Step II: Jaguar boys advance to the first 'Ship! (VIDEOS)

In a hotly-contested playoff game tonight, the No. 11-ranked (Minnesota Basketball News) B-B-E Jaguars boys' basketball team prevailed 58-42 over the No. 4-seeded Hancock Owls. The Sub-Section 6A-South semifinal win lands the No. 7-ranked (QRF) Jaguars (24-4) in the championship game! This was a terrific game defensively, as the Jaguars held Hancock over 21 points below their scoring average.

The Sub-Section 6A-South championship game is Wednesday this week with tip-off at 7 p.m. back at Minnewaska Area. They will face fellow Top-20 team Border West for a section finals berth. The No. 14-ranked (No. 18 QRF) Buccaneers won 70-62 against No. 24-ranked (QRF) Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg in the late semifinal game at Minnewaska. (More on them below.)

Under head coach Chris Anderson (who took over the program in 2014-2015), the Jaguars have landed a sub-section championship berth every season except one (2016-2017)...this is outstanding! The Jaguars played in sub-section finals this century in 2002, 2004, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and now 2023! In the 1990s, the Jaguars played in the sub-section finals in 1992, 1997 and 1998.

**Here's video featuring the opening minutes of the game tonight:


After B-B-E fell behind 19-11 with 6:03 to go, they locked down defensively. Two Luke Dingmann free throws with 5:05 left cut it to 19-15, but Hancock scored on a midrange shot with 4:50 left to make it 21-15. Jamison Reed sank two big free throws with 4:25 left, and Dingmann scored from the outside with 3:12 to go. Kaden Pieper slashed left along the lane and stretched out for a shot off the glass to tie it at 21-21 with 2:14 left. HALFTIME: B-B-E 27, Hancock 23.

*Here's the last 2 minutes and 53 seconds or so of the first half against Hancock:


For the game...the Jaguars shot 29 percent from the floor and made 5 of 24 three-point shots. They went a solid 17-of-22 at the free throw line, which helped keep the Owls at bay. Three players were in double figures: Kaden Pieper (20 points), Luke Dingmann (13 points) and Brady Schwinghammer (13 points). A notable 36 to 24 advantage in rebounds was another big factor in the game.

Hancock (13-14) made just one of 21 three-point attempts, and they were 5-of-7 at the free throw line.

By the way...or in case you were wondering...my Jaguar tie now holds a record of 43-11. We suffered four losses in robotics last Friday, and then we've picked up two playoff basketball wins last Friday night and tonight. Let that sink in: I've witnessed 43 wins by B-B-E teams this winter out of 54 competitions that I've been at including wrestling, dance, boys' and girls' basketball and robotics.


K-M-S vs. Border West...
In the other semifinal tonight at Minnewaska Area, the K-M-S Fighting Saints led 2-0 out of the gate but now trail 7-4 with 15:07 left in the first half. *And a three-pointer with 14:40 left gives the Buccaneers a 10-4 lead. K-M-S's Hunter Kallstrom scored in the low post with 13:50 left to make it a 10-6 game, but the Buccaneers answered with 13:40 left with a quick layup. Later with 12:25 to go, Border West scored on a steal and layup to give them a 16-8 lead.

Deondre Holland's three-pointer cut the deficit for K-M-S to 16-13 with 7:50 left. With 6:40 left, Kallstrom scored in the paint and then sank an and-one opportunity to tie the game at 16-16. With 6:05 left, Border West sank a three-pointer to put them ahead 19-16. Later, K-M-S's Jaiden Henjum sank a three-pointer with 3:30 to go to make it a 22-21 score with Border West ahead.

Holland scored with 2 minutes to go for a 23-22 K-M-S advantage.

Brent Determan sank a three-pointer with 33 seconds left to give Border West a 30-24 lead. Border West's Number Zero then drove down a one-on-one layup with 8 seconds left to make it 32-24. And that is the halftime score. Time to head home!!!

Border West defeated K-M-S 70-62. At one point, the Fighting Saints had what was a 17-point deficit down to 5 points in the closing 2 minutes. The Buccaneers held a 49-31 lead before the Fighting Saints scored 14 unanswered points to make it 49-45. This was the second meeting of these two teams. On January 21 at Wheaton high school, K-M-S lost 71-50 to the Buccaneers.

In Sub-Section 6A-North...Battle Lake won 91-57 against Norman County East/Ulen-Hitterdal. Top-seeded and No. 4-ranked Henning (No. 13 QRF) overcame Hillcrest Lutheran Academy 68-54.


THANK YOU to our sponsors for this playoff blog post: Bonanza Valley State Bank of Brooten and Walz Design Woodworks of rural Elrosa!