Two varsity basketball wins (VIDEOS)

This blog post was updated on Saturday night with basketball scores from Thursday and Friday night...

The B-B-E Jaguars boys' basketball team played an outstanding game tonight against visiting state-ranked Upsala in a non-conference game. After leading 34-23 at halftime, the Jaguars held the Cardinals 16 points below their scoring average in a 62-51 win. B-B-E's next boys' basketball game is next Tuesday, January 9 at home against Holdingford. That game will be aired on 106.5 FM The Train of Norway Lake-Sunburg.

In their win over Upsala tonight, the boys' basketball team shot 37 percent from the floor and were led by three players in double figures: Luke Dingmann with 17 points and 10 rebounds, Luke Illies with 15 points and 8 rebounds and Hayden Sobiech with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Getting two players into a double-double is huge! Jordan Herickhoff and Kaden DeRoo each had 7 points, and rounding out the scoring was Josh Walstrom with three points.

**This is exciting...the boys' basketball team has climbed to No. 3 in the Sub-Section 6A-South standings from No. 4. Slipping one spot to No. 4 is Hancock, who has won two straight but played lesser opponents than the last three opponents that B-B-E has defeated.

In a Central Minnesota Conference game where they badly needed a win, the B-B-E Jaguars girls' basketball team got back in the win column while snapping a five-game skid as they defeated host Eden Valley-Watkins 77-41. This squares their record at 6-6 overall going into next Monday's non-conference home game against Litchfield.

Against EV-W, scoring in double figures were Brooklyn Fischer (16), Kacey Fischer (15) and Anna Jaeger (13). Faith Radermacher had her best game this season with 9 points and 4 steals with a perfect 4-of-4 mark at the free throw line. For the game, the Jaguars shot 50 percent from the floor and were 18-of-23 (78 percent) at the line. A big key to the win were 7 successful three-point shots on 20 attempts.

I'll be circling back to wrestling later tonight and getting more complete information posted here. The wrestling team hosts a key triangular on Tuesday next week in Belgrade with Benson and Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg coming to town. They are both Section 5A opponents. I also have to share that Maximus Hanson earned the Most Valuable Wrestler award at tonight's invitational. He won the 172-pound title with three first-period falls to his credit. As a defending state champion from last season, he is once again on a mission!!! Coming out of tonight, his record this season is 22-0. He has verbally committed to wrestle at No. 1-ranked Division III Augsburg College of Minneapolis.

Here's Tanner Viessman winning at 145 pounds today...and the start of Brett DeRoo's match:


A few of the upper weights had terrific matches. It was a fun night of wrestling as the Jaguars got back into action after a long layoff. Their previous competition was on December 21. I managed to pull of watching the entire finals round of the invitational and make it to Eden Valley for the majority of the girls' basketball game. I arrived with about 8 minutes left in the first half and the Jaguars ahead 29-15. Looking at their schedule, it doesn't appear that I'll see them play again until January 16.

Here's a video from the 1st half of the MI-B game on Saturday, December 30:


I didn't get much updated here on Friday night, I ended up enjoying time at Lucky Shots Bowling Alley with a big crew of Jaguar fans! That was fun. Our community is extremely fortunate to have this bowling alley here in town!

Central MN Conference girls' basketball scores on January 5:
Royalton 60, Paynesville Area 53
Holdingford 56, Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City 45
Kimball Area 68, Maple Lake 23

Area girls' basketball scores on January 5:
Minnewaska Area 53, West Central Area 47
Sauk Centre 41, BOLD 39
Browerville 55, Upsala 51
Montevideo 39, Lac qui Parle Valley 38
Osakis 44, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 27
Cass Lake-Bena 79, Pine River-Backus 53

Area boys' basketball scores on January 5:
New London-Spicer 66, Rockford Area 54
Paynesville Area 81, Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg 39
Melrose Area 60, Montevideo 59
Sauk Centre 73, BOLD 57
Bertha-Hewitt 63, Ashby 58
Hutchinson 68, Willmar 39
MACCRAY 82, Yellow Medicine East 34

Area boys' basketball scores on January 4:
Brandon-Evansville 62, Rothsay 57
Osakis 70, Melrose Area 53
Underwood 71, Battle Lake 47
Ashby 67, Border West 56
Annandale 64, Albany 43
Hancock 65, Parkers Prairie 55
Benson 58, Renville County West