Basketball teams sweep Mainstreeters (VIDEOS!)

This blog post will be updated through tonight. I have had an incredibly long day that started with a 2-hour late start to school, a trip to Brooklyn Park for the Minnesota Newspaper Convention, then the trip back home. Busy, busy, busy. I wouldn't have it any other way! Once again I am completely blown away at everything I have taken in. This was another truly inspirational day and evening. WELL DONE! SO PROUD!

**This blog post is a wrap. The area scoreboard is posted below. A new blog post is coming after open gym tonight.

In terms of basketball, a completely packed house witnessed two outstanding games tonight as our varsity basketball teams hosted Sauk Centre on Hoops for Hope night at B-B-E high school in Belgrade. This was an incredible, incredible night to be a part of!! SO MUCH FUN! Both games were rock 'em, sock 'em battle royales from start to finish. The B-B-E Pep Band was there too, and they rocked it out across both varsity games! MARVELOUS!

For the No. 7-ranked B-B-E Jaguars girls' basketball team, the game was a defensive struggle through much of the first half before both teams opened it up. B-B-E trailed 7-0 out of the gate and had to fight for most of the first half to gain traction. They later pulled in front 17-15 before surging before halftime. At the break: Jaguars 32, Mainstreeters 25!

**See the final 3 minutes play out here in this video from the first half:


The second half was a complete defensive battle, with the Jaguars ultimately holding the No. 13-ranked (Minnesota Basketball News) Mainstreeters 16 points below their scoring average. Final: B-B-E 46, Sauk Centre 41. The Jaguars shot just 26 percent from the floor and were ice cold from the arc at just 1-for-20. Abby Berge led the way with 21 points, and next was Allison Dingmann with 9 points.

Eveen more noteworthy: the Mainstreeters entered the game as the No. 2-ranked team in Section 6AA behind Albany. Holdingford is not far behind in the third-best QRF position in their section.
The Mainstreeters girls' basketball team fell to 12-4 overall and had a four-game winning streak halted.

A goliath-vs.goliath game played out to an incredible script in the nightcap, as our No. 9-ranked B-B-E Jaguars boys' basketball team duked it out with a terrific No. 15-ranked (Minnesota Basketball News) Sauk Centre squad led by B-B-E Class of 2011 graduate Kevin Kuefler, their second-year head coach. The visitors built a quick 10-3 lead with 13:50 to go, but the Jaguars fought back and tied it just 2 minutes later on a rebound shot by Kaden Pieper. The Jaguars took a 16-14 lead on Luke Dingmann's steal and layup with 8:40 to go, and the lead expanded to 18-14 when Jamison Reed scored in the paint on an assist by Tanner Shelton.

The momentum switched hands numerous times as the first half wore down. With 3:35 to go, the Mainstreeters built a 24-20 lead. They had a 26-22 lead with 1:40 to go, but the Jaguars pulled ahead 28-26 on a bucket by Shelton with 35 seconds left. Sauk Centre pulled even on a shot in the lane. Halftime: a 28-28 deadlock!

**Here's a video featuring the end of the first half:


B-B-E had a rough start to the second half as the Mainstreeters scored 6 unanswered points with less than 2 minutes played. The 34-28 deficit was erased when Pieper scored on a cleanup shot in the paint with 12:40 to go and tie it at 36-36.

A long list of Jaguars stepped up in huge, important ways tonight. It's hard to say "this player" and "this player" stood out, because tonight was a total team effort by the Jaguars. Final: B-B-E 59, Sauk Centre 57. Brady Schwinghammer delivered three huge three-pointers in the second half to prove an offensive difference-maker. His last three-pointer came with just over 3 minutes to go and gave the Jaguars a 58-50 lead. Earlier, just after Sauk Centre tied the game on a three-pointer with 6:33 left, Schwinghammer drained a three from the left wing with over 5 minutes to go for a 53-50 lead.

*Here's a video clip from the final minute of the game; Schwinghammer's free throw was HUGE at this juncture!


The Jaguars stepped up in huge ways on defense all night. Where to begin!?!? This game had suspense written all over it from start to finish. The outcome was in doubt all the way into the final seconds. The Jaguars had three players in double figures: Luke Dingmann with 18, Kaden Pieper with 15 and Brady Schwinghammer with 13. As a team, they shot 40 percent from the floor.

The Mainstreeters boys' basketball team entered the game as the fourth-best team in Section 6AA by QRF. They're now 10-3 overall and tied for first place with West Central Area in the West Central Conference (7-2 each).


**Here's my Winter Sports Show Number 14!!


IN wrestling news! The B-B-E Jaguars wrestling team went 2-1 at Minneota today. They defeated HL-W-W 39-31 and then Minneota 33-30. I don't have a Canby score yet. **This is exciting: tomorrow (Saturday) is youth wrestling day at B-B-E high school! The Little Jags wrestling program will host a big dual tournament! If everything goes well I should make it in the afternoon. Fingers crossed.

More to come. Video is uploading. I have over 18 video clips to comb through from tonight's games. Crazy. I also shot approximately 400 pictures across the evening. CRAZY. Time to record a new sports show. I won't be back until after midnight.

Area girls' basketball scores on January 27:
BOLD 60, Minnewaska Area 45
Albany 59, Pierz 25
Pine River-Backus 61, Lake of the Woods 28
Upsala 61, Browerville 43
Verndale 56, Sebeka 45
New London-Spicer 49, Litchfield 37
Nevis 49, Greenway 26
Barnum 49, Swanville 45
Minneota 67, Yellow Medicine East 30
K-M-S 60, MACCRAY 37
Montevideo 70, West Central Area 62

Area boys' basketball scores on January 27:
Paynesville Area 62, New London-Spicer 41
A-C-GC 84, Maple Lake 37 (a CMC game)
Eden Valley-Watkins 62, Royalton 27 (a CMC game)
Albany 63, Osakis 43
Cass Lake-Bena 84, Blackduck 72
Battle Lake 52, Parkers Prairie 42
Ashby 66, Rothsay 43
Henning 83, Pillager 46
K-M-S 69, Canby 55
Browerville 65, Upsala 38
Nevis 70, Pine River-Backus 46
Hillcrest Lutheran Academy 56, Brandon-Evansville 54 OT