What a night! Girls' basketball Jaguars are 3-0

Katelyn Heinze and Amanda Kollman shown in action during the first half of the JV game.

For the first time since the 1996-97 season, the Jaguars girls' basketball team has started 3-0. They got their third straight win to start the 2013-14 season by a 46-41 score over Paynesville Area. With 5 minutes left in the first half, the Jaguars led 21-11. By the middle of the second half, the lead was just 33-29. It was quite a win for the Jaguars, since it's always exciting to pick up wins against neighboring towns.

Paynesville's stand out junior guard Kayla Schaefer had 25 points in the game, but the rest of her team came up with just 16 points.

Up next: a tough road trip to Holdingford on Friday night, where they'll tussle with the 3-0 Huskers in the Central Minnesota Conference opener. The three wins that Holdingford has are against teams with a combined 2-9 record. (To compare, B-B-E's opponent cumulative record is 5-9, although it's hard to paint any type of picture out of that with Paynesville being 2 of the 3 opponents.) Last season, the Jaguars and Huskers split the CMC series.

It's also exciting to report that the JV girls' basketball Jaguars also won over Paynesville. Their final score was 40-29, which is remarkable considering they trailed 18-14 at halftime! At the 11:27 mark in the second half, the Jaguars tied it at 22-22 when Sarah Schmitz got an assist with a pass to Kendall Kampsen, who drained a fast break lay up. When I had to leave with about 9 minutes left in the second half, the Jaguars were up 24-22 for a brief spell before the Bulldogs hit a three-pointer for a 25-24 lead. Over the last 8 minutes of the second half in the JV game, the Jaguars held the Bulldogs to just four points! Coach Thieschafer was extremely pleased with her team's defensive performance down the stretch.

Aly Riggs and Megan Carroll are shown above during the JV Dazzlers high kick show tonight.

At halftime of both basketball games, the B-B-E Dazzlers dance team's high kick JV and varsity squads performed for a very good hometown crowd. They are tuning up for the 2013-14 season opener this Saturday at the Albany Invitational. It's a big dance meet that includes a total of 15 teams from A-C-GC, Aitkin, Alexandria, St. Cloud Apollo, Becker, Duluth Marshall, Melrose Area, Monticello, Paynesville Area, Pelican Rapids, Pierz, Rocori and St. Cloud Cathedral.

Here's the Sauk Centre Herald photo album from JV action that I shot before I had to leave:
http://saukherald.smugmug.com/201314-winter-sports/BBE-JV-girls-basketball-and-Da

By the way, the Train will be in Howard Lake tomorrow night for the BIG boys' basketball game coming up.

Area girls' basketball scores on December 12:
Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg 56, Yellow Medicine East 55 OT 
Dassel-Cokato 69, Kimball Area 26
Delano 75, Rockford Area 31
Albany 66, Mora 30

Area boys' basketball scores on December 12:
Sauk Centre 64, Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 61
Wheaton/Herman-Norcross 56, Ortonville 55
Montevideo 65, Benson 52
MACCRAY 58, CMCS 43
Litchfield 61, ACGC 45
LP-GE 42, St. John's Prep 40
West Central Area 67, Browerville 58 (Browerville was 3-0, now both teams are 3-1)
Minnewaska Area 63, Melrose Area 55
Upsala 85, Sebeka 34
Maple Lake 59, Holdingford 47 (CMC game in Maple Lake)