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!
Sunday, June 28, 2026
Success at the Dells
The varsity-level basketball teams from B-B-E found success at the Wisconsin Dells this past week. I have a report on the girls but not the boys.
The B-B-E Jaguars girls' basketball team had an easy time for their Monday games in Wisconsin and swept through three opponents. On Tuesday, they had a stiff challenge in the first game but also got a win. They ended with two close losses to very strong teams to complete a 4-2 record in the Dells.
The B-B-E Jaguars boys' basketball team had a 3-3 record in the Dells.
Step III: Jaguars fight to the end, season upended by Braham (VIDEOS)
A terrific start during which the B-B-E Jaguars girls' basketball team could do no wrong became a faded memory by halftime in tonight's Sub-Section 5A-East championship game. Braham overcame a 14-point deficit to lead 30-26 at halftime. The Jaguars could get no closer than 2 points in the second half as they saw their season end in a 64-51 loss.
How the first half played out against Braham:
Against relentless ball pressure, the Jaguars punched top-seeded Braham out of the gates and led 18-4 after 8 minutes had been played. The 14-0 run that gave the Jaguars that huge early advantage was followed by an incredible 16-1 run by the Bombers.
With 15:45 left, Braham scored to tie it at 4-4 on a layup. Over 2 scoreless minutes played out before the Jaguars rocked the Bombers with a flurry of scoring. Starting at the 13:36 mark when Macey Roering scored her 3rd basket of the game, the Jaguars scored 14 unanswered points in less than 4 minutes. When Tiffany Dingmann banked a three-pointer for an 18-4 lead, the clock showed 9:46 left before halftime.
Here's a video from early in the first half as the Jaguars were pulling away from a 4-4 tie:
With 9:10 left, Braham's Emily Davis knocked down the first three-point shot for the Bombers. This basket started a 9-0 run for Braham, and a fastbreak shot by the Bombers brought the score to 18-13.
Here's another first half video from tonight's game in Foley:
By halftime, Braham's 30-26 lead resulted after they outscored the Jaguars 26-8 across the last 9 1/2 minutes before the break.
How the second half played out:
Early in the second half, the best the Jaguars could do was play even with Braham across the first 6 minutes. The biggest basket of the game for B-B-E was delivered on a successful three-point shot by Tiffany Dingmann with 11:11 to go. This shot brought the Jaguars to a 40-38 deficit.
Braham proceeded to outscore the Jaguars 24-13 across the game's final 10 1/2 minutes.
The Jaguars shot a cool 34 percent from the floor, but more difficult was 9-of-17 free throw shooting. Tiffany Dingmann had an outstanding game with 14 points and 5 rebounds. Mya Worms scored 13 points and 5 rebounds, and Kacey Fischer had 11 points plus 5 rebounds.
For the Jaguars, a terrific conference championship season came to an end with a final record of 20-9. They shook off back-to-back subsection semifinal losses the past 2 years to earn a championship berth for the first time since 2022-2023.
For Braham, they are looking to erase a 13-year state tournament drought. Their last state berth was in 2012-2013, when they finished 32-1 and lost 60-59 in the Class 2A state championship game. They went 0-1 at state the prior season. In the 2010-2011 season, the Bombers went 31-2 and won the Class 2A title by defeating Minnehaha Academy 68-61 in the state championship. Braham was state runners-up in 2009-2010, during which they fell to Minnehaha Academy in the Class 2A state finals.
In Sub-Section 5A-West at Wadena tonight...the Pine River-Backus Tigers survived a mild upset bid by Cass Lake-Bena with a 54-51 overtime win. The Tigers will meet Braham this Friday at SCSU's Halenbeck Hall for a berth in the state tournament.
In Class 2A playoffs, Sauk Centre will face Milaca for a state tournament berth this Friday at SCSU. The Mainstreeters are 22-6 overall and are playing their best basketball of the season at just the right time. The Sauk-vs-Milaca game will be a rematch of the season opener, which Sauk Centre won 60-55 on their home floor.
Area girls' basketball playoff scores on March 3:
Hillcrest Lutheran Academy 62, Rothsay 46 (Rothsay finishes 22-7 with one of their best seasons in recent history)
Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton 56, Menahga 44
Breckenridge 61, Underwood 58
Sauk Centre 72, Foley 67
Milaca 71, Pine City 39
Area boys' basketball playoff scores on March 3:
Montevideo 74, Luverne 61
Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 69, New London-Spicer 37
Central MN Christian-Prinsburg 89, Renville County West 45
Mayer Lutheran 77, BOLD 57
Minnewaska Area 60, Litchfield 55
We make the trek once again over to Foley high school for the Sub-Section 5A-East playoffs. The B-B-E Jaguars girls' basketball team will face top-seeded Braham in the subsection championship with a 7 p.m. tip-off. The game will be aired on Smooth Magic 107 FM of Glenwood. (Thanks, Brady!)
