Step I: incredible defensive effort falls short in playoff opener, Winter Sports Show (VIDEOS)

This blog post is being updated and expanded on Friday morning; one update includes adding area scores from Thursday night.

It was an incredible performance to take in at Brandon-Evansville high school's brand new gymnasium. Punch, punch, counterpunch...that is how the game played out from start to finish.

In the Sub-Section 6A-South quarterfinals, the B-B-E Jaguars boys' basketball team suffered a 49-43 loss to Brandon-Evansville. In the final scorebox, the Jaguars shot just 22 percent in the second half when they were held to just 22 points. B-B-E shot 5-for-31 on three-pointers for the game compared to 4-for-13 by the Chargers. Ultimately, a big difference in the game was Brandon-Evansville shooting 1-for-8 on threes in the first half and then 3-for-5 on threes on the second half.

Here's a short video clip from the final minute of the game:


In his final high school basketball game, Luke Illies poured in 22 points on 41 percent field goal shooting (9-of-22) while hauling in a whopping 16 rebounds. Fellow senior Josh Walstrom also had a fine game with 10 points, 3 assists, 3 rebounds and 2 steals.

The Chargers, who were bounced from the playoffs last year by the Jaguars, trailed 21-15 at halftime. They advance to the semifinal round, which will be this Saturday afternoon at Minnewaska Area high school. Brandon-Evansville is 14-13 overall, and they will face top-seeded West Central Area (19-8), who knocked Parkers Prairie out of the playoffs with a 77-33 quarterfinal win.

In an NBA-style game played in Hancock tonight, the No. 6-seeded Benson Braves won 93-84. Crazy. The Braves are 17-10 overall heading into Saturday's semifinals.

How the first half played out in Brandon...
The Jaguars played an outstanding first half and found their footing quickly after they trailed 4-0 to open the game. With a little over 8 minutes to go, the Jaguars carved out a 12-4 lead. At that point, they had held the 2023-2024 Little Eight Conference Player of the Year, Micah Fuller, to no points. Right at the 8-minute mark, Brandon-Evansville's second-best player, senior Tanner Riedel, scored his first bucket of the night. This broke what was a 12-0 run by the Jaguars, and the lead for the visitors was cut to 12-6.

The 12-0 scoring surge by B-B-E began with a midrange pullup shot by Luke Illies, which was the team's first field goal. The senior forward knocked this shot down with 12:03 on the clock, and the Jaguars trailed 4-3. Less than 20 seconds later, Illies stole the ball and drove it in for a two-handed slam dunk for a go-ahead basket. Dominic Ramos scored on the baseline, and Josh Walstrom hit a three-pointer at the top of the key with 9:20 left. Illies then hit a 10-footer with 8:30 to go for the 12-4 lead.

Illies hit a three-pointer with a little over 3 minutes to go for a 15-6 lead. Brandon-Evansville played over 15 minutes of the contest and had just 6 points on the scoreboard. For B-B-E, this was an incredible achievement defensively against a team that entered the contest averaging over 62 points per game. Riedel then scored on a layup with 2:48 left to cut it to 15-8.

After B-E cut it to a 15-12 score, Aiden Radermacher sank 2 free throws with 55 seconds left for a 19-12 lead. After B-E had an empty trip down court, Walstrom scored on the right block with 10 seconds to go. The 21-12 lead almost survived to the buzzer, but B-E's Riedel canned an off-balance three-pointer deep in the right corner to make it 21-15 at the break.

Here's a video featuring action in the final minute before halftime:


What can anyone say about that buzzer-beating three-pointer? It was an incredible shot. You could watch basketball for 10 years and not see something like that from beyond the arc.

Here's my latest sports show recording...it has been one month since I last recorded:


More to come after I review more game notes from Brandon...on Friday morning.

In the second half...the Chargers regained the lead on Tanner Riedel's pullup 12-footer with 13:47 left in the game. This put the home team in front 26-25. A little over 2 minutes later, a three-ball by Fuller extended B-E's rally to a game-changing 17-4 run. At this point, the clock read 11:26, and the Jaguars had an uphill battle on their hands. With 7:50 left, Illies drained a three-pointer in double coverage. With 6:18 left, Pieper scored on the arc to cap what was a 9-2 scoring run that lifted the Jaguars in front 36-35.

Josh Walstrom was fouled on a three-pointer and made 2 of 3 charity shots. The Chargers responded on the next possession with Fuller scoring in the paint and converting a three-point play. With 9:46 left, Riedel made 1 of 2 free throws, and the Chargers led 33-27. At that point, Brandon-Evansville had outscored the Jaguars by a 21-6 margin in a span of a little over 8 minutes of game time.

With 9:05 left, Illies scored on an underhanded layup and converted a free throw. Riedel scored on a fadeaway shot, and the Jaguars got back-to-back three-pointers with 7:50 left by Illies (in double coverage) and with 6:18 left by Pieper (with the ball dancing around the rim before dropping in). The three by Pieper capped a 9-2 run that lifted the Jaguars on top 36-35.

In a span of just over 2 minutes of game time, the Chargers scored 9 unanswered points starting with Fuller's three-point play with 5:54 left. B-B-E responded on the next possession with Walstrom hitting a three on the left wing. With 2:50 left, Illies stole the ball and drove in a layup on the right side to make it a one-possession game. With 2:09 left, Fuller knocked down what was a pivotal wide-open three-pointer on the right wing. The Chargers had three opportunities to widen the gap, but they missed the front end of bonus free throws twice heading into the final minute and a third time with 34 seconds to go.

With 23 seconds to go, Illies scored in the paint to make it 47-43. The Chargers held on for the win with Riedel sinking two free throws with 10 seconds to go.

In other news...
A web article has been posted to the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper website featuring the B-B-E Resistance Robotics team: https://shorturl.at/IwsmR. They are gearing up for two region competitions, the first coming next week in Grand Forks, and the other in the first week of April in St. Cloud.

To see some Smilin' D Arena coverage out of Colfax Township, click here: https://rb.gy/jf7vlz. They have a draft horse competition coming on Saturday night.

Section 6A boys' basketball (sub-section quarterfinal) playoff scores on March 6:
West Central Area 77, Parkers Prairie 73 Benson 93, Hancock 84
Border West 63, Breckenridge 62 (the No. 7-seeded Cowboys nearly knock out the No. 2 seeded Buccaneers in Wheaton)
Hillcrest Lutheran Academy 67, Frazee 52
Ada-Borup-West 85, Rothsay 49
Henning 67, Underwood 29
Park Christian 75, Norman County East/Ulen-Hitterdal 49

Area boys' basketball playoff scores on March 6:
Central MN Christian Prinsburg 76, Renville County West 37
Swanville 64, PACT Charter 58
Albany 102, Rush City 38
Melrose Area 66, Annandale 59 (in Annandale, a big upset win by Coach Duscha's Dutchmen, who are 8-19 overall)
Sauk Centre 67, Pine City 40
Osakis 69, Legacy Christian 59
Upsala 88, Maple Lake 36
Holdingford 76, Milaca 52
Mora 74, Royalton 64
Spectrum 70, Kimball Area 62
BOLD 79, Sleepy Eye 51
Springfield 74, Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City 53
Browerville 76, Sebeka 56

Irrigation Clinic...and the playoff opener! (RADIO, UPDATES, VIDEO!)

