauk Centre 67, New London-Spicer 55 Royalton 56, West Central Area 48
Area girls' basketball scores on Feb. 10: Eden Valley-Watkins 43, B-B-E 20 (B-B-E's Raeann Sorenson, the team's top scorer, missed the game due to illness; the Jaguars had 8 points at halftime and were led by Becca Gruber's 10 points) Upsala 53, Osakis 45 Pierz 68, Holdingford 43 Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 85, Rockford 61 Paynesville Area 56, Benson 46
Jaguar boys basketball throttles Maple Lake - Wrestlers split at HLWW and cap winning regular season
Action from the final minute of the game tonight...countless reserves got in the game over the final 7 minutes...I lost track and was too busy trying to get pictures of all of them! Final: 87-64. It was an incredibly fast-paced game that was over in one hour, 15 minutes flat.
The Jaguars boys' basketball team led 13-3 and 27-11 early, then went up 52-25 at the break. Connor Goodwin's five-footer turnaround shot on the baseline only 15 seconds into the second half started the Jaguars off on the right foot, and even with Maple Lake playing an inspired brand of ball over the final 18 minutes of the game, they were unable to put a serious dent in the 20+ point lead.
The Irish, who entered the contest with a 5-3 record in the Central Minnesota Conference, drilled nine threes in the game and went home with a 9-9 overall record. The Jaguars drained seven threes and were 21-for-28 at the line.
The Jaguars' next action is at Rockford (4-5 CMC, 6-14) next Tuesday; the game will be on 106.5 FM the Train. Before I get into too many other items, I have to also mention that the B-B-E Dazzlers dance team performed their final high kick performance of the season at halftime tonight. I somehow took 239 pictures during the 3 minutes and 40 seconds they were performing. The next Dazzlers high kick action will take place next December. The B-B-E Dazzlers will perform at halftime of the Feb. 24 girls' basketball game at home against Rockford; it will not be a high kick performance.
**Final at Pierz tonight: Pioneers 74, HL-W-W Lakers 63. More on that game will follow later. The game was not as close as the final score indicates.
Central Minnesota Conference boys' basketball scores on Feb. 9: Pierz 74, Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 63 Rockford 62, Holdingford 56 (at Holdingford) Kimball Area 66, Eden Valley-Watkins 63 (OT!) (at Eden Valley)
First half action...at the end of the second clip below, Austin Imdieke fired off a 3/4-court shot at the buzzer that banged off the rim. I love that crowd reaction as it hit the rim, it's like every B-B-E fan held their breath while the ball hung in the air.
The Dazzlers in action at halftime tonight... Billy and his fans...classy!
At Howard Lake tonight, the Jaguars wrestling team went 1-1 in a conference triangular. They lost to Pierz and defeated Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 50-21. Look further below to read about the upcoming playoff schedule for the wrestling team.
Area boys' basketball scores on Feb. 9: Battle Lake 64, Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley 45 (at Graceville) Ulen-Hitterdal 75, New York Mills 56 Melrose Area 92, Benson 68 Upsala 71, St. John's Prep 65 Minnewaska Area 55, Paynesville Area 37 St. Cloud Cathedral 77, Albany 50
Area girls' basketball scores on Feb. 9: Hancock 67, Ortonville 48 Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 57, West Central Area 52 Maple Lake 50, Kimball Area 40 (*a CMC game) Sauk Centre 62, Paynesville Area 43 Albany 65, New London-Spicer 51 !Wow!!!!! Brandon/Evansville 58, Hillcrest Lutheran Academy 45 Wheaton/Herman-Norcross 59, Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley 37 Parkers Prairie 50, Verndale 37 Upsala 80, Holdingford 40
According to an article in today's Bonanza Valley Voice, out of 237 students at B-B-E who responded to a survey on the current 4-day week schedule, 87% of them said they preferred it over the 5-day week and didn't want to go back to the old way.
Wrestlers complete regular season tonight at Howard Lake
The Jaguars wrestling team (9-7) looks to finish the first winning regular season since 2001 when they travel to a triangular at Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted. They will face the host Lakers as well as Pierz in Central Minnesota Conference action.
