Final: No. 2-seeded B-B-E 76, No. 1-seeded and No. 3-ranked Walker-Hackensack-Akeley 58. The W-H-A Wolves, champions of the Northwoods Conference, finish the season 27-3 overall and graduate six seniors. This was their fourth straight 20-plus win season, but they haven't gotten past the sub-section final in any of those years. Three years ago, W-H-A had 21 wins heading into playoffs, but they were upset by Verndale in the first postseason game.
The Jaguars (18-10) advance to the Section 5A championship game for the fifth time in the past six seasons. They play again on Friday this week (March 6) with a 7 p.m. tip-off time at a location to-be-determined.
B-B-E has now claimed eight sub-section girls' basketball titles in the 31-year history of the program. Their first sub-section title was won in Region 5A when they defeated Swanville-Grey Eagle in 1993. The Jaguars then won sub-section titles in 1995, 2005, 2017, 2018, 2019 and now this year.
**Update: the Section 5A girls' basketball championship game will be played at Little Falls senior high school on Friday, March 6 with a 7 p.m. tip-off. Please spread the word!
*Update: according to MN-Scores...the Sub-Section 5A-East champion is the No. 2-seeded Ogilvie Lions. The score I read was Ogilvie 56, Onamia 53 in the other side of Section 5A tonight.
Ogilvie (17-10) went 8-6 to finish in a three-way tie for third place in the Great River Conference. Pine City, an excellent Class 2A team ranked No. 9 in the last state poll with a 26-3 overall record, won the GRC with a 14-0 record. Pine City was pummeled tonight by No. 2-ranked Sauk Centre in the Section 6AA semifinals by a 58-28 score. In the last regular season game, Sauk Centre edged host Pine City 49-46.
In Friday's Section 6AA championship game, No. 2-seeded Sauk Centre will face No. 1-seeded Albany for a trip to the state tournament. Albany ended Central Minnesota Conference champion and No. 4-seeded Royalton's season tonight with a 56-49 win in the other section semifinal game.
That's all I have for tonight. The Bonanza Valley Voice sports department is not running yet on all cylinders.
Good night, everyone.
THANK YOU again to Bonanza Valley State Bank of Brooten for sponsoring this Jaguars sports playoff update! The newspaper's lights would be permanently dark without the loyal support of locally-owned businesses such as BVSB!
