Overtime...lots of them!!

In rural Howard Lake, the B-B-E Jaguars boys' basketball team is playing the third overtime against the Lakers in a Central Minnesota Conference battle.

The B-B-E girls' basketball team beat visiting Pierz 66-34 after holding a commanding 37-13 lead at halftime. The Jaguars missed nine of their first 10 field goal attempts, and throughout the first 10 minutes or so of the first half the shot chart was ugly to say the least. They picked things up though and poured the oats on the Pioneers before subbing down the entire bench in the final five minutes. Pierz is 4-12 overall and 1-7 in the CMC; the Jaguars are 13-3 overall and 6-2 in the CMC.

On the road in an important Section 5A match-up, the B-B-E Jaguars wrestling team beat Royalton/Upsala 33-31! They are 11-6 overall with two duals left in the regular season.

**Update: the boys are in a fifth overtime!!!

**Update: the Jaguars found their footing in the closing minute of the fifth OT and are heading home with a memorable 73-68 win!!!! They are 13-6 overall and 7-3 in the Central Minnesota Conference and temporarily have a half-game lead over Pierz and Maple Lake for second place; the Lakers fall to 6-13 overall and 2-8 in the CMC. This B-B-E vs. HL-W-W contest was the lone CMC game tonight.

Here's how the final minute played out in the fifth overtime...the Lakers were ahead by one point. Then with 45 seconds left, the Jaguars were up by two. Tanner Heinsius was at the free throw line with 32 seconds left and cashed both shots. With the Lakers furiously trying to get shots off to close the gap, Ryan Illies came up with a huge block. Heinsius later cashed two more free throws for a six-point lead with 8.6 seconds to go, and the Jaguars hung on for the insanely wild and epic win!  They host state-ranked Browerville/Eagle Valley on Saturday at the high school at 5 o'clock; the girls' varsity game is at 3 o'clock. *(JV games, both girls and boys, start at 1:30 p.m. at the high school.)

Central MN Conference girls' basketball scores on January 28:
Eden Valley-Watkins 45, Holdingford 28
Kimball Area 58, Paynesville Area 38
Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 56, Maple Lake 33

Area boys' basketball scores on January 28:
Battle Lake 64, Underwood 45
Brandon/Evansville 57, Rothsay 32
MACCRAY 74, Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg 38
Tracy-Milroy-Balaton 76, Lakeview 59
Central MN Christian 74, Lac qui Parle Valley 35
Albany 63, Mora 27
Hillcrest Lutheran Academy 75, Hancock 56
Ortonville 75, Wheaton/Herman-Norcross 63
Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 60, Swanville 39
Browerville/Eagle Valley 104, St. John's Prep 84
West Central Area 46, Osakis 45
Upsala 55, Royalton 42
Sauk Centre 50, Minnewaska Area 44
Melrose Area 60, Montevideo 56
Parkers Prairie 84, Ashby 60 

Area girls' basketball scores on January 28:
Sauk Centre 58, Staples-Motley 37
LP-GE 49, Swanville 37
Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg 61, Benson 51
Wheaton/Herman-Norcross 66, Hancock 45
Annandale 39, New London-Spicer 28