First, here's a link to the Bonanza Valley Voice website for any farmer interested in attending an upcoming irrigators clinic in Spicer: https://shorturl.at/WzdmY.

In girls' basketball action tonight in Marshall...
Late in the first half of the Section 3AA girls' basketball championship, Minnewaska Area has pulled in front 23-22 against Fairmont. This represents the first lead of the game for the Lakers.

Incredible: Minnewaska Area fell behind by as many as 12 points at two different times in the first half. At halftime: Minnewaska Area 23, Fairmont 22.

Update: from about the 10 minute mark to the 5-minute mark, the score in Marshall was Minnewaska 37, Fairmont 34...but the Lakers punched Fairmont right in the gut with a rapid-quick 11-0 run that blew the game open. The Lakers won 51-36 (I think?) to advance to the state tournament for the first time since 1999. Good for them! Bravo!

More to come...and in boys' basketball news...
The B-B-E Jaguars boys' basketball team tips off at 7 p.m. tonight in Brandon. We have radio coverage! Tonight's game will be aired on 106.5 FM The Train of Norway Lake-Sunburg. Bill Dean, Belgrade High School Class of 1972, has his broadcast streamed online: https://www.willmarradio.com/the_train.

In the opening half...the Chargers took a 4-0 lead with 13:40 left on a paint shot. Both teams struggled mightily offensively across the first 6 minutes. With 11:43 to go, Luke Illies stole the ball and drove it in for a slam dunk, which gave the Jaguars a 5-4 lead.

Here's a video from the first half tonight...starting with just over 8 minutes to go:


Halftime: B-B-E 21, Brandon-Evansville 15. The Chargers got a wild three-point shot to go down right at the buzzer from the deep right corner.

To see the final score, reload the blog to view the new blog post.

Playoff seeding and Parents and Seniors Night (VIDEOS*)

The B-B-E Jaguars boys' basketball team has been seeded for the playoffs. They will get a rematch with Brandon-Evansville on the road with the Sub-Section 6A-South playoff opener coming on Thursday, March 6 at 7 p.m. at B-E high school in Brandon. In the subsection seedings released on Saturday, the Jaguars earned the No. 5 seed with a 10-16 overall record. They are far and away playing their best basketball of the season with a 7-2 record since January 30.

The Jaguars look to avenge a 68-51 loss in Douglas County to Brandon-Evansville in the third game of the season (December 7). The B-E Chargers have a 13-13 overall record, and they went 8-8 in the Little Eight Conference.

It appeared that Hancock was destined to earn the No. 4 seed, but their late-season 78-69 overtime win against Border West helped lift them to the No. 3 seed in the subsection. The Owls (14-12) have a four-game winning streak going into their playoff opener with No. 6-seeded Benson. The full 1 to 10 seeding list is posted below the video.

Here's a video from Parents and Seniors Night last Tuesday:


Sub-Section 6A-South boys' basketball seedings:
1. West Central Area
2. Border West
3. Hancock
4. Brandon-Evansville
5. B-B-E
6. Benson
7. Breckenridge
8. Parkers Prairie
The 9. Ashby
10. Ortonville

More to come after lunch!

Here's another video from the Paynesville game...


In this last video, the clip begins with the score tied 26-26 and 7:37 remaining in the opening half. The Jaguars ultimately defeated the Bulldogs in a shootout by an 86-78 score. This achieved a fourth-place finish in the Central Minnesota Conference with a 7-7 record.

In college basketball news...
The No. 3-ranked Northland Technical and Community College Pioneers women's basketball team took it on the chin today against Rochester Community and Technical College in the Region 13B national-qualifying championship game. The Pioneers, hosting the Region 13 tournament in Thief River Falls, lost 78-65. They are not necessarily out of the running for the NJCAA D-III national tournament, but they will have to wait to see if they receive an at-large bid to see their season continue. Their record with today's loss is 21-5. B-B-E Class of 2023 graduate Tiyana Schwinghammer, a Northland sophomore, had one of the better games of her college career with a 26-point effort against the No. 1-ranked Yellowjackets. She played 37 minutes and shot 9-for-13 on field goals, 5-of-7 at the line while earning 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 blocked shots and 1 steal.

RCTC's women's basketball team improves to 21-4 overall with their 8th straight win.

In other news...
A few folders have been added to the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper's SmugMug online gallery. You can find that here: https://bonanzavalley.smugmug.com/2025-B-B-EBonanza-Valley-area-events.

State wrestling and an overtime loss

Coming tomorrow morning in the Class 1A individual state wrestling tournament, No. 6-ranked Noah Jensen faces Pipestone Area freshman and No. 10-ranked Lane Fruechte (34-6) in his next consolation bracket match. He is one of three B-B-E Jaguars wrestling team members still in contention for state hardware at Xcel Energy Center.

Consolation bracket quarterfinal matches begin at 9 a.m. tomorrow, Saturday.

No word yet on how the basketball team fared in Hancock tonight.

In college basketball news...
B-B-E Class of 2024 graduate Grace Jackson scored 2 points to go with 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals in 27 minutes of reserve play for the Ridgewater Warriors women's basketball team tonight. The Warriors faced Minnesota North College-Vermillion in a Region 13A play-in round game and won 74-34. This improves Ridgewater's record to 4-19 overall heading into tomorrow's region semifinal game with No. 1-seeded Minnesota West of Worthington. These Region 13A playoff games along with Region 13B NJCAA Division III games are being played at Northland Community and Technical College in Thief River Falls.

The NCTC Pioneers, the No. 1 seed in Region 13B, face No. 4-seeded St. Cloud Technical and Community College in a semifinal game that starts at 12 p.m. tomorrow. The host Pioneers include B-B-E Class of 2023 graduate Tiyana Schwinghammer, while SCTCC's team includes B-B-E Class of 2024 graduate Brooklyn Fischer. All Region 13 games this weekend are live streamed online with a one-time cost of $10: https://gonorth.land/pioneerstv.

And here's a basketball update...
In a hard-fought, neck-and-neck battle in Hancock tonight, the B-B-E Jaguars boys' basketball team saw an exciting winning streak halted in a 56-53 overtime defeat to the sub-section rival Owls. The Jaguars led 30-22 at halftime, but the score was tied 46-46 at the end of regulation play. Luke Illies powered the offense with a double-double of 18 points and 16 rebounds. Also in double figures was Taylor Pieper with 10 points.

The Jaguars take a 10-16 record into the Sub-Section 6A-South tournament, where it appears they should earn either the No. 5 or No. 6 seed. Hancock (14-12) seems a lock for the No. 4 seed in the 10-team subsection.

Area boys' basketball scores on February 28:
Border West 71, Brandon-Evansville 61 (2 OT)
Sauk Centre 52, Melrose Area 45
Fergus Falls 82, Willmar 70
Paynesville Area 81, Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg 73 (playoffs)
Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 83, Eden Valley-Watkins 55 (playoffs)
Minnewaska Area 61, Litchfield 27 (playoffs)
Montevideo 70, New London-Spicer 29 (playoffs)
Benson 93, PACT Charter 66

GAME NIGHT! In Jaguar Country (UPDATES)

This is game night for the B-B-E Jaguars boys' basketball team, who is hosting Paynesville Area tonight for Parents and Seniors Night. The Bulldogs entered the game in a tie for second place with Kimball Area (10-3 each) in the Central Minnesota Conference. The Jaguars came in tied for fourth place with A-C-GC with a 6-7 mark. Paynesville Area entered the game with a 71.2 points per game scoring average. On January 23 on their floor, the Bulldogs won 70-55.