I'm guessing the Minnewaska boys play tonight...so 107.1 FM will have their game tonight instead. I'll see what I can find out about the radio stations that are here in Foley.
If you want to get caught up on local events, click over to the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper website's community calendar: BBEareaEvents2026.
Here's a video featuring the end of the Swanville game:
That video above begins with about 1 minute, 8 seconds left in the game.
Here's a video starting with just over 5 minutes left against Swanville:
When that video started, the Jaguars led 41-36. They outscored the Bulldogs 10-3 in those final 5 minutes.
Tonight's opponent, Braham, is 22-6 overall while seeking their first state tournament trip since 2012-2013. In that season, Braham went 32-1 and lost a heartbreaker 60-59 in the Class 2A state title game. The Bombers are ranked No. 14 in the most recent QRF rankings, while the Jaguars are No. 17.
UPDATES:
With just under 3 minutes left, Braham senior guard Bridget Golly drained a deep three-pointer for a go-ahead basket by the Bombers. This shot lifted Braham to a 25-24 advantage. HALFTIME: Braham 30, B-B-E 26. At the break, Mya Worms has 8 points, Macey Roering has 6 points, and Kacey Fischer has scored 5 as the leading scorers. Braham's sensational junior guard Morgan Rysdam is leading the Bombers with 11 points.
With 1:25 left, Rysdam drained a clutch three-pointer just before the shot clock expired. This three put Braham ahead 28-26 after Mya Worms scored to lift B-B-E ahead 26-25. The second half is starting at about 7:42 p.m.
**With 7 minutes left in the game, the Bombers are ahead 52-40.
The final score will be posted in a new blog post.
In the other subsection, Cass Lake-Bena and Pine River-Backus are playing in overtime.
Step II: Jaguars shake Saturday jinx, advance to the 'Ship! Jensen finishes with state silver medal
A terrific second half performance, fueled by outstanding defense in the final 10 minutes of the game, lifted the B-B-E Jaguars girls' basketball team to a 51-39 playoff win against the Prairie Conference champion Swanville Bulldogs. The Jaguars displayed lights-out defense across the final 10 minutes of the game, during which the Bulldogs scored just 6 points.
NEXT: the Jaguars (20-8) head to the Sub-Section 5A-East championship game, which is on Tuesday, March 3 at Foley high school. The opponent will be state-ranked Braham. Tip-off will be at 7 p.m. Braham is 22-6 overall after defeating Upsala 67-39 in the other semifinal today in Foley. The Cardinals finished 11-17 overall.
Last season, Braham went 23-6 and lost 61-59 in overtime to Walker-Hackensack-Akeley in the Section 5A championship. Two seasons ago, W-H-A defeated Braham 67-63 in the Section 5A finals.
Here's the start of today's game in Foley:
AS FOR STATE WRESTLING...Noah Jensen's title match should start at about 3:30 p.m. today. He is on Mat 1. **Update: Noah lost a 6-1 decision in the championship match to Kenyon-Wanamingo sophomore Liam Sommer (48-1). Jensen finishes one of the best-ever freshman wrestling seasons at B-B-E high school with a 45-4 final record. He was an outstanding 3-1 at state with a silver medal after he earned a bronze state medal (3rd place) as an eighth grader.
In the 114 championship today, Jensen fell behind 1-0 in the second period. He got an escape to tie it 1-1 in the third period. With a little over 40 seconds left in the third, Sommer got a takedown to go up 4-1. A late two-point near fall was also earned by Sommer for a final score of 6-1.
Don't forget that the Belgrade Lions chili cook-off contest is from 5:30 to 7 p.m. tonight at the Belgrade VFW. It's just $5 for any member of the public to be able to participate. Please do your part to suppor this event. You can read more details at the Bonanza Valley Voice website: BelgradeLionsChili2026.