Seeding for the Section 5A playoffs will take place soon. Once I learn them and the brackets, dates, etc. I'll get that posted right away.
**Update at 1:23pm...Seeding took place last night at the B-B-E high school among the 10 section coaches. The brackets, times, dates, etc. will be posted at the Sauk Centre Herald website shortly.
Sorenson surpasses 1,000-point mark against Melrose tonight *Updated Tuesday
Photo by Teresa Winter Senior point guard Raeann Sorenson joined an elite group of girls' basketball players at B-B-E by eclipsing the 1,000-point mark for her varsity career tonight against Melrose. The Jaguars lost the game 60-45. Read more in this week's Sauk Centre Herald and also at this link to the Herald website: http://saukherald.com/main.asp?SectionID=8&SubSectionID=402&ArticleID=13766
(Below) Video added Tuesday night of a clip from the Dec. 16 game against Maple Lake...Sorenson cans a three at the 20-second mark...
Area boys' basketball scores on Feb. 6: Benson 63, Paynesville Area 60 St. John's Prep 64, Holdingford 49 Sauk Centre 55, Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 54
Central Minnesota Conference girls' basketball scores on Feb. 6: Pierz 60, Eden Valley-Watkins 57 Kimball Area 66, Holdingford 63
Area girls' basketball scores on Feb. 6: A-C-GC 52, Minnewaska Area 45 Wadena-Deer Creek 53, Sauk Centre 52 (a shot at the buzzer by Macy Weller didn't drop; Mainstreeters see 7-game winning streak end) Benson 47, Osakis 44 Parkers Prairie 64, Battle Lake 21 Underwood 64, Hillcrest Lutheran Academy 40 Brandon/Evansville 56, Henning 44
On Monday night this week, the Jaguars girls' basketball team hosts Melrose Area in a non-conference game. This was not on the schedule until recently, as the two schools worked it out after B-B-E got an opening for another game.
Bravo to both schools' administrators for getting this lined up. I see no reason why neighboring non-conference schools can't play one another twice in the regular season. I know it can't happen all the time, but it should be encouraged whenever possible.
On Dec. 15 earlier in the season, the Dutchmen won a close game on their court over the Jaguars 57-50.
Here's a bit of information from Friday night's action for Melrose, courtesy of Herman Lensing's Dutchmen Sports Blog: "Melrose defeated Albany 55-43 to end a losing streak and even their WCC-N record at 4-4. The Lady Dutchmen had dropped three straight prior to the win. Leading Melrose's offense was Jenna Orth with 14 points. Emily Goerdt added another 13 points. Melrose's defense held Albany to 14 first half points."
Here's a clip from the first half of the NL-S game last week, while the Jaguars were trying to pull away from the Wildcats...it will only be available for viewing for the next two days.
Four up, four down for B-B-E's boys' basketball team
In the busiest week of the season to date, the Jaguars boys' basketball teamwent 4-for-4 with two conference and two non-conference games.
Today at Brandon, the Jaguars named the score again and decided to win 75-37 over the Chargers. In their last 5 games, they've put up 90, 79, 89, 77 and now 75 points. Wow!
Their next action is next Thursday (Feb. 9) at home against Maple Lake.
Area boys' basketball scores on Feb. 4: St. Cloud Cathedral 76, Melrose Area 74 New London-Spicer 89, Sebeka 39 Montevideo 69, Willmar 64 Battle Lake 68, Hankinson ND 56 (Battlers are 18-0)
Jaguars lead at halftime over Eden Valley-Watkins before annihilating the Eagles in the final 18 minutes
In their second game in two nights on the home floor, the Jaguars boys' basketball team has a 39-26 lead at halftime over Eden Valley-Watkins. Final score: B-B-E 77, Eden Valley-Watkins 37. My math says that's only 11 second-half points for the Eagles. Crazy! The point total for B-B-E is one point over their current season average.
In a game between Pierz and Holdingford, the Pioneers hold a huge 62-15 lead with 11:50 left. Check out the final score below!
More will follow over the weekend.