This game concludes the regular season for Paynesville, who sits in third place in the Sub-Section 3AA-North standings. Win or lose tonight, the Bulldogs should enter the postseason as the No. 3 seed ahead of Litchfield (10-15).

Game updates to follow here. In the C-squad game: the Jaguars (Class of 2028) prevailed 69-63 in overtime against the Bulldogs. The score at the end of regulation was 62-62!

Game updates...
In the first half of the varsity game...the Bulldogs pulled ahead 34-28 with about 5 minutes to go. Halftime: Paynesville Area 42, B-B-E 40.

CMC series sweep (VIDEOS *Updated)

In a game that went down to the wire, the B-B-E Jaguars boys' basketball team completed a Central Minnesota Conference series sweep tonight. After trailing visiting Royalton 43-33 with 9:24 remaining, a Herculean effort down the stretch propelled them to a 51-49 win.

The Jaguars improve to 9-15 overall and 6-7 in the CMC, which is good for a tie for fourth place with Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City. Next: a home game next Tuesday against Paynesville Area.

Here's a video featuring the final 3 seconds of the game...


The Royals fall to 7-17 overall and 3-10 in the CMC.

How the first half played out...
A little over 3 minutes into the game, the Jaguars had an 8-4 lead. Royalton junior Jason Albright knocked down a three-pointer with 14 minutes left, and the Royals then took a 9-8 lead on a layup 1 minute later. The Royals slowly stretched the lead to 6 points across the next 6 minutes of the game. Trailing 17-11, the Jaguars scored 7 straight points, and a three-pointer by Josh Walstrom with 4:20 left put them ahead 18-17.

The Royals tied the game at 20-20 and then 24-24 before Taylor Pieper's three-point play put the Jaguars up 27-24 with 1:10 left. In the game's last 45 seconds, Royalton scored unanswered buckets to take a 28-27 lead into halftime. Leading the Jaguars in the first half were Lance Radermacher (9 points) and Josh Walstrom (6 points).

Here's action from later in the first half tonight:


The video begins with about 3:40 left in the first half. Lance Radermacher had just scored to give the Jaguars a 20-18 lead.

Second half notes from tonight's game...
Dominic Ramos scored in the lane for the first bucket of the second half, but B-B-E's one-point lead was short-lived. The Royals went on an 8-2 run capped by Braedon Hansen's three-pointer that put them up 36-31 with 12:53 to go. Luke Illies scored a bucket, but the Jaguars went over 3 minutes without scoring while Royalton expanded their lead to 43-33 on two free throws with 9:24 left.

Illies drained a three with 5:45 left, and Josh Walstrom went 2-for-2 at the line with 3:46 left. Walstrom then scored in the paint, and Illies canned another three-pointer that put the Jaguars on top 48-47 with 2:34 to go.

After falling behind 49-48 in the closing minute, Illies scored for the game's final lead change. Walstrom made one free throw with 3 seconds left for the game's final margin. Illies led the team with 18 points. They shot 36 percent on field goals, with Illies draining 4 of the team's 6 threes in the game. At the line, the Jaguars shot 9-for-16.

Friday afternoon update...
Additional B-B-E speech team coverage has been posted to the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper website. You can find that by clicking here: https://shorturl.at/8vcVt.

For the upcoming Brooten city council meeting, you can view the agenda by clicking over to my editor's blog: https://lifeinbonanzavalley.blogspot.com.

Central MN Conference boys' basketball scores on February 20:
Holdingford 90, Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City 67
Eden Valley-Watkins 76, Kimball Area 64
Paynesville Area 95, Maple Lake 53

Area boys' basketball scores on February 20:
Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg 74, New London-Spicer 60
Rothsay 66, Tri-State 47
Battle Lake 70, Parkers Prairie 59
Willmar 81, St. Cloud Tech 74
Browerville 87, Sebeka 50
Hillcrest Lutheran Academy 63, Norman County East/Ulen-Hitterdal 29
Brandon-Evansville 80, Lake Park-Audubon 62
Dawson-Boyd 80, Montevideo 66
Luverne 91, Minneota 60

A win and a loss (VIDEO)

Success at "Fort Knox" for the B-B-E Jaguars boys' basketball team!

After playing to an 18-18 halftime draw, the boys' basketball team rallied with a terrific second half. Final: B-B-E 61, NL-S 54. Keys to the win: the Jaguars cranked up the offense in the second half, when they shot 42 percent from the floor while also going 12-for-17 at the line. In the first half, they shot just 2 free throws while earning a frigid field goal mark of just 28 percent.

Senior Josh Walstrom led the Jaguars with 20 points after going 9-of-13 at the free throw line. Also in double figures: Taylor Pieper with 18 points and Luke Illies with 11 points. The Jaguars shot 36 percent on field goals for the game while draining 6 three-pointers. At the line, they shot 13-for-19.

Next: the Jaguars (8-15) host Royalton in a Central Minnesota Conference game on Thursday this week.

The Wildcats fell to 1-23 overall. Gavin Vick, a 6'4" sophomore post, led the Wildcats with 14 points. Brayden Skindelien, a 5'11" junior guard, added 11 points.

In girls' basketball news...
The B-B-E Jaguars girls' basketball team has completed one of their best-ever regular seasons in program history. After a 56-32 loss tonight at Royalton, the Jaguars take an 18-8 overall record into the upcoming Sub-Section 5A-East playoffs. In the CMC, the Jaguars went 11-3 to take second place alone. The 11-3 record is the third-best ever for the team. They finished 12-2 in two previous seasons in the CMC and 14-0 one time (2020-2021 in the COVID season).

The 18-8 regular season record is the fourth-best ever for a B-B-E girls' basketball team. Overall, this is the fourth time they were 18-8 heading into playoffs; other seasons were 2014-2015, 2015-2016 and 2016-2017. The regular season record for most wins was set 2 years ago, 2022-2023, when the team was 21-4 heading into the postseason.

In tonight's game, Kacey Fischer led the Jaguars with a hard-earned double-double of 12 points and 11 rebounds.

Here's a video recorded early in the first half tonight at RHS:


Next: the Jaguars host a Sub-Section 5A-East quarterfinal game on Thursday, February 27. Tip-off at B-B-E high school in Belgrade is at 7 p.m. against an opponent to-be-determined. Seeding by QRF takes place on Saturday, February 22. B-B-E has a lock on the No. 2 seed.

Central MN Conference girls' basketball scores on February 18:
Holdingford 45, Kimball Area 42 (Huskers clinch 3rd place alone in the CMC, while the Cubs finish in 4th place)
Eden Valley-Watkins 63, Maple Lake 35
Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City 60, Paynesville Area 39

GAME NIGHT! In Morrison County and in Wildcat Country (VIDEO, UPDATES!)