Area girls' basketball playoff scores on February 28:
Foley 56, Albany 47
Sauk Centre 58, Kimball Area 40 (Cubs finish a fine season 20-8 overall)
Milaca 51, Royalton 47 (Royals finish 17-11 overall)
Pine River-Backus 70, Bertha-Hewitt 54
Cass Lake-Bena 52, Sebeka 45
Willmar 56, Fergus Falls 53 OT
Rothsay 58, West Central Area 56 (the Cardinals avenge two Central Lakes Conference losses this season with this Section 8AAA playoff win at Fergus Falls)
Hillcrest Lutheran Academy 80, Hancock 44
Championship wrestling, basketball consuming the afternoon (*UPDATES)
A big day is underway! The championship wrestling session begins at 1 p.m. in Saint Paul. I just finished up with my daughter's basketball games at Cold Spring. It's time to head east. I'm thrilled to report that the B-B-E 6th grade Class of 2032 girls' basketball Jaguars went 2-0 today at Rocori high school. They defeated Kimball 23-10 and then K-M-S 17-4. This concludes their 2025-2026 Highway 55 league season.
At Foley, top-seeded Braham is taking apart Upsala in the first semifinal game. With 2:23 left, the Bombers hold a 64-35 lead. Smooth Magic 107.1 FM will carry today's girls' basketball game against Swanville. Please spread the word! Smooth Magic streams online at https://www.kmgk1071.com. The pregame music at Foley is terrific! REO Speedwagon is on the loudspeakers with 8 minutes to go before the 20-minute timer ends.
As of 1:30 p.m., Noah Jensen is not in the wrestling queue. I'll follow that up until the tip-off of the basketball game in Foley. Tip-off for the Sub-Section 5A-East semifinals between our B-B-E Jaguars girls' basketball team and the Swanville Bulldogs should take place at about 1:47 p.m.
HALFTIME in Foley: No. 3-seeded Swanville 21, No. 2-seeded B-B-E 16. The Jaguars were playing with mild foul trouble and utilized their depth to push through without any players getting their third personal foul. Nightmarish shooting from the floor has been the biggest obstacle to overcome this afternoon. Also hurting is free throw shooting of just 5-of-10 at the line. Leading the way for the Jaguars is Teagan Dingmann with 8 points. She's followed by 5 points from Macey Roering and 3 by Mya Worms. Swanville's Addison Hudalla leads the Bulldogs with 14 points.
The Jaguars led 16-11 but went stone cold from the floor. With 1:19 left, a free throw by Swanville lifted them in front 17-16.
The second half should start at about 2:31 p.m.
UPDATE in the second half: the Bulldogs hold a 33-28 lead with 10:43 to go after Addison Hudalla scored on the right block. MORE TO COME in a NEW blog post.
Displaying a surprising level of athleticism for a 7th-seeded team, the Mille Lacs Raiders hit some outside shots for a competitive first half. The B-B-E Jaguars girls' basketball team responded by running the floor and building a 38-23 halftime lead. Stifling second-half defense by the Jaguars propelled them to a 68-39 playoff-opening win.
Mille Lacs, who competes in the Great River Conference, finished 7-20 overall.
Here's a video recorded in the first half tonight:
Next: the Jaguars (19-8) travel to Foley high school on Saturday, February 28 for the Sub-Section 6A-East semifinals. Tip-off at Foley is at about 1:45 p.m. B-B-E's opponent will be No. 3-seeded Swanville. I'm currently combing my newspapers to find Swanville statistics from their recent games.
In their playoff opener tonight, Swanville (15-11) defeated visiting East Central 68-53. The Bulldogs won the Prairie Conference title with a 9-1 record. Back on February 17, Swanville defeated Mille Lacs 62-28. Across most of January and into early February, Swanville had an 11-game winning streak going. That was upended by Melrose, who beat Swanville 56-35 on February 9.
Swanville's leading scorer is 6'1" sophomore Addison Hudalla. Through 25 regular season games, Hudalla averaged 19.6 points per game and 15.8 rebounds per game.
TOMORROW: the B-B-E Knights of Columbus will host their first Lenten season fish fry on Friday night from 5 to 8 p.m. at the KaDe Shack in Brooten. Please come out and show your support!
In games played in Sub-Section 5A-West tonight: Sebeka upset last year's Section 5A champion, Walker-Hackensack-Akeley, with a 45-43 win over the Wolves in tonight's quarterfinal round. Sebeka has a 6-17 overall record.
