Here's what's been consuming much of my free time! (VIDEO)

Goodness! Gosh! Goodness sakes! Oh, I have so many words of thrill and excitement...I can say it over and over again: nothing of value can be earned without hard work! This is obviously true in the world of sports.

I have to get outside in the garden to add more cages to our tomato crop right now, as it appears we are in for another round of rain tonight. I've got video uploaded from New London-Spicer high school from a Pepsi League girls' basketball game, so I'll leave you with that before I can expand on other sports-related news. The contest featured in this video shows Class of 2032 players (6th grade) taking on Sauk Centre.

Action from late in the second half with the game in the balance!


In that video, both my daughter and Coach Moscho's daughter made huge close-range buckets that ultimately helped propel their team to a hard-fought 8-6 win. The teams played 40 minutes of basketball to combine for a total of just 14 points. It was crazy. With 1:21 left in the game, Willow (my daughter) shot a basket near the right block that tied the score at 6-6. Ava Moscho's go-ahead layup swished through the net with roughly 45 seconds remaining.

What made it really intense was that the Jaguars overcame a 6-2 deficit in the closing minutes. Needless to say, field goal shooting was difficult the entire game. B-B-E's first 2 points were both scored on free throws.

All this comes on the heels of 2 days of preparation last week and then a good portion of Saturday spent focusing on Hoops by the Lake 3-on-3 basketball, which was also in NL-S Wildcat Country. It's been a rush, and now we shift gears 100 percent towards Bonanza Valley Days in Brooten.

Speaking of Bonanza Valley Days!
**TO STAY up to date with Bonanza Valley Days, reach for your nearby copy of the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper! Also, you can see additional BVD coverage at the newspaper's website: http://www.bonanzavalleyvoice.com.