extended sports coverage for the B-B-E community brought to you by the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper in Brooten, MN. (Address: P.O. Box 250, Brooten) http://www.bonanzavalleyvoice.com. Please submit feedback in writing to the address posted above. **This is Minnesota's oldest varsity high school sports blog. We hope to keep it going into the future!
Monday, December 22, 2025
Two border battle losses (VIDEO)
In games with vastly differing play in the final minutes, we suffered two non-conference border battle losses tonight.
In a closely contested game at Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg high school, the B-B-E Jaguars girls' basketball team had their three-game winning streak end with a 47-42 loss.
The Jaguars suffered from ice cold 3-for-24 three-point shooting in the game. They missed all 12 three-point attempts in the first half. At the free throw line, they went 7-for-11. Overall on field goals, B-B-E shot just 25 percent (16-for-62). Teagan Dingmann was the leading scorer with 19 points.
The Fighting Saints (5-2) entered the night averaging 72.6 points per game. They are currently the No. 3-ranked team (QRF) in Sub-Section 3AA-North behind Minnewaska Area and New London-Spicer.
In boys' basketball action...
In a home game, the B-B-E Jaguars boys' basketball team were in a one-possession contest early in the second half with K-M-S after trailing 29-21 at halftime. Across the last 10 1/2 minutes of the game, the Fighting Saints shot the lights out and extended a 39-34 lead to a 67-46 final score to improve to 4-1 overall. The Minnesota-Scores.net records are incomplete; on December 8, the Fighting Saints lost a Camden Conference game at Dawson-Boyd. To date, that is their only loss.
K-M-S has a key Sub-Section 3AA-North game at Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City tomorrow night.
Here's a lengthy video featuring the National Anthem tonight and more...
The opening minutes of the game were rough. B-B-E's first successful field goal came with 10:40 on the clock.
Here's a video recorded in the middle of the first half:
In other news...Christmas news!
I don't want you to take your eye off the ball from the Christmas and holiday season! You can click over to the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper website and take in songs performed at East Norway Lake Lutheran church on Saturday: NorwayLakeJingleBells.
The River Lakes girls' hockey team defeated Delano/Rockford 3-1 on Saturday to snap a two-game skid. They move above .500 to 6-5-1 overall heading into tomorrow's game at the Buffalo Ice Arena. The Stars face Buffalo/West Lutheran/Maple Lake/Annandale, who has a 5-9 overall record.
B-B-E's Lillian Thompson has now faced 351 shots on goal with 315 saves. She's logged all 620 minutes of goalie time for the Stars through 12 games.
In boys' and girls' wrestling news...
At the Jackhammer Invitational in Pequot Lakes on Friday and Saturday, the B-B-E Jaguars wrestling team placed 20th out of 29 teams with 47.5 points in a tie with Albany. In first place was Staples-Motley, who had 260 points. The runner-up was Perham with 154 points, and Paynesville Area took third with 147.5 points.
In the girls' brackets, B-B-E sophomore Elizabeth Rademacher placed first in the 125-135 division. In the championship, she won by fall (20 seconds) against Isabella Jackson of Detroit Lakes. B-B-E freshman Marianna Baker placed third with a 1-2 record in the 135-139 division.
It has taken nearly a week! But I am finally getting to band concert video from the Christmas concert last Tuesday night.
Here's the second song performed by the senior high band that night:
The name of the song performed was The Rowan Tree, arranged by Randall Standridge.
More to come.
COMING on Monday night:
The basketball teams have home-and-away border battle action with Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg. The girls' basketball team travels to K-M-S high school in Kerkhoven; the C-squad game starts at 4:15 p.m. Meanwhile, the boys' basketball team hosts K-M-S in Brooten. For the boys, the C-squad and JV games start at 5:30 p.m
Sunburg Community Players perform at Norway Lake (VIDEOS)
The Sunburg Community Players performed a special Sing-Along concert at East Norway Lake Lutheran church this afternoon. It was part of a fundraiser for ENL's grand piano project.
Here's a video featuring some of the first songs performed:
Another cold night ahead in the Bonanza Valley! I hope you can consider taking a trip to Belgrade for dining at the Mexico Querido restaurant this weekend. They are open today (Saturday) until 9 p.m. Their hours on Sunday are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. They are closed on Mondays.
And now it's Sunday morning...
I encourage you to drive to Belgrade today and enjoy a meal at Mexico Querido. I met with the owner, Jose, and his family last night. They are a hard-working and super friendly group of people to get to know. Mexico Querido is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., and you can order takeout.
Big Grove Lutheran Church held their Sunday School Christmas program, and the kids and the two directors (Kiara Quade and Shannon Wander) did a marvelous job working with them. They should be commended!
Here's another video from the Christmas Sing-Along at Norway Lake:
Girls' basketball nabs ugly win at Melrose (VIDEOS*, Updates)
It was not pretty, but the B-B-E Jaguars girls' basketball team survived a late comeback attempt by Melrose Area after building a 17-point lead in the second half. A buzzer-beating three-pointer by the Dutchmen made the final score 59-56. After falling back by a wide margin, the Dutchmen turned up fullcourt pressure in an attempt to thwart B-B-E's speed. They also became more effective at forcing long shots with better interior defense.
With about 8 minutes to go in the first half, the Jaguars had a 17-6 lead.