Two road games of differing complexions are set to play out tonight. Both should be entertaining for fans!

First, I want to share the Belgrade City Council meeting agenda, which is posted at the newspaper's editor blog: https://lifeinbonanzavalley.blogspot.com. The council meets tonight at 6 p.m.

Tonight's basketball action on the road...
The B-B-E Jaguars girls' basketball team (18-7 overall) travels to Royalton to conclude their regular season. The Royals are undefeated with a 24-0 record. They recently locked up the Central Minnesota Conference title alone with just tonight's game left. They also have a non-conference game before the Section 6AA playoffs begin. In Section 6AA, the Royals are currently ranked No. 2 out of 16 teams.

The B-B-E Jaguars boys' basketball team has a short trip south for a border battle against New London-Spicer. GAME UPDATES to follow this evening as I am able to post. Fingers crossed!

Here's a video from last Friday with the varsity game getting underway after the National Anthem was played...


Game updates to follow!

Update from Morrison County...
First off, that was quite a road trip! I think I'm mostly spoiled with mostly 25 to 45-minute long road trips (usually)...this seemed to take forever! There's only about 18 routes you can use to get from Brooten to Royalton. It was great to finally arrive at Royalton high school, where they have convenient parking and great facilities to take in basketball games.

In the JV game, the Jaguars trailed 18-13 at halftime. Final: Royalton 40, B-B-E 30. According to game reports, the Jaguars were ice cold from the floor.

In the C-squad game, the Jaguars won 38-36 in a thriller! They trailed 35-31 with 2:35 to go.

Varsity updates...the girls' basketball team trails 25-18 with 3:28 to go. Coach Anderson just called a timeout.

Halftime: Royalton 28, B-B-E 21. The Jaguars have shot poorly for the latter 15 minutes of the half.

In the second half...the game has gotten out of hand! It is very, very physical. This is a rivalry game, and it is showing. B-B-E's shots are just the bare inch off on most tries. They are gutting it out. You want the game to be done, and get the playoff march underway!

ANNOUNCEMENT: B-B-E schools is 2 hours late for Wednesday, February 19. Also! A note: the Jaguar Coffee Club at the elementary school is cancelled for Wednesday, February 19. Please pass the word!

At 9 p.m., we are leaving Royalton. More to come in a new blog post, including final scores from both varsity games.

Two CMC basketball wins (VIDEO)

As they look to continue to climb in the Central Minnesota Conference standings, the B-B-E Jaguars boys' basketball team knew they had to take care of business and continue the trajectory of improvement they've been on in recent weeks. In a road game at Maple Lake tonight, the Jaguars did just that as they completely dismantled a two-win Irish team in a "double-up" win by a 68-34 score.

Taylor Pieper and Josh Walstrom each scored 18 points to pace the Jaguars.

In the first half, the Jaguars shot the lights out with 58 percent field goal shooting as they built a 45-16 lead by the break. Next: the Jaguars (7-15, 5-7 CMC) have a border battle game next Tuesday, February 18 at New London-Spicer (1-21).

On the home floor tonight for Parents and Seniors night, the B-B-E Jaguars girls' basketball team came on like gangbusters in the first half during a 67-51 win against Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City. The Falcons led 20-10 with 8:40 left in the first half before the Jaguars went into "lock down" defensive mode and built a 38-24 halftime lead. With 4:30 left before halftime, Bree Thieschafer drained a one-handed floater on a drive from the right wing to force a 20-20 tie. The Jaguars were surging with a 17-0 run going before the Falcons got a fastbreak shot to make it a 27-22 score.

As the second half got rolling, the Jaguars had a 9-2 run for a 47-28 lead. A-C-GC could get no closer than a 13-point deficit the rest of the way.

Thieschafer was the leading scorer with 20 points. The Jaguars have now won six straight games.

Here's action from the first half tonight:


Next: the girls' basketball team (18-7, 11-2) travels to undefeated Royalton next Tuesday to conclude the regular season. In the latest Minnesota Basketball News state rankings, the Jaguars moved up to No. 7 in Class 1A. By the QRF rankings, the Jaguars have climbed to No. 15.

In a Central Minnesota Conference game played last night in Royalton, the host Royals defeated Paynesville Area 60-33 to clinch the title outright. Royalton was also solo CMC champions in the 2019-2020 season, when they went 23-6 overall and 13-1 in the CMC. They finished one game ahead of runner-up Eden Valley-Watkins that season, which was their inaugural season in the CMC. In 2018-2019, the Royals played in their last season as members of the Prairie Conference and finished as co-champions with Swanville.

Central MN Conference boys' basketball scores on February 14:
Holdingford 86, Kimball Area 68
Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City 73, Eden Valley-Watkins 57
Paynesville Area 85, Royalton 76

Area girls' basketball scores on February 14:
Maple Lake 50, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 44
New London-Spicer 70, Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg 50
Minnewaska Area 61, West Centra Area 50
Pine River-Backus 59, Cass Lake-Bena 45

Boys' hoops win shootout at A-C-GC

In a wild shootout in Central Minnesota Conference action tonight, the B-B-E Jaguars boys' basketball team held off a second-half rally by Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City in an 80-77 win. The host Falcons entered the game with a 5-5 record in the CMC, which was good for fourth place. The win improves B-B-E's record to 4-7 in the CMC (6-15 overall).

The Jaguars led 34-23 at halftime, and both teams combined for 16 three-point makes in the second half.

In a CMC boys' basketball game played last night in Royalton, the Holdingford Huskers earned their 17th straight win by defeating the host Royals 81-59. It was Royalton's fourth loss in a row.

In tonight's games...
At Paynesville Area, Kimball Area expanded a 33-30 halftime lead into a convincing win by a 72-55 score over the Bulldogs.

Area boys' basketball scores on February 11:
Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 67, New London-Spicer 61
Sebeka 60, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 45
Minnewaska Area 85, Benson 67
Sauk Centre 64, Osakis 51
Underwood 88, Battle Lake 51
Border West 85, Ashby 51

Jaguars are batting at first-place Holdingford

At halftime in Holdingford tonight, the B-B-E Jaguars boys' basketball team trails the Huskers 43-35. The game is being broadcast on Smooth Magic 107 FM of Glenwood, who streams online at https://www.kmgk1071.com.

Holdingford has 15 straight wins and held an 18-2 overall record coming into the game. They are tied for first place in the Central Minnesota Conference with an 8-1 record along with Kimball Area.

Update: with 10:50 left in the second half, the Huskers hold a 66-46 lead. Later, with 8:18 to go, the Huskers are ahead 75-57.

Final score: Holdingford 98, B-B-E 80. When all was said and done, the Jaguars could not overcome 56 percent field goal shooting by the Huskers.

Luke Illies poured in a career-high 33 points to lead the Jaguars, whose points totaled a season high.

Central MN Conference boys' basketball scores on February 6:
Paynesville Area 80, Eden Valley-Watkins 70
Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City 70, Royalton 64
Kimball Area 81, Maple Lake 36

Area boys' basketball scores on February 6:
Brandon-Evansville 80, Underwood 70
Albany 75, Melrose Area 34
Alexandria 96, Willmar 43
Upsala 73, Swanville 71
Rothsay 76, Ortonville 64

Another 2-0 day for varsity basketball teams (VIDEO)

Two games played out this afternoon at B-B-E high school with vastly different complexions.