Area girls' basketball playoff scores on February 26:
Braham 63, Hinckley-Finlayson 23
Upsala 65, Ogilvie 59
Bertha-Hewitt 67, Nevis 38
Pine City 60, Melrose Area 56
BOLD 74, Springfield 27
Albany 71, Milaca 42
Foley 80, Spectrum 42
Legacy Christian 75, Holdingford 64
Royalton 60, St. Cloud Cathedral 56 (the Royals are 17-10 overall; this win at Cathedral high school avenges their 78-68 loss in the season opener to St. Cloud Cathedral)
Milaca 71, Maple Lake 36
Kimball Area 84, PACT Charter 70
Sauk Centre 59, Osakis 22
West Central Area 65, Benson 27
Hancock 79, Parkers Prairie 72
Cass Lake-Bena 65, Browerville 50
Willmar 67, St. Cloud Crush 42
Pine River-Backus 79, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 40
Tip-off is at 7 p.m. tonight at the B-B-E high school. The B-B-E Jaguars girls' basketball team is hosting No. 7-seeded Mille Lacs in the Sub-Section 5A-East quarterfinals. Mille Lacs high school is in Onamia in eastern Minnesota.
The Jaguars are 18-8 overall, and the Raiders are 7-19 overall. Mille Lacs struggles on offense and averages just 39.6 points per game. In the Great River Conference, Mille Lacs went 2-11.
HALFTIME: B-B-E 38, Mille Lacs 23.
The final score and more will be posted in a new blog post after 9 p.m.
One more to state wrestling; girls' basketball earns No. 2 seed
At Canby high school today, the B-B-E Jaguars wrestling teamhad individual Section 5A competition underway starting at 10 a.m. Once the dust settled, freshman Noah Jensen earned his second trip to the state tournament by winning the 114-pound title. At 139, freshman Noah DeRoo took third place as the other high finisher for the Jaguars. Two additional freshmen, McCoy Detloff and Jace Mueller, each placed 5th.
At state last year at 107 pounds, Jensen took third place and finished 39-8. He was the only underclassmen member of last year's Jaguars to compete at state. Jensen joins Elizabeth Rademacher in the state trip, as she won the 130-pound girls' Section 5 title on February 7 at St. Michael-Albertville high school.
In basketball news...
The Sub-Section 5A-East rankings show the B-B-E Jaguars girls' basketball team as the No. 2 team out of a field of 8 schools. Braham has the top seed for the playoffs that begin on Thursday, February 26. The Jaguars have an 18-8 record and will host Mille Lacs in their quarterfinal game in Belgrade on the 26th. Tip-off is at 7 p.m.
Swanville, the Prairie Conference champions, earned the No. 3 seed with a 14-11 record.
Jaguars are conference champions! Yes, that just happened! (VIDEOS)
With the chips down, trailing 46-34 with over 11 minutes in the game, the B-B-E Jaguars girls' basketball team turned the tide and chipped away at the double-digit deficit. Nearly 8 minutes later, an underhanded layup shot by Kacey Fischer under the basket tied it at 53-53. From that point on, it was a barn burner and a one-possession game down to the final buzzer. Final score:B-B-E 60, Kimball 57!
With the win, the Jaguars claimed sole possession of the Central Minnesota Conference title. It's their first title since the COVID season in 2020-2021. It's also just the second girls' basketball conference title in school history. The former school districts of Brooten and Belgrade each won multiple girls' basketball conference titles between 1973-74 and the 1987-88 seasons. (Something I hope to spell out completely in next week's newspaper.)
This was a thoroughly exciting night where the C-squad prevailed 25-24, and the JV team defeated their Kimball counterparts by a wide margin.
Next: the Jaguars (18-8) take it to the next part of the season when they host a Sub-Section 5A-East quarterfinal game next Thursday in Belgrade. Tip-off will be at 7 p.m. Please spread the word!
Here's a video from the first half of tonight's game:
Kimball Area led 34-31 at halftime after the Jaguars previously led 22-9. The video above features action taking place soon after B-B-E built the 22-9 lead.
This video begins with about 4:45 to go before halftime:
The Cubs tied the game at 26-26 on two bonus free throws with 3:40 left. Teagan Dingmann answered for B-B-E with a three-pointer 20 seconds later.
How the first half played out tonight:
For the second straight night against a conference opponent, the Jaguars got off to a good start. Kacey Fischer got two free throws one minute after tip-off. Kimball junior guard Hope Kuechle cashed a three-pointer to gain their first lead of the night. It was short-lived, as 90 seconds later, Teagan Dingmann drained two free throws for the second lead change of the night. Thirty seconds after that, she scored on a floater in the lane. On the next possession, Kimball junior forward Mazie Jurek scored her first basket of the game.
The Jaguars took control and dominated for the next 4 minutes of the game. Back-to-back three-pointers by Tiffany Dingmann and Kacey Fischer made it 12-5 with 13:40 left, and Kimball head coach Jeremy Kuechle called his first timeout. B-B-E kept the pressure up, and back-to-back cleanup shots in the paint by Kacey Fischer extended the lead to 18-7. Jurek scored a minute later, but Reese Kampsen hit a three with 10:15 left for a 22-9 score.