Here's a video from the middle of the first half:
The Dutchmen played even with the Jaguars for the next 3 minutes, but a baseline shot by Macey Roering, a shot in the paint by Mya Worms and a free throw by Teagan Dingmann made it 26-14 with 3:44 left.
Here's a video from later in the first half:
The Dutchmen closed out the first half with an 8-2 run in the last 3 minutes before halftime.
In the second half...
A three-pointer by Makenna Roelike extended B-B-E's lead to 35-22 with 11:11 left. Back-to-back shots by Teagan Dingmann and Kamie Fischer brought the score to 39-24 with 9:40 left, and additional field goals by Jacinta Jackson and Worms made it 46-29 with 6:30 left.
Credit to Melrose, the chips were down after they fell back by 17 points, and it appeared that B-B-E was on its way to blowing the Dutchmen off the court. Across the next minute of play, however, the Dutchmen went 4-for-4 on two trips to the line and also got a three-point play from junior Aubrey Funk. Funk's three-point play with 5:27 left made the score 46-36, as the home team found new life.
After the Jaguars had an empty trip to the free throw line for a bonus opportunity, Avery Braegelmann went 3-for-3 at the line to cut B-B-E's lead to 46-39.
With 5 minutes to go, Teagan Dingmann scored on a fastbreak layup for a badly needed bucket. From that point on, however, the Jaguars got just one field goal on Macey Roering's shot in the paint with 2:50 left. That shot put the lead at 53-43, and the last 6 points they scored were all on double bonus free throw tries.
Here's a 4-minute video clip featuring the last 18 seconds of the game:
The final field goal attempt from near half court was launched by Melrose senior guard Kaitlyn Klasen.
Some light game statistics...
The Jaguars shot a cold 30 percent from the floor, made just 2 of 14 three-point attempts and were 17-of-34 at the free throw line. Teagan Dingmann was the leading scorer with 15 points.
Next: the Jaguars (5-1 overall) now travel the opposite direction on Monday for a second straight border battle. This time, the Jaguars head to Swift County to Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg. The Fighting Saints were 4-1 overall heading into tonight's game at Minnewaska Area. It is a huge game for K-M-S, as both teams are in Sub-Section 3AA-North. Update: the Lakers beat K-M-S 77-44.
With their third straight loss, the Dutchmen fell to 1-4 overall. Their lone win was by a 61-46 score at Paynesville Area on December 2.
That's all I can post for now...I just spent the last hour delivering B-B-E Blaze JO volleyball pizzas, and I'm also in the midst of 2025 tax preparation.
Coming on Saturday! Don't forget! The Norway Lake Lutheran community is hosting a Christmas Jubilee sing-along at East Norway Lake Lutheran Church. Their soup meal starts at noon, and the singing gets going at 1 p.m. Read all the details, including the cost, by clicking over to the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper website: NorwayLakeChristmasJubilee.
Central MN Conference girls' basketball scores on December 19:
Eden Valley-Watkins 52, Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City 47
Paynesville Area 67, Maple Lake 43
Central MN Conference boys' basketball scores on December 19:
Holdingford 87, Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City 55
Area girls' basketball scores on December 19:
Henning 59, Battle Lake 53
Foley 70, Upsala 26
New London-Spicer 80, Annandale 32
Yellow Medicine East 80, Montevideo 49
Willmar 79, St. Cloud Crush 12
West Central Area 55, Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 49
Ogilvie 69, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 57
Osakis 58, Browerville 21
Underwood 48, Parkers Prairie 35
Ashby 40, Hancock 37
Minnewaska Area 77, Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg 44
Swanville 63, Sebeka 36
Area boys' basketball scores on December 19:
Willmar 86, St. Cloud Tech 76
Brandon-Evansville 83, Kimball Area 79
Annandale 81, New London-Spicer 54
Benson 85, Lac qui Parle Valley 52
CMCS 97, Paynesville 54
Melrose 58, Minnewaska 50 (Dutchmen improve to 2-3 overall and break a 3-game skid)
The B-B-E Jaguars girls' basketball team is in a makeup game tonight with a Stearns County border battle at Melrose Area.
In the C-squad game, the Jaguars overcame a 17-16 halftime deficit to pull away in the closing minutes. Final: B-B-E 42, Melrose 32.
Due to technical difficulties, I am unable to add an advertisement here. I want to give a huge shout out to our two community banks, who both held Christmas customer appreciation events today. Kudos to the staff of Bonanza Valley State Bank of Brooten and Kensington Bank of Belgrade! They advertised these events in the December 11 and 18 issues of the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper. That advertising keeps this sports department going!
Varsity halftime score: B-B-E 28, Melrose 20. Macey Roering and Mya Worms are both leading the Jaguars with 8 points each. The second half will start at about 6:33 p.m.
When I left Belgrade this morning for an errand to Elrosa, the temperature on the minivan said 30 degrees. It was also raining. Less than 15 minutes later, the van's thermometer said 24 degrees...but it was still raining. The van's defroster had to remain on high to keep the windshield from icing over.
About 1 hour after that, the word went out at 10:19 a.m. saying that B-B-E schools is dismissing at noon today. No after school activities.
Gosh, dang it!
Odd and strange is the best way I can say how the day's weather is shaping up! Multiple evening activities for tonight have been scrubbed and/or postponed. It wreaks havoc on the activities office. The home dance competition will likely be sometime in January.
Now, I can get caught up on multiple other tasks such as office cleaning and photo/video editing.