In the first varsity game, the B-B-E Jaguars boys' basketball team won their second straight contest by defeating Browerville 70-69. The Tigers came into the game as the No. 2-ranked team in Sub-Section 5A-West. In Class 1A by QRF, the Tigers were ranked No. 41.

Next: the Jaguars travel to Holdingford on Thursday, February 6 for the start of a four-game road swing.

In the second varsity game, the B-B-E Jaguars girls' basketball team made quick work of Browerville, who entered the day with a 3-15 overall record (1-6 Prairie Conference). After building a 35-14 halftime lead, the Jaguars maintained the wide advantage in a 57-30 win.

Here's the starter introductions, tip-off and the opening minutes of the girls' basketball game:


Next: the girls' basketball team hosts Eden Valley-Watkins (3-18, 2-8) next Tuesday, February 4. They hold 14-7 overall record and a 7-2 mark in the Central Minnesota Conference.

More to come...Sunday is a crazy busy day with a JO volleyball tournament at the College of Saint Benedict.

Area girls' basketball scores on February 1:
Milaca 86, Ogilvie 47
Hinckley-Finlayson 58, Duluth Denfeld 52
Sleepy Eye St. Mary's 76, Central MN Christian-Prinsburg 69

Hoops for Hope this afternoon at B-B-E high school

This is a busy day in Jaguar Country!

Today's varsity action will be aired on 106.5 FM The Train. They stream online at: https://www.willmarradio.com/the_train. The girls' varsity game tipped off at 3:30 p.m.

Earlier this afternoon, in the boys' basketball game, the Jaguars won 70-69 over Browerville. At halftime, they led 37-30. Junior Taylor Pieper's 14 points led the Jaguars, who improved to 5-14 overall. The Tigers are now 8-6 (3-3 Prairie Conference).

At halftime, the girls' basketball team is ahead 35-14.

In youth basketball action today...
BBE's Class of 2032 5th grade girls' basketball team was 2-0 today in Paynesville. With a go-ahead basket by Adi Deters with 30 seconds left, the Jaguars beat ACGC by a 5 to 4 score. They followed that with a 13-2 win against Rocori.

One win in hand, another yet to come!...and it was a 2-0 night! (VIDEOS!)

This blog post is being updated on Friday afternoon while I'm in Brooklyn Park; including the area scoreboard for Thursday night, one additional video plus a link to my editor's blog.

The B-B-E Jaguars boys' basketball team played perhaps their best game of the season and defeated Eden Valley-Watkins tonight by a 67-62 score. The halftime lead for the home squad was 27-20. Junior Taylor Pieper led the team with 19 points. The Jaguars shot 50 percent at the free throw line (16-32) and 37 percent from the floor (23-61).

The Jaguars got out to a rough start and trailed 8-2 with 14:50 left after the Eagles scored on three straight driving layups. With 14:34 to go, Lance Radermacher connected from the right corner with a three-pointer, and the Jaguars were off to a 9-0 scoring run. Luke Illies's 10-footer with 12:30 left put the Jaguars ahead 11-8. One minute later, Taylor Pieper drove inside right of the lane to make it a 13-8 lead.

Austin Berge's three-pointer put the Jaguars ahead 16-11. With 7 minutes left, the Eagles scored on the baseline to narrow the gap to 18-16. They went over 6 minutes from that point without a field goal, while the Jaguars expanded their lead to 27-17. EV-W sophomore Caleb DeRose scored on a right corner three with 28 seconds left that made it 27-20 at halftime. Across the last 10 minutes of the first half, EV-W scored two field goals and one free throw.

As it played out, both teams shot 30 percent on field goals in the first half.

The Eagles stayed within striking distance thanks to hot three-point shooting in the second half. The first three-pointer was made with 13:45 left, and the next one just 25 seconds later. B-B-E expanded the 34-28 lead when Luke Illies hit a three with 13:10 to go. DeRose's second three-pointer of the second half was made with 10:20 to go, and this narrowed B-B-E's lead to 41-36. That was the closest they could get until the game's final minute. With 20 seconds to go, the Eagles scored on a layup that cut B-B-E's lead to 64-60. Josh Walstrom then cashed 2 double bonus free throws with 17.7 seconds left, and the Jaguars hung on for the badly-needed win.

*Here's the game's tip-off and the early minutes of the first half:


EV-W fell to 5-13 overall with their 7th straight loss.

At Holdingford, the B-B-E Jaguars girls' basketball team held a lead at halftime. I don't have more information than that.

Here's action from the second half of tonight's boys' basketball game:


Update...
In a marvelous performance, the girls' basketball team avenged a loss to Holdingford in December and won tonight by a 59-52 score. This marks their first win against the Huskers since December 7, 2021. B-B-E led 26-21 at halftime. Scoring for the Jaguars: Kacey Fischer 14, Bree Thieschafer 13, Adley Hagen 10, Macey Roering 9, Teagan Dingmann 9, Mya Worms 4.

The Jaguars improved to 13-7 overal and 7-2 in the CMC. Next is a non-conference game this Saturday in Belgrade against Browerville. Tip-off for the boys' varsity team is at 2 p.m., and the girls' varsity team should follow with tip-off at about 3:30 p.m.

That's all I've got for tonight. I have a big day tomorrow with a drive to Brooklyn Park for the Minnesota Newspaper Association annual convention. Good night!

Here's the blog link to my editor's blog, where I'm adding a few updates from Brooklyn Park at the MNA Convention: https://lifeinbonanzavalley.blogspot.com.

Central MN Conference girls' basketball scores on January 30:
Royalton 50, Kimball Area 24
Paynesville Area 70, Maple Lake 44
Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City 54, Eden Valley-Watkins 37

Area boys' basketball scores on January 3:
Holdingford 85, Foley 42
Montevideo 91, Minnewaska Area 49
Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg 87, Canby 70
Watertown-Mayer 68, New London-Spicer 64
Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 56, Melrose Area 37
Swanville 100, Ogilvie 49
Upsala 64, Browerville 60
Sauk Centre 59, West Central Area 42
Minneota 84, MACCRAY 71
BOLD 75, Cedar Mountain 74
Lac qui Parle Valley 83, Yellow Medicine East 71

Area girls' basketball scores on January 30:
Upsala 71, Browerville 33
Pipestone Area 51, Minneota 44
BOLD 68, Cedar Mountain 56
Walker-Hackensack-Akeley 73, Nevis 26
East Central 52, Hinckley-Finlayson 39
Osakis 61, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 29
Ogilvie 54, Swanville 51
Alexandria 76, Willmar 45
Underwood 66, Parkers Prairie 50
Brandon-Evansville 67, Battle Lake 42
Wheaton/Herman-Norcross 93, Hillcrest Lutheran Academy 88
Rothsay 61, Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley 49

GAME NIGHT! in Jaguar Country

A big game is on deck tonight for home fans in Jaguar Country, just as it was two nights ago. Instead of a section non-conference game, this one features a Central Minnesota Conference battle between our B-B-E Jaguars boys' basketball team and the Eden Valley-Watkins Eagles. The C-squad game started at 4:45 p.m., and the JV and varsity games will follow.