With 9:35 on the clock, Jurek cashed a three-pointer as momentum shifted to the Cubs. Just over a minute later, Kuechle's layup cut it to 22-14. Jurek later scored back-to-back paint shots to cut it to 23-18. On the next possession, Teagan Dingmann scored her second three of the game. Across the last 6 minutes of the first half, however, the Cubs outscored the Jaguars 16-5.
Halftime: Kimball 34, B-B-E 31. After being out-hustled in the opening minutes of the game, the Cubs took heed from timeout talks from Coach Kuechle to match B-B-E's physical presence. The Cubs got to loose balls quicker and were winning the battle on the boards as the first half closed out.
How the second half played out...
While it was her first basket of the night, it was a big one when Kimball junior guard Claire Maus hit a three-pointer in the opening seconds of the second half. It fueled a 12-4 run for the Cubs. Kimball senior forward Brooklyn Molitor earned a three-point play that gave Kimball a 46-34 lead with 11:15 to go.
Macey Roering's three-pointer with 10:50 to go marked the beginning of B-B-E's epic comeback. With 8:24 left, Coach Kristina Anderson called a full timeout. On the ensuing inbounds play, Teagan Dingmann scored on a deep three-point shot that made it a 46-42 deficit while capping an 8-0 run.
With 6:35 left, Kacey Fischer scored on the right block for a 50-46 deficit. A shot by Reese Kampsen and then a three-pointer by Roering made it a 51-51 tie game with 4:30 left.
In the closing minute, trailing 56-55, Teagan Dingmann got free deep in the left corner and connected for her fourth three-pointer of the game with 29 seconds left with the assist credited to Roering. Kimball junior guard Claire Rasset launched a three-pointer with 7 seconds to go, but it glanced off the rim. Kacey Fischer snared the biggest defensive rebound of the game, and she was promptly fouled. She salted the lead by going 2-for-2 on bonus free throws with 4.1 seconds left for the game's final score.
Here's a video featuring the last 38 seconds of the game:
For Kimball Area, they are hovering in the 4th to 6th place ranking in Section 6AA. Seeding for that section takes place on Sunday, February 22.
More to come here after 11 p.m. Also, hats off to the 4th and 5th grade students who peformed the National Anthem prior to tip-off tonight. Over this weekend, I hope to get the video of their performance online.
Area girls' basketball scores on February 20:
Pequot Lakes 72, Royalton 47
Mayer Lutheran 85, Cass Lake-Bena 42
Milaca 70, Holdingford 50
Brandon-Evansville 67, Swanville 53
Sauk Centre 43, Melrose Area 28
Menahga 83, Pine River-Backus 63
Area girls' basketball playoff scores on February 20:
New London-Spicer 96, Litchfield 37
Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 60, Eden Valley-Watkins 54
Minnewaska Area 67, Paynesville Area 24
Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg 74, Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City 68
GAME NIGHT! Conference title up for grabs (VIDEO, updates)
These games are rare in a sports reporter's career.
Tonight, in a winner-take-all Central Minnesota Conference game, the B-B-E Jaguars girls' basketball teamis hosting Kimball Area to conclude the regular season. The winners takes first place and gets a trophy for permanent display in their trophy case, and the loser gets mention of second place but no hardware to speak of. It's a huge game for the Jaguars, who have lost 3 straight games and need to right the ship before heading into playoffs.
The Cubs are 18-5 overall. Both teams are currently tied for first place in the CMC with identical 11-2 records.
Here's action featuring the final minute of the first half last night:
Game updates will follow here.
HALFTIME: Kimball 34, B-B-E 31. The 22-9 lead that the Jaguars held with 10:15 to go is a distant memory. The Cubs have come alive in a big way and regained the lead on Hope Kuechle's shot in the lane with about 40 seconds to go. That made it 32-31 Cubs. Kuechle then hit a shot off the glass on a drive from the right wing to make it a 3-point spread heading into the locker room.
Hit refresh to see the final score and more in a NEW blog post after 9 p.m.
In a Central Minnesota Conference game on the home court, the B-B-E Jaguars girls' basketball team suffered a 74-63 loss to a hot-shooting Holdingford team as they fell into a tie for first place with Kimball Area. Cold 33 percent field goal shooting hampered the cause as the Huskers rained three-pointers on the Jaguars to earn a split in the conference series.
The Jaguars got off to a great start in the game's opening minutes with an early 10-2 lead.
Early inside baskets by Mya Worms (17:43) and then Teagan Dingmann