In case you weren't there, the Elrosa Santa Day event brought over 100 kids to town. The organizers there should be proud of the response by families in and around Elrosa!
Here's Amy Zenzen of Elrosa reading to children that morning...click on the following link to see more: ElrosaSantaDay2025.
Looking ahead briefly to tomorrow...the B-B-E Jaguars girls' basketball game at Melrose has a unique schedule. The C-squad Jaguars face the Dutchmen at 4:15 p.m., and the varsity game is set to begin at about 5:45 p.m. Please spread the word! I am seeing a "ticket link" at the school website, which makes me wonder if Melrose accepts cash at the door when paying for your ticket to watch the game.
ALSO tomorrow! The Bonanza Valley State Bank and Kensington Bank will both hold Christmas-season customer appreciation events. They advertised in the December 11 and 18 issues of the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper. The support of these two banks is vital to the survival of the newspaper and its sports department. I can't repeat that enough.
And back to coverage of Tuesday's concert...
Click over to the newspaper's website to watch the senior high choir singing at Olson Auditorium: SeniorHighChoirCarolBells.
In other news...
In the Clara City Herald newspaper this week, they reported on the MACCRAY's school budget. I noticed their property tax levy was set at $5.283 million for the 2026-2027 school year. For comparison, B-B-E recently set their tax levy for the same period at $2.861 million. That's a massive difference. It should also be noted that B-B-E and MACCRAY have very similar K-12 enrollment figures.
At Renville County West school, their 2026-27 levy was set at $2.591 million. Their school is a bit smaller than B-B-E, so that levy amount seems more in line from my perspective.
The Padua Pub Customer Appreciation is being held today until 8 p.m. This was advertised in the December 11 issue on page 3.
THANK YOU, Dave and Clara! My family will be there later this evening!
Also! Don't forget about Bonanza Valley State Bank and Kensington Bank...they are both loyal and regular supporters of the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper and our sports department! Click to read about their events coming on Friday: BanksCustomerAppreciation2025.
The Padua Pub was hopping tonight! I enjoyed visiting with Mr. and Mrs. Julius Evenson of Crow Lake Township. Always a treat to see good friends out and about in our communities!
Let's go back almost 2 weeks to the Brooten Santa Day evening:
When the dust settles, I'll have Brooten Santa Day coverage in the December 11, 18 and 25 newspaper issues.
Preparation: Christmas concert is tonight at the high school (VIDEO)
It's been weeks in the making for the school staff and students, and tonight's the big night! The B-B-E high school will host their grades 6-12 Christmas music concert. It starts at 7 p.m. at Olson Auditorium.
This is another busy weekend around the Bonanza Valley. The Belgrade Commercial Club and the Sedan Community Group both hosted Santa Day events. The youth Jaguars wrestlers traveled to New London-Spicer for their first competition of the 2025-2026 season. Also, the Highway 55 youth basketball teams both got their season going at Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg, both boys and girls in grades 4-6.
A handful of area churches have Sunday School Christmas programs tomorrow. Hopefully you're able to watch one of them, or perhaps you got to see one last weekend.
Exciting news! The B-B-E 7th grade Class of 2030 Jaguars girls' basketball team earned third place in the Central Minnesota Conference tournament today. They defeated Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City in the quarterfinals, lost to Maple Lake in the semis and then defeated Paynesville Area in the third-place game. Their roster features 9 players, and they were coached by Class of 1996 graduate Trish Thieschafer. The win over A-C-GC was in sudden-death overtime, and the game-winning basket was a free throw by Addison Reese.
Here's a video that's a week old, from the Hoops For Hope Saturday against Brandon-Evansville:
After that tough two-point loss, the Jaguars have two wins on back-to-back nights. On offense, the Jaguars are averaging 68.6 points per game.
Here's a video from the first half of Thursday night's BOLD game:
The Jaguars trailed 20-18 at the start of that video to the Warriors. A three-pointer right around the 9-minute mark by sophomore Makenna Roelike put the Jaguars up 21-20.
Scheduling update: the girls' basketball team travels to Melrose on Friday, December 19 for a makeup game. They play at Kimball Area on Thursday, December 18.
Also tomorrow, Hopeful Hills Ranch has their final day of their Christmas sale and open house. Read more on that here: HopefulHillsRanchChristmas.
At open gym tonight, they are approaching a turnout of 60! That's wonderful! The first open gym night, which was held on November 22, had a turnout that passed 60. Tonight's open gym at the high school is sponsored by Rustic Designs Flower Farm of Burbank Township.
Reminder about the new restaurant open in Belgrade...
At the former Saucedos Restaurant location, Mexico Querido is now open on main street in Belgrade. Their business phone number is 320-633-0002. Their hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Monday through Saturday. They are open on Sundays from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. I hope to get more coverage posted here online: MexicoQueridoRestaurant.
At the Grant County Invitational on Saturday, the B-B-E Jaguars wrestling team placed 10th out of 12 teams. The top finisher was Noah Jensen, who took 2nd at 114 pounds.
Girls' and Boys' basketball Jaguars get double-digit wins (VIDEOS, UPDATES*)
This blog post is being updated early Saturday morning and then another time later in the day. Two additional videos were added on Saturday morning.
In Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City tonight, the B-B-E Jaguars girls' basketball team improved to 4-1 overall with a 67-46 win over the Falcons. After clinging to a one-point halftime lead, the Jaguars exploded for 43 second-half points. A total of 7 players scored at least 7 points. The team was led by Kacey Fischer's 20 points; she was limited by rough A-C-GC play and tough foul calls in the first half and scored just 2 points in the first 18 minutes.
Excellent 19-of-25 free throw shooting was a key factor in the win. They're now 2-0 in the Central Minnesota Conference.
A-C-GC falls to 2-4 overall and 0-2 in the CMC. They have 7 seniors on the team, but the best one did not play (5'11" forward Ruby Klinger).
Next: the girls' basketball team travels to Kimball Area next Thursday for another CMC game.
Central MN Conference girls' basketball scores on December 12:
Royalton 77, Eden Valley-Watkins 34 (Royals pick up first win after an 0-3 start against tough Section 6AA rivals)
Holdingford 63, Maple Lake 34
Kimball Area 58, Paynesville Area 52
In boys' basketball action...
At home, the B-B-E Jaguars boys' basketball team defeated Upsala 52-42 after they led 28-17 at halftime.
The Cardinals chipped away at the double-digit halftime deficit to trail 35-32 with 9 minutes to go. Taylor Pieper's three-point play with 7:42 left started a 13-2 run that put the Jaguars in control. Austin Radermacher's fastbreak shot with 35 seconds left helped seal the win with the game's final points scored.
The Cardinals fell to 2-2 overall. They shot just 23 percent on field goals and were 4-of-10 at the free throw line.
Here's a video from the middle of the second half tonight against Upsala:
Upsala brought a strong fullcourt press in the waning minutes of the game, but they shot poorly.
It's worth noting that their parents and fans rallied behind the team after their school bus was unable to start in Upsala. Supporters rallied with car pools to drive the players to Brooten. A school bus was sent eventually and was able to drive the players back home.
Here's a video during the last 2 minutes of the game:
Next: the boys' basketball team travels to Paynesville Area next Thursday for the CMC opener.
In the home wrestling triangular...
The B-B-E Jaguars wrestling team suffered a heartbreaking 36-35 loss to Kimball Area in the second of two duals tonight in Belgrade. In the first dual, Paynesville Area defeated the Jaguars by a 57-11 score. The wrestlers have no time to rest as they travel west to Barrett for the West Central Area duals tomorrow.
The Jaguars trailed 18-11 through 133 pounds, but Dylan Koob's win by fall cut that to 18-17.
Here's Dylan Koob winning at 139 pounds against Kimball:
In the 127-pound match, B-B-E's Elizabeth Rademacher earned her 50th career win. She won by fall over Teagan VanNurden. In the other dual, Paynesville Area defeated Kimball Area 60-18.
I'll expand out additional wrestling coverage on Monday with another video clip, which will feature Rademacher's win.
In local business news...this is exciting!
Here's a quick shout out to the new Mexican restaurant in Belgrade! They opened today to the public for the first time in the former Saucedos location on main street. I encourage you to go down and meet their staff! They are open tomorrow, Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. On Sunday, they are open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. I'll get more coverage of their restaurant at the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper website this weekend.
On Saturday afternoon this weekend...
On Saturday, December 13, the Sedan Community Group is excited to host Santa Day from 1 to 3 p.m. at Heidi's Bar. Children are invited to come take a picture with Santa Claus. Other activities include hayrides, and hot cocoa and cookies will be served. Kids can also receive a small toy, while supplies last. Heidi's Bar is located at 203 Marsh Street in downtown Sedan.
This blog post is a wrap.
Area boys' basketball scores on December 12:
Renville County West 70, Maple Lake 65
Border West 67, Tri-State 42
Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City 94, Alden-Conger/Glenville-Emmons 74
Foley 63, Kimball Area 44
Henning 72, Pillager 55
Area girls' basketball scores on December 12:
Minnewaska Area 56, Sauk Centre 44 (the Lakers and Mainstreeters were in a 23-23 tie at halftime in Sauk Centre)
New London-Spicer 95, Rockford 41
MACCRAY 67, Ortonville 21
BOLD 114, Montevideo 21 (BOLD led 72-13 at halftime in Bird Island)
Renville County West 71, Yellow Medicine East 62
Upsala 70, Benson 47
Hillcrest Lutheran Academy 83, Brandon-Evansville 39
Parkers Prairie 65, Battle Lake 41
Wrestling is home, boys' basketball is home (RADIO, UPDATES)
On a frigid, sub-zero evening, we have home cooking for two varsity teams.
At the high school, the B-B-E Jaguars wrestling teamis trailing Paynesville Area 45-11 after the 189-pound match is complete. The Jaguars are hosting a Central Minnesota Conference triangular that also includes Kimball Area.
In girls' basketball action...
The Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City Falcons are hosting the B-B-E Jaguars girls' basketball team in a CMC game. The varsity game started at 5:30 p.m. That game is being broadcast on Smooth Magic 107 FM of Glenwood. Through 7 minutes, the Falcons are on a 10-0 run and hold an 11-4 lead in the first half.
With 9 minutes to go, the Falcons are ahead 16-10.
Halftime: with Kacey Fischer and Mya Worms playing through early foul trouble, the Jaguars hold a 24-23 lead at the break. Halftime started at 6:12 p.m. Kamie Fischer is leading the Jaguars with 7 points and 3 rebounds.
Final: B-B-E girls' basketball 67, A-C-GC 46. The Jaguars are 4-1 overall.
Also at home tonight, the B-B-E Jaguars boys' basketball team is hosting Upsala in non-conference action. The JV boys defeated the Cardinals by single digits. In the varsity game, the Jaguars led 28-17 at halftime.
Jaguars win shootout in overtime vs. BOLD (VIDEOS, UPDATED*)
The game was up for grabs until the last 2 seconds were on the clock in overtime. Once 40 minutes of cutthroat, run-and-gun basketball was complete, the B-B-E Jaguars girls' basketball team had an 87-81 win to their credit over the BOLD Warriors.
At halftime, the Jaguars held a 48-37 lead. Through regulation play, the score was tied 78-78. BOLD's Erika Martinson, 5'6" sophomore guard, swished a three-pointer at the top of the key with 5 seconds left in the second half to force overtime. With 3:48 left in the second half, Martinson drained a corner three-pointer that lifted BOLD on top 70-68. That field goal was her first of the game, and she finished with 11 points.
The game had a slow start, and the Jaguars led 5-3 two minutes into the first half.
With 14:26 left, Teagan Dingmann's three-pointer put the Jaguars ahead 10-5. The Warriors gained a 12-10 lead, but Reese Kampsen scored with 13 minutes left to tie the score. BOLD led 18-14 and then 20-16 with 10 minutes to go.
Back-to-back three-pointers by Macey Roering made it a 30-25 lead for B-B-E, and they expanded that to a 43-30 advantage with Kacey Fischer's fastbreak bucket at the 1:55 mark.
I've got some extensive notes to work through.
Here's a video featuring the start of the game:
It was a WILD second half...
The Jaguars looked good in the first minute out of the locker room. Tiffany Dingmann's three-pointer extended their lead to 51-37 with 17:25 left. BOLD's Martinson responded with a three-pointer with 16:09 left, and the Warriors were on an 11-0 run that took 2 1/2 minutes of game time. With 13:02 left, Macey Roering knocked down an off-balance 12-foot shot for a 53-48 lead.
Back-to-back shots from Mya Worms and Reese Kampsen made it 57-50 with 11:10 left. Just 2 minutes later, BOLD's leading scorer, sophomore Lilly Henriksen, cashed two bonus free throws to cut B-B-E's lead to 59-56. Roering's layup with 8:34 left gave the Jaguars a two-possession lead, and shots in the paint from Kamie Fischer and Worms pushed the lead to 67-58 with 7:15 left. The Jaguars went into a cold spell, while the Warriors used a 12-1 run to gain a 70-68 lead after Martinson's first field goal of the game with 3:48 left.
Martinson drained her second three-pointer of regulation with 66 seconds left which put BOLD ahead 75-74. Tiffany Dingmann's fastbreak shot on a terrific assist from Teagan Dingmann made for another lead change before the Warriors tied it at 78-78 to lead to overtime.
Here's action from the second half of regulation:
And! Here's a lengthy video featuring the last 2 minutes of the second half.
Second half action, as regulation play ends:
In overtime, Mya Worms scored in the paint with 3 minutes to go for an 81-78 lead. The Warriors got 2 double bonus free throws with 1:59 left, and they tied the game with one free throw with 1:44 to go. Kacey Fischer made a field goal with 1:35 left, and Worms scored a cleanup shot in the paint for an 84-81 lead.
B-B-E had strong 42 percent field goal shooting for the game. Two Jaguars had double doubles: Kacey Fischer (25 points, 14 rebounds) and Macey Roering (19 points, 10 rebounds). Reese Kampsen had 7 points off the bench.
BOLD, who was 4-1 coming into the game, is a contender in Section 2A. Sophomore guard Lilly Henriksen led all scorers with 33 points.
There's no time to rest, as the Jaguars have a big Central Minnesota Conference game coming tomorrow night at Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City. **NOTE: the tip-off of the varsity girls' basketball game in Grove City is at 5:30 p.m. The JV game will follow that at about 7 p.m. The Falcons are 2-3 overall and 0-1 in the CMC; in their latest game, which was on Monday in Grove City, the Falcons lost 44-34 to Kimball Area.
In girls' hockey news...
In girls' hockey action tonight, the No. 19-ranked River Lakes Stars lost 3-0 to the St. Cloud Crush in Paynesville. The Stars are now 5-4-1 overall and 2-1-1 in the Central Lakes Conference. They travel to Fergus Falls next Tuesday for a big CLC game against the first-place Otters. Fergus Falls and Alexandria are tied for first in the CLC with 3-0 records.
According to the latest statistics I see at the Star Tribune hockey hub, B-B-E sophomore Lillian Thompson has played goalie for River Lakes in all 10 games. She's logged 518 minutes and faced 302 shots on goal. She's recorded 272 saves for a 90.1 percent save rate.
Have you checked out the forecast? Even tomorrow looks crazy! Once the sun rises on Friday, the temperature will slowly drop to below zero. We have a brutally cold weekend coming our way. I was delayed in blogging tonight after spending about a half hour shoveling snow away from our parking areas on the street and by our sidewalk.
A quick shout out to Jane Fauskee and her Hopeful Hills Ranch business in Gilchrist Township! She has a big Christmas Sale and open house this weekend at her ranch. Her business website is: https://www.hopefulhillsranchalpacas.com/farm-and-herd.
Area girls' basketball scores on December 11:
Osakis 51, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 18
Milaca 75, Upsala 51
Hutchinson 47, Annandale 32
Pierz 67, Upsala 58
Breckenridge 81, Border West 32
Pine River-Backus 85, Blackduck 47
Nicollet 67, Renville County West 47
Benson 64, Dawson-Boyd 53
Brainerd 63, Willmar 59
Alexandria 55, Fergus Falls 46
Underwood 65, Parkers Prairie 34
Sartell-St. Stephen 72, St. Cloud Crush 19
Breckenridge 81, Border West 32
Hancock 57, Canby 50
Lac qui Parle Valley 54, Wabasso 51
Central MN Christian 86, Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg 74
Area boys' basketball scores on December 11:
Sauk Centre 66, BOLD 34
Barnesville 74, Minnewaska Area 54
Albany 67, Annandale 55
New London-Spicer 73, Redwood Valley 72
Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 68, Montevideo 66
Rothsay 98, Parkers Prairie 67
Holdingford 73, Little Falls 36
Willmar 58, Sauk Rapids-Rice 54
Browerville 81, St. John's Prep 44
Hancock 61, Border West 60
Osakis 60, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 35
West Central Area 54, Melrose Area 53
Ashby 64, Brandon-Evansville 44
St. Cloud Cathedral 91, Royalton 56
K-M-S 69, MACCRAY 43
Central MN Christian 74, LQPV 27
Dawson-Boyd 89, Ortonville 51
The preliminary games are in the book for tonight's home action against the BOLD Warriors. The B-B-E Jaguars girls' basketball team is looking to get past their tough two-point loss to Brandon-Evansville on Saturday. Their home game on Tuesday was snowed out. In tonight's C-squad game, the Jaguars won a nailbiter by a 37-35 score. That B-B-E squad is now 2-0. In the JV game, the Warriors won 46-40. The Jaguars trailed 38-31 with just over 7 minutes left, and they cut that to 42-40 with under a minute to go.
The varsity game's tip-off should be at about 7:20 p.m.
HALFTIME: B-B-E 48, BOLD 37. Kacey Fischer has 15 points to lead a balanced attack in the first half, while Macey Roering has 12 points. The Warriors have two heavy scorers with 19 (No. 2) and 14 points.
In the second half...the Jaguars went up 51-37 after Tiffany Dingmann's three-pointer, but the Warriors scored 11 unanswered points for a 51-48 score. With 13:02 left, Macey Roering scored to break the drought and make it a 53-48 lead.
Emf of regulator: it's tied 78-all. The final score will be posted in a new blog post.
We're in the single digits tonight as the temperatures head towards zero. An Alberta Clipper has added around 5 inches of snow in the past 36 hours while ushering in bitter cold.
The mood was bright at the Women's Expo on Saturday...even as The Grinch made his appearance!
Brooten was buzzing with activity all day and into the evening on Saturday. It was a wonderful time.
A short web article has been posted online at the Bonanza Valley Voice website providing a review of Santa Day in Brooten. Click here to see that: BrootenSantaDay2025. Attached to the web article is a video from Brooten's lighted Christmas parade.
And now it's Thursday...
If you didn't know already, traveling on rural roads is tricky. Multiple stretches of Highway 55 around Brooten and Belgrade are coated with stubborn and dangerous ice patches. Please travel lightly!
Tonight: the girls' basketball team hosts BOLD in a non-conference game. The C-squad game starts at 4:30 p.m.
Also at the Bonanza Valley Voice website, a wrestling article was posted. An attached video features action from the 215-pound match against BOLD on December 2. Here's a link to see that: BBEwrestlingDecember2.
Christmas caroling on Main Street...and the weather! (VIDEO, UPDATES*)
B-B-E schools dismissed classes and let students out at 11:15 a.m. today. Two separate bands of snowfall wreaked havoc across the area, the latter hitting us between 3 and 5 p.m. No evening activities are taking place.
Here's a Christmas caroling video from last Friday at the Belgrade Bakery:
The B-B-E 6th grade Class of 2032 students had a shopping excursion last Friday afternoon. The gifts, purchased by donated funds, are being gathered for local families in need. Additional coverage is coming in the Bonanza Valley Voice.
Time to get back to the newspaper.
Tuesday night updates:
B-B-E schools has announced that school will start 2 hours late on Wednesday, December 10.
The River Lakes Stars girls' hockey team earned a 3-1 win on Saturday in Cloquet against the co-op team of Cloquet/Esko/Carlton. The Stars are 5-3 overall (2-0 Central Lakes College) and host the St. Cloud Crush (5-2) on Thursday this week in Paynesville at 7 p.m.
Tonight's boys' basketball game that was supposed to be at Long Prairie has been rescheduled to January 26.
Tuesday activities could be scratched out by the weather (VIDEO)
It's too early to know for sure, but it's looking dicey on whether or not varsity activities will take place on Tuesday night. The forecast looks rough! Sleet/rain/snow is supposed to hit our area in the afternoon before temperatures plunge below the 32-degree mark. The forecast calls for 3 to 5 inches of sleet and snow with 20-30 mph winds coming in the evening.
Here's the first video I recorded during the Brooten Santa Day event on Saturday:
In local business news...
Be sure to get these events on your calendar...customers of our community banks of Bonanza Valley State Bank and Kensington Bank are invited to their Christmas open house events. Read more by clicking here: BankChristmasEvents.
An exciting win and a tough, tough loss (VIDEOS*, updates)
Two varsity games played out today with vastly differing styles.
In the first varsity game, the B-B-E Jaguars boys' basketball team evened their record at 1-1 with a blowout win over Brandon-Evansville. In the opening minutes of the second half, the Jaguars expanded a 38-31 lead to a 17-point margin. Final: B-B-E 68, Brandon-Evansville 51. The Jaguars lost 66-42 last Tuesday in their season opener at Minnewaska Area.
The Chargers boys' basketball team fell to 1-2 overall.
Both of B-B-E's JV squads defeated Brandon-Evansville. For the boys' JV team, they overcame a double-digit deficit. In the final minute, sophomore Walker Winter put the Jaguars ahead with a three-pointer. He later sank 2 free throws to give the Jaguars the win.
In the varsity boys game, the Jaguars played with great intensity and hustle after halftime. Coach Rambow was able to utilize multiple reserves down the stretch after the lead approached 20 points. It was a great team win. They are set to travel to Long Prairie next Tuesday, but the weather may change that.
On the girls' basketball side...
Brutal, ice-cold shooting cost the B-B-E Jaguars girls' basketball team a shot at a 3-0 start to the season today. After holding a 26-19 halftime lead, the Jaguars went stone cold from the floor in a 50-48 loss to Brandon-Evansville. Down 50-46 late in the game, Kamie Fischer made two bonus free throws. The Jaguars fought to the bitter end, but a last-second field goal shot was thwarted by physical play with no foul called.
In the second half, the Jaguars launched 35 field goal attempts, but just 7 went through the basket. Their overall field goal shooting was a dismal 26 percent.
The Chargers girls' basketball team improved to 3-1 overall. They were coming off of a 74-62 loss last night to visiting Hancock in a Little Eight Conference game.
The C-squad girls' basketball team won their season opener by defeating the Chargers 28-16.
It's hard to say when the next basketball games will take place. The current forecast calls for 3 to 5 inches of snow on Tuesday. On the home front (or rather, office front) I have 16 videos to go over from today and at least 300 pictures taken from multiple events. It was a crazy, crazy busy Saturday.
Here's a video from the second half of the boys' basketball game today:
Here's a video featuring Coach Anderson speaking about the Hoops For Hope fundraiser:
*Here's a video added on Sunday that has the tip-off and opening minutes of the girls' basketball game:
In wrestling news...
At the Parkers Prairie triangular on Thursday night, the B-B-E Jaguars wrestling team fell to 2-3 overall with a 61-9 loss to Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg followed by a 54-24 loss to Parkers Prairie/Bertha-Hewitt/Verndale. In the other dual on Thursday night, PP/BH/V lost 34-32 to K-M-S. The wrestling team's next action is on the home mats on Friday, December 12 with a Central Minnesota Conference triangular. The other teams are Paynesville and Kimball.
In other news...
The Brooten Santa Day events were a smashing success! The turnout was remarkable. Huge crowds gathered at both Lucky Shots Bowling Alley and across the street at the KaDe Shack. For the lighted Christmas parade, Main Street was packed end to end with vehicles.
Earlier today, Elrosa hosted a terrific Santa Day at the Ss. Peter and Paul Catholic church basement.
That's all I've got for this blog post tonight. Church is at 10:30 a.m. tomorrow. It's time to call it a day.
Coming on Sunday: Grace Lutheran Church hosts a Christmas program at 2 p.m. that features music by The Porch Players from Kandiyohi County. Everyone is welcome! No admission charge!
In college volleyball news...
B-B-E Class of 2022 graduate Emily Kern saw her women's volleyball career come to a close on Saturday night in the Central Region Championship, which is the Division II Sweet 16 round. The winner of that match advances to the Elite 8 of the NCAA DII National Tournament. Kern was a senior defensive specialist for the St. Cloud State University Huskies, who won the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) tournament to advance to the national tournament.
In the Sweet 16 on Saturday, the No. 5-ranked SCSU Huskies faced No. 4-ranked and NSIC rival Concordia-St. Paul. The match was played at the Health and Sports Center at the University of Nebraska-Kearney. The Golden Bears avenged a loss in the NSIC tournament finals with a 3-2 win, which included a 15-10 win in game five. Kern had 16 digs and one set assist.
Today, the Hoops For Hope cancer awareness fundraiser will be part of a long stretch of games at B-B-E high school. The JV teams (boys and girls) both start at noon. The B-B-E Jaguars are hosting Brandon-Evansville.
The C-squad boys' basketball game begins at 1:15 p.m. in the auxiliary gymnasium. The varsity boys' basketball team has a tip-off in the main gymnasium of 1:30 p.m. While that's taking place, the C-squad girls' basketball game starts at 2 p.m. in the auxiliary gymnasium. Finally, the varsity girls' basketball team faces Brandon-Evansville with tip-off at 3 p.m.
You all should be aware by now that the Brooten Santa Day activities start at 4 p.m. today. The poster will all activities on it was published on page 12 of the November 27 and December 4 Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper issues.
The River Lakes girls' hockey team is at Cloquet this afternoon. Their match just started at about 3 p.m.
Don't forget about the Elrosa Saints baseball party at the bar and lounge tonight! All fans are invited! This event will include meat raffles, and it starts at 6 p.m.
At Minnewaska tonight, the B-B-E/Paynesville Pirouettes dance team is competing in their season opener.
And here's a link to read about Brooten Santa Day, which is tomorrow! Click here: BrootenSantaDay2025.
And! Here's a video recorded this afternoon at Kensington Bank in Belgrade:
I'll write a little more on this blog post early tomorrow morning. Today has been a busy day, and it's just a preview of a super busy coming tomorrow.
Girls' basketball is on the radio; Jaguars hammer Cardinals
Smooth Magic 107 FM has the call tonight with Brady Erdmann covering the B-B-E Jaguars girls' basketball team's game at Upsala. They broadcast on 107.1 FM on the radio and online at their website: https://www.kmgk1071.com. The Cardinals are 0-1 on the season after losing at home to their neighbors to the north, Little Falls, by a 70-33 score on Tuesday.
At halftime, the Jaguars are ahead 36-22. Tiffany Dingmann is leading the Jaguars with 10 points, and Mya Worms has scored 9 as the next top scorer.
B-B-E pounded on Upsala in the opening minutes of the second half. The Cardinals scored the first bucket after halftime, but the Jaguars scored 8 straight to go up 44-24. It was all B-B-E from that point on.
Final score: B-B-E 78, Upsala 43. The Jaguars (2-0) had 5 players in double figures! Other teams are going to have to pick their poison, because the Jaguars have multiple shooters on the floor at any given time. Excellent three-point shooting was a key to the win. The Jaguars connected on 8 out of 17 shots beyond the arc. Overall, they shot 43 percent on field goals while going 11-for-19 at the free throw line.
Next: the Jaguars host Brandon-Evansville on Saturday with games going all afternoon at the high school. It is a boys/girls doubleheader with the Chargers as the team also has their Hoops For Hope cancer awareness fundraiser.
The River Lakes Stars girls' hockey team has had a strong start to the 2025-2026 season. They currently hold a 4-3-1 overall record after an exciting 3-2 win at Sartell/Sauk Rapids-Rice on Tuesday in Sartell. This also raised their Central Lakes Conference record to 2-0. Next is a road game at Cloquet on Saturday.
Area girls' basketball scores on December 4:
Sauk Centre 53, Annandale 41
Albany 67, Royalton 64
Foley 71, Kimball Area 40
Braham 68, East Central 25
Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 57, Swanville 56
Jaguar wrestlers defeat BOLD, Quad County; girls' basketball wins at Eden Valley (VIDEO)
The B-B-E Jaguars wrestling team is hosting a quadrangular at the high school tonight. In one of their duals, they defeated BOLD 39-36.
In the second-to-last dual of the night, Wabasso defeated Quad County 42-26.
The quadrangular concludes with the Jaguars facing Quad County (MACCRAY/Renville County West/Yellow Medicine East co-op).
Final score in the final dual: B-B-E 48, Quad County 24. They are 2-1 overall to start the dual campaign, which is remarkable with only 2 seniors on the roster.
Here's a video from the BOLD dual at 172 pounds:
Aiden Mueller won that match by a 10-8 decision.
Next for the wrestlers: the Jaguars travel to Parkers Prairie on Thursday this week for a triangular with Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg and Parkers Prairie/Bertha-Hewitt/Verndale. Action in Ottertail County begins at 5 p.m.
In basketball news...
For their season opener, the B-B-E Jaguars girls' basketball team has a 41-25 lead at halftime at Eden Valley-Watkins.
At Minnewaska Area, the B-B-E Jaguars boys' basketball team trails 13-2 with just over 13 minutes to go. The Lakers have scored 13 straight points. Coach Rambow has called his first timeout. Later in the first half, the Lakers have opened up a 24-10 lead with 6 minutes to go.
At halftime: the Jaguars fought like mad in the final minutes and closed the gap to a 28-16 score at the break in Pope County.
Later in the evening...
In their season and Central Minnesota Conference opener, the girls' basketball team defeated Eden Valley-Watkins on the road by a score of 63-43. Now they can put revenge on their minds when they travel to Upsala on Thursday this week for a non-conference game. The Cardinals earned an upset victory in last year's subsection semifinals over the Jaguars.
Tiffany Dingmann had a career-high 14 points to lead the Jaguars, who shot a respectable 37 percent on field goals while overcoming cold 50 percent free throw shooting. Overall, a total of 8 Jaguars found the scoring column. Two other Jaguar were in double figures: Teagan Dingmann with 13 and Kacey Fischer with 11.
A home quadrangular is coming for the B-B-E Jaguars wrestling team, who hosts three teams with action starting at 5 p.m. The teams include Quad County, Wabasso and BOLD. In the preseason Guillotine rankings, Section 5A has 3 teams ranked in the Top 10: Minneota, Canby and Paynesville Area. The Jaguars hold a spot in the Lean and Mean rankings along with fellow section teams Benson and Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg.
For individual state rankings, the Jaguars open the season with just one ranked wrestler: freshman Noah Jensen at 121 pounds.
The B-B-E Jaguars girls' basketball team opens their season on Tuesday with a Central Minnesota Conference game at Eden Valley-Watkins. This is the first time in a generation or more that the girls' basketball team has a season opener against a conference opponent.
The B-B-E Jaguars boys' basketball team begins their season on Tuesday with a border battle at Minnewaska Area.
Now you're caught up.
In the varsity wrestling quad...
The B-B-E Jaguars opened up the evening by facing Wabasso at 5 p.m. Later in the varsity match against the Rabbits, the Jaguars trail 24-15 after Noah DeRoo won a 7-2 decision at 145 pounds.