This is a huge game for the Jaguars, who sit in 7th place in the CMC with a 2-6 record. The Eagles (5-12) are 3-5 in the CMC and in a tie for 5th place with Royalton a 3-5. B-B-E is 3-14 overall, and a win is badly needed as they are currently on a four-game skid. In the meeting of the teams back on December 20, the Jaguars blew a double-digit lead in the second half, and Caleb DeRose canned a buzzer-beating three-pointer that gave EV-W a 71-70 win. He is the grandson of Jim DeRose, former Belgrade and B-B-E band teacher (1983-2002).

Sidebar: Mr. DeRose is owner of Riverside Inn of Cold Spring, whose website is: https://www.riversideinncs.com. I spent the afternoon at Riverside with my wife today. You can read more about that excursion in next week's Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper.

The varsity game will be aired on Smooth Magic 107 FM of Glenwood. They stream online, and you can listen to the game either at 107.1 FM on your radio dial or by clicking here: https://www.kmgk1071.com.

**Halftime: BBE 27, EVW 20. 

Jaguars stung in closing minute (*VIDEOS)

Note: this blog post was updated late Wednesday night with added video and an area scoreboard...

With just 35 seconds to go, the Upsala Cardinals scored the go-ahead basket via a low-percentage corner three-pointer and held on for a 54-53 win against our B-B-E Jaguars girls' basketball team tonight. It was a tough, tough loss to swallow. After holding a 28-20 halftime lead, the Jaguars saw the Cardinals whittle away at the deficit. With 5:44 remaining, the Jaguars led 49-40. They went stone cold for the remainder of the game, and a last-second shot for the win rimmed out. Then, with 0.1 seconds on the clock, two B-B-E free throws danced around the rim as heartbreak fell on the home team.

The game's final 2 minutes were wild. Upsala used an 11-0 scoring run to gain a 51-49 lead, with a shot in the paint putting them in front with 1:52 left. Nearly a minute went by before either team scored. With 1 minute to go, Bree Thieschafer scored for a tie game. With 32 seconds left, Upsala senior guard Hailie Luedtke launched a successful three-pointer in the left corner for a 54-51 lead. The Jaguars attempted to set up a couple different three-point shots, but they settled for a paint rebound putback by Kacey Fischer with 12 seconds left to cut it to 54-53. On Upsala's inbounds pass, the Jaguars got the needed turnover, but things did not work out in their favor in the closing seconds.

*Here's a short video clip that shows when Upsala scored the go-ahead basket in the final minute:


The girls' basketball team (12-7) has just one day to lick their wounds. A huge, huge Central Minnesota Conference game is on deck with a trip to Holdingford this Thursday night. The Huskers are 11-6 overall and 6-3 in the CMC. In the past 2 weeks, Holdingford was tagged with two CMC losses: 56-52 at Kimball on January 16 and 63-42 at Royalton last Friday, January 24. On December 20 in Belgrade, the Huskers defeated the Jaguars 57-51. In the CMC, the Jaguars sit just a half-game ahead of Holdingford with a 6-2 record.

Here's a video from the first half of the game:


Also...the Thursday night boys' basketball game will be aired on Smooth Magic 107 FM of Glenwood. Please spread the word!

In boys' basketball action tonight...
At Kimball tonight, the B-B-E Jaguars boys' basketball team gave a terrific effort against first-place Kimball Area. Early in the second half, with under 16 minutes left, the Jaguars trailed the Cubs 37-27. They went into halftime down 35-22. Final: Kimball Area 61, B-B-E 49.

The Cubs, who entered tonight's game in a three-way tie for first place in the CMC, are 9-5 overall (7-1 CMC). Next: the boys' basketball team (3-14, 2-6) has a big home game on Thursday this week against Eden Valley-Watkins (5-11, 3-4).

Video will be added here on Wednesday morning. It's time to get the newspaper ready for press! Good night.

Central MN Conference boys' basketball scores on January 28:
Paynesville Area 67, Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City 40

Central MN Conference girls' basketball scores on January 28:
Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City 85, Maple Lake 57
Holdingford 77, Paynesville Area 52
Royalton 58, Eden Valley-Watkins 53

Area girls' basketball scores on January 28:
Willmar 61, Sauk Rapids-Rice 19
Minnewaska Area 76, BOLD 53
New London-Spicer 85, Watertown-Mayer 59
Albany 71, Eden Valley-Watkins 46
Melrose Area 63, Benson 45
Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 54, Montevideo 45
Royalton 61, Foley 46
Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg 91, Dawson-Boyd 47
Holdingford 55, Osakis 40
Hancock 70, Battle Lake 35
Sauk Centre 62, West Central Area 55
Braham 73, Swanville 40
Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 52, Henning 44
Central MN Christian 80, MACCRAY 55

Area boys' basketball scores on January 28:
Watertown-Mayer 67, New London-Spicer 53
Montevideo 79, West Central Area 60
Parkers Prairie 49, Brandon-Evansville 47
Rothsay 65, Battle Lake 45
BOLD 73, Yellow Medicine East 41
Hillcrest Lutheran Academy 67, Hancock 61
Mora 76, Sauk Centre 75
Border West 76, Breckenridge 55
Browerville 77, Wadena-Deer Creek 55
Underwood 71, Ashby 62

A win and a loss, and Pirouettes make it 8 for 8! (VIDEO)

This blog post was updated with a Thursday night scoreboard.

Hold your hats! This is just incredible! The B-B-E/Paynesville Pirouettes dance team had two squads earn trophies tonight. At the Wabasso Invitational, the Pirouettes Varsity Jazz squad took second place. In JV Kick, the Pirouettes earned first place! That made the 82-mile drive home in the school van quite exciting tonight with two more team trophies to add to their 2024-2025 season collection! Teams competing at Wabasso tonight were Worthington, New Ulm Cathedral and the host team. Next: the Pirouettes Varsity Jazz team travels to Renville County West high school tomorrow (Friday) for the Camden Conference Championships. The stated start time is 6:30 p.m., with the National Anthem scheduled for 6:25 p.m. The B-B-E/Paynesville dance team is set to perform at 7 p.m. The Camden Conference features these teams in dance: Lakeview, Yellow Medicine East, Wabasso, Lac qui Parle Valley/Dawson-Boyd, Canby/Minneota and MACCRAY/RCW.

In girls' basketball action to the north...
In a non-conference game at Osakis tonight, the B-B-E Jaguars girls' basketball team put on a defensive clinic in a 59-25 win over the Prairie Conference-leading Silverstreaks. They were especially strong in the opening half and led 26-11 at the break.

For the game, the No. 9-ranked (Minnesota Basketball News) Jaguars shot 35 percent from the floor (4-of-10 for threes) and 7-of-13 at the line. Adley Hagen was the leading scorer with 14 points. Also in double figures were Kacey Fischer (11 points) plus Bree Thieschafer and Macey Roering with 10 each.

Here's a video featuring action early in the 2nd half at Osakis:


The Jaguars improve to 12-6 overall, while Osakis moves to 8-6 on the season. The Silverstreaks currently lead the Prairie Conference with a 4-0 record.