Up next: a trip into western Douglas County to face sub-section rival Brandon/Evansville on Saturday afternoon. My last check on when the varsity game will tip-off is at 4:00pm at the Brandon High School. The Chargers (4-10, 3-6 Little Eight Conference) just got blasted tonight by Ashby in a 32-point loss.
Two quick notes: (1) Good luck to the B-B-E Dazzlers dance team in their trip to the Section 4A meet at Hawley on Saturday; and (2) an interview by Dave McClurg with Jaguars wrestling coach Coach Vos will be on Smooth Magic 107 FM at 7:20am on Saturday morning.
Central Minnesota Conference boys' basketball scores on Feb. 3: Pierz 74, Holdingford 29 (awfully similar to the B-B-E vs. Holdingford score earlier this week!) Maple Lake 61, Kimball Area 36
Area girls' basketball scores on Feb. 3: Sauk Centre 45, New London-Spicer 40 (both teams are tied for 1st place in the WCC-North) Melrose Area 55, Albany 43
Area boys' basketball scores on Feb. 3: Ashby 81, Brandon/Evansville 49 Battle Lake 77, Rothsay 26 Ulen-Hitterdal 62, Ada-Borup 53 West Central Area 82, Swanville 64 Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley 65, Ortonville 61 Dawson-Boyd 80, MACCRAY 75 OT!!!! (Wolverines were 7 points down before rallying to tie it at 66-66 to force overtime) Browerville 65, Upsala 60 (Upsala's Prairie Conference title hopes are gone) Hancock 56, Underwood 41 Hillcrest Lutheran Academy 70, Parkers Prairie 58 Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 64, Osakis 51
Below is one of Connor's first-half buckets against NL-S last night... It goes without saying by now for B-B-E area basketball fans; Connor's shot near the basket is about as good as it gets.
B-B-E leads NL-S at halftime by a wide margin - Connor Goodwin drains 1000th point in the second half of a blowout win - Wrestlers hammer Minnewaska
The Jaguars boys' basketball team leads 44-27 at halftime. Their defense has been shaky at times, explaining why the Wildcats have 27 points. NL-S has some incredibly quick guards and were able to run the floor right with B-B-E for parts of the first half.
First-half action tonight...
(Below) One of my favorite video clips taken all year; notice the banner featured near the end of the clip dreamed up by Kay Johnson of Brooten.
With 3:27 left, the Jaguars lead 85-56.
**Final score: B-B-E 89, NL-S 57. The Wildcats are a deep, classy and well-coached unit; they don't do much on the court to hurt themselves. A distinct lack of size under the basket makes the going tough for them, though, with only two players listed over 6'2".
Connor Goodwin met the 1,000 point mark for his career with two free throws early in the second half. He went up for a shot on the left block and was fouled before hitting the charity stripe and canning both free throws. The resulting score was 54-32 with 14:56 on the clock.
Up next: a home contest against Eden Valley-Watkins tomorrow night.
A final score in wrestling at Minnewaska Area:Jaguars 54, Lakers 21! To say that that Minnewaska Area was a depleted crew would be a huge understatement; they gave up seven forfeits on the night and falls to 5-14 overall with the loss. Earning pins for B-B-E were Josey Tensen, Colby Schramel, Ross Rath and Dillon Knutson. B-B-E is 9-6 in duals heading into tomorrow night's home match against #1-ranked Kimball Area.
At Maple Lake, the Jaguars girls' basketball team fell 56-36.
Central Minnesota Conference girls' basketball scores on Feb. 2: Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 52, Pierz 41 (at Howard Lake)
Area boys' basketball results on Feb. 2: St. Cloud Cathedral 78, Sauk Centre 61 (Streeters led 12-5 early) Albany 69, Milaca 37 (Huskies have won five in a row) Montevideo 74, MACCRAY 63 Benson 73, Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg 44
Area girls' basketball scores on Feb. 2: Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 43, Osakis 30 West Central Area 68, Swanville 47 Parkers Prairie 67, Underwood 24 Ashby 48, Hillcrest Lutheran Academy 41 Wheaton/Herman-Norcross 60, Battle Lake 49
2012 Sub-Section 6A-South boys' basketball seedings:
