No. 2-ranked team coming! (UPDATED)

In case you haven't heard, the second-ranked Class 1A team in the state of Minnesota is on deck for our B-B-E Jaguars girls' basketball team as they gear up for their stint in the Granite City Classic in St. Cloud this week. They play Mountain Iron-Buhl (7-1) tomorrow at 1:15 p.m. at St. Cloud Tech high school located south of town. I hope many of you can make the trip! Our boys' basketball team plays MI-B at 4:15 p.m. tomorrow in the same venue.

MI-B's girls' basketball team features one of the top scorers in the state of Minnesota: Jordan Zubich, a dynamic 5'11" guard who averaged over 25 points per game last year...as a sophomore! Her MI-B Rangers return four starters from last year's Class 1A state consolation champion team. I've got other scouting information to post later tonight.

The MI-B girls' basketball team has just one senior, and she is very good: 5'6' guard Sage Ganyo. She averaged over 5 steals and 5 assists per game last year. Another top player is junior 5'8" guard Hali Savela, who poured in 22 points in their season-opening win over Class 3A Stewartville. Zubich matched her scoring average from last season with 25 points in that game. In their second game, Savela drained four three-pointers in the first half against St. Croix Lutheran, who handed the Rangers their only loss by a 61-59 score way back on November 26. In that game, MI-B led 22-12 in the first half and 31-30 at halftime.

MI-B applies what I'll call "relentless" pressure at every area on the court. They are a highly motivated group who is hell bent on getting back to state and making noise after they were knocked into the consolation bracket in the quarterfinals last year by unseeded Minneota.

For the B-B-E Jaguars boys' basketball team, they are pumped up to face the No. 5-ranked team in Class 1A when they see Cass Lake-Bena as opposition on Friday this week at 2:15 p.m. at St. Cloud Apollo high school. The Panthers went 26-4 last season, and one of their four losses were at the hands of our Jaguars in a neutral-site game at Pequot Lakes high school on Friday, February 4. CL-B was upset in the Section 8A finals by Sacred Heart, who beat them 69-67 in double overtime! Crazy.

More to come. Busy times!