In the border battle at Paynesville...
For the Central Minnesota Conference border battle tonight at Paynesville, the B-B-E Jaguars boys' basketball team was right in the thick of it until the closing minutes. The Bulldogs, who entered the game tied for first place in the CMC (5-1), stretched out a two-possession lead midway through the second half to win by double digits. Final: Paynesville Area 70, B-B-E 55.

At halftime, the Bulldogs led 39-34. The second half did not go well for the visitors, however, as the Jaguars shot just 21 percent from the floor across the final 18 minutes. For the game, the Jaguars made 9 out of 33 attempts beyond the arc.

Taylor Pieper was the leading scorer for B-B-E with 20 points, and Austin Berge had a career high of 11 points as the only other Jaguar in double figures. Lance Radermacher was next on the team with 9 points.

Coming into today, Paynesville, Kimball and Holdingford were all in a virtual tie for first place in the CMC. The Bulldogs improve to 10-6 overall and 6-1 in the CMC. The Cubs were 5-1 in the CMC before tonight, and Holdingford was 4-1. The Jaguars fell to 3-12 overall and 2-4 in the CMC. Next: the Jaguars have no time to rest as they will host Holdingford tomorrow (Friday) in a CMC game. The Huskers are now 5-1 in the CMC after defeating EV-W tonight in Holdingford.

Central MN Conference boys' basketball scores on January 23:
Royalton 71, Maple Lake 30
Kimball Area 69, Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City 55
Holdingford 74, Eden Valley-Watkins 61

Area boys' basketball scores on January 23:
Fergus Falls 70, Willmar 69
Alexandria 112, St. Cloud Tech 55
Albany 59, Little Falls 26
Osakis 52, Upsala 34
Border West 56, Benson 46
West Central Area 76, Underwood 60
Browerville 89, Swanville 68
Tracy-Milroy-Balaton 85, MACCRAY 38
Lakeview 67, Ortonville 56
Dawson-Boyd 89, Yellow Medicine East 42
Russel-Tyler-Ruthton 55, Westbrook-Walnut Grove 52
Minneota 65, Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg 51

Area girls' basketball scores on January 23:
Braham 71, Ogilvie 50
Minnewaska Area 66, Montevideo 45
Melrose Area 62, Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 61
Kimball Area 56, Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 41
Litchfield 59, Paynesville Area 43
Maple Lake 53, Breck 50
Rothsay 62, Ashby 32
Swanville 71, East Central 36
Hancock 76, Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley 52
Hillcrest Lutheran Academy 72, Brandon-Evansville 35
Royalton 58, Upsala 47
Underwood 51, Wheaton/Herman-Norcross 46
Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City 61, Yellow Medicine East 59

Jaguars get back to winning (VIDEO)

In a big Central Minnesota Conference game at Royalton tonight, the B-B-E Jaguars boys' basketball team shook off what was perhaps their worst performance of the season by knocking off the Royals by a 60-55 score. The Jaguars built a lead as large as 55-43 in the closing minutes. With 8 seconds to go, the Royals had closed it to 58-55 before the Jaguars held on for the win.

Luke Illies led the Jaguars with 16 points, 4 assists, 8 rebounds and 3 steals. Josh Walstrom had 15 points, and Lance Radermacher earned his first-ever double double with 13 points and 11 rebounds. The Jaguars shot 31 percent on field goals and made 9 of 25 three-point attempts. At the free throw line, they were 15-for-24.

Royalton falls to 5-8 overall (1-5 CMC), while the Jaguars improve to 3-10 (2-3 CMC). Next: the Jaguars continue their four-game road swing with a trip into Morrison County to Upsala (9-3, 3-0 Prairie Conference) next Tuesday, January 21. The Cardinals are the No. 2-ranked team in Sub-Section 5A-East.

In girls' basketball action...
In a key Section 5A matchup, the B-B-E Jaguars girls' basketball team withstood a strong test from a young Pine River-Backus team while recording a 63-52 win. At halftime, the Jaguars led 36-20, but the Tigers scored the first 9 points of the second half. They hold an 11-6 overall record going into a big CMC game next Tuesday at Kimball Area (10-4, 5-1). The Tigers are 10-5 overall.

Kacey Fischer poured in 25 points with 11 rebounds, and Bree Thieschafer scored 16 points with 3 rebounds and 6 steals.

Here's a video from the first half of the game tonight:


In a CMC game tonight at Maple Lake, the Kimball girls' basketball team won 53-24.

In wrestling action tonight...
The B-B-E Jaguars wrestling team finished in third place out of 8 teams. Their next action is a home triangular next Thursday, January 23 with state-ranked Minneota and Canby.

Individual B-B-E results at NL-S:
107: Noah Jensen 2nd place.
114: Noah Welte 3rd place.
121: Noah DeRoo 5th place.
127: Jace Mueller 4th place.
133: Logan Oeltjenbruns 5th place.
139: Louie Tensen 6th place.
145: Dylan Koob 6th place.
152: Andrew Spanier 6th place.
160: Brett DeRoo 1st place.
172: open.
189: Hunter Laage 2nd place.
215: Carson Gilbert 1st place.
285: Eli Wold 6th place.

Team scores at NL-S tonight:
1. Pierz 232
2. NL-S 174
3. B-B-E 153
4. Eden Valley-Watkins 134.5
5. Pipestone Area 92
6. Glencoe-Silver Lake/Lester Prairie 84
7. Kimball Area 83.5
8. Sartell-St. Stephen 68

Area girls' basketball scores on January 17:
Hancock 75, Ashby 23
Sauk Centre 56, Albany 40
Royalton 66, St. Cloud Area 32
Mountain Iron-Buhl 75, Walker-Hackensack-Akeley 67

Area boys' basketball scores on January 17:
Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 57, Sauk Centre 49
Melrose Area 49, Benson 42
Osakis 67, Swanville 58
Parkers Prairie 68, Wadena-Deer Creek 43
Henning 67, Battle Lake 45
Renville County West 70, Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg 63

Three varsity teams earn wins

Updates, with a Tuesday night scoreboard, are being added to this blog post on Thursday morning.

All three varsity teams that were in action tonight earned wins in their respective competitions.

At home, the B-B-E Jaguars boys' basketball team earned a 79-64 win over Maple Lake in a Central Minnesota Conference game. This improved their record to 2-9 overall with their second straight win. In the CMC, the Jaguars hold a 1-3 record, while the Irish fell to 0-12 overall (0-5 CMC). Next: the boys' basketball team travels the short trip into Swift County on Thursday this week for a border battle at Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg (4-6, 2-4 Camden North). They have a key CMC game the next day at Royalton (5-5, 1-3) in the second of a brutal four-game road swing. They travel to Upsala next Tuesday and then Paynesville Area (7-5, 3-1) on Thursday, January 23.

At a home triangular in Belgrade, the B-B-E Jaguars wrestling team was defeated by Osakis 44-29 in the first event of the night. The Silverstreaks, who compete in Section 6A, then beat Eden Valley-Watkins to improve to 10-5 overall. In the final dual, the Jaguars defeated Eden Valley-Watkins 50-21 to improve to 3-6 overall. The Eagles, who compete in Section 4A in the playoffs, fell to 6-8 overall. Next: the wrestling team travels south to the New London-Spicer Invitational on Friday this week with a start time of 3:30 p.m.

In a road CMC game at Maple Lake tonight, the B-B-E Jaguars girls' basketball team shook off a rough first half of play while earning a 69-48 win over the Irish. The Jaguars shot just 23 percent in the first half and sat in a 29-29 tie at halftime. Bree Thieschafer led the Jaguars with 18 points on 8-of-14 field goal shooting plus 8 rebounds and 2 assists. Next: the girls' basketball team (10-5, 5-1) has their biggest game of the season so far when Royalton comes to Belgrade on Thursday this week. A win by B-B-E would pull them into a virtual first-place tie in the CMC with the Royals (11-0, 5-0) and Holdingford (10-4, 5-1).

That's it. Time to finish the newspaper for the printing press.

**Thursday night this week...
the dance team competes at home at 6 p.m. at the elementary school.

Central MN Conference girls' basketball scores on January 14:
Eden Valley-Watkins 54, Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City 41 (game played on Monday this week)
Royalton 71, Rocori 36 (game played on Monday this week)

Central MN Conference boys' basketball scores on January 14:
Eden Valley-Watkins 62, Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City 48
Holdingford 63, Kimball Area 43 (Kimball's first CMC loss of the season)
Paynesville Area 79, Royalton 54

Area girls' basketball scores on January 14:
Pequot Lakes 54, Holdingford 50
Melrose Area 64, Paynesville Area 61
Annandale 41, Kimball Area 38
Upsala 68, Mille Lacs 22
New London-Spicer 74, Litchfield 35
Lac qui Parle Valley 52, Benson 38
Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg 80, Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City 32
Bertha-Hewitt 67, Verndale 33
Braham 71, Foley 57
Minnewaska Area 59, BOLD 54
Redwood Valley 55, Montevideo 51
Osakis 54, Swanville 35
Hillcrest Lutheran Academy 57, Underwood 42
Hancock 85, Wheaton/Herman-Norcross 26
Pine River-Backus 87, Browerville 30

Area boys' basketball scores on January 14:
Upsala 75, Mille Lacs 42
Sauk Centre 67, Annandale 63
Litchfield 66, New London-Spicer 50
Underwood 71, Brandon-Evansville 60
Henning 72, Browerville 59
Montevideo 80, Redwood Valley 59
Hancock 62, Rothsay 38
Hillcrest Lutheran Academy 67, Parkers Prairie 36
Border West 76, Battle Lake 52
Tracy-Milroy-Balaton 86, Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg 57

This was a 5-and-0 night! (VIDEO)

How was it a 5-0 night? I'll take a little time to get through it all. Video is uploading from Grove City. ALSO...Saturday...this took me away from sports, but it was a great event....my wife and I attended a University of Minnesota event at Redhead Creamery. (Website: https://redheadcreamery.com.) We had a tremendous time! Now, Saturday afternoon, time to get to Eden Valley for youth girls' basketball action.

Friday night...
In a Central Minnesota Conference road game, the B-B-E Jaguars girls' basketball team faced a hard-nosed Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City Falcons squad that kept things tight through the entire first half of play. At the break, the Jaguars held a 26-21 lead. They built a lead as large as 19 points in the second half on their way to a 57-48 win.

Early in the first half, the Jaguars led 11-5 with just over 13 minutes to go. Three minutes later, the Falcons took a 12-11 lead on a three-pointer. One minute after that, with 10 minutes to go, Tiffany Dingmann drained an open three-pointer at the top of the key just before the shot clock expired. This gave the Jaguars a 14-12 lead. A defensive battle played out across the last 9 minutes of the game. With 7:35 left, A-C-GC's talented junior forward Ruby Klinger scored in the paint to put her squad in front 16-14.

B-B-E had a 7-0 scoring run capped by a shot by Bree Thieschafer with 6:20 left. The 21-16 lead shrunk to 21-19, and the Jaguars scored 5 of the last 7 points made to lead 26-21 at halftime.

A wicked full court press made a wreck of A-C-GC as the second half got underway. The Falcons struggled to establish passing lanes and quickly fell back 36-21. With 14:45 left, Thieschafer's layup capped a 10-0 scoring run that put the Jaguars ahead 36-21.

Here's a video from late in the 2nd half at ACGC tonight, with just under 5 minutes to go in the game


A-C-GC, whose tough, physical defense held B-B-E to cold 26 percent field goal shooting, fell to 3-6 overall (1-4 CMC), while B-B-E improved to 9-5 overall (5-1 CMC). Next: the girls' basketball team travels to Maple Lake (2-9, 0-5) next Tuesday for a CMC game.

In northeastern Grant County tonight...
In their best performance of the season, the B-B-E Jaguars boys' basketball team played an incredible game from start to finish and recorded a 58-44 win against Ashby on the road. The Jaguars are 1-10 overall, while the Arrows fall to 6-4 with their fourth straight loss. B-B-E's defense was terrific the entire game, and they held Ashby's top scorer, senior guard Easton Nelson, to 7 points. The Jaguars were led by Taylor Pieper's 17 points. Josh Walstrom had 14 points, and Luke Illies scored 13 points.

The Jaguars shot 33 percent from the field with 5-of-25 marks beyond the arc. They were 11-for-21 at the free throw line. Ashby shot 35 percent, including 8-of-27 marks beyond the arc. At the free throw line, the Arrows were 0-for-4 in the game. B-B-E out-rebounded Ashby 43 to 21. Sophomore forward Traeton Nelson led his team with 22 points as the lone Arrow player in double figures.

Next: the boys' basketball team hosts Maple Lake (0-10) next Tuesday in a CMC game.

Update on Saturday afternoon...
The 5-0 record comes from the JV boys' basketball team also winning in Ashby...PLUS! The JV girls' basketball team won 40-35 in Grove City, and the C-squad Class of 2029 Jaguars prevailed in a nailbiter by a 25-21 score. They had trailed 21-17 before clamping down defensively in the final stretch! WooHoo!

I have to catch up with how the wrestlers did at Minnewaska Area.

And now for wrestling news!
The B-B-E Jaguars wrestling team earned a third-place finish in a tough 11-team field at Minnewaska Area tonight. They finished with 147 points, just behind runner-up Thief River Falls's 149 points. Little Falls, ranked No. 6 in the latest Class 2A Guillotine rankings, won the team title with 208 points. The host Lakers were in fourth with 134 points.

The Thief River Falls Prowlers wrestling team, which competes in Section 8AA, is a co-op team that includes athletes from high schools in Goodridge, Warren-Alvarado-Oslo, Marshall County Central and Red Lake County Central.

Individual results by weight division:
107: Noah Jensen 1st place.
114: Noah Welte 2nd place.
121: Noah DeRoo 5th place.
127: Jace Mueller 4th place.
133: Logan Oeltjenbruns 5th place.
139: Louie Tensen 3rd place.
145: Dylan Koob did not place.
152: Andrew Spanier 6th place.
160: Brett DeRoo 1st place.
172: open.
189: Hunter Laage 3rd place.
215: Carson Gilbert 1st place.
285: Eli Wold 6th place.

Looking ahead...
Tomorrow, the B-B-E/Paynesville Pirouettes dance team travels to the A-C-GC Invitational. The competition gets underway at 11 a.m. at A-C-GC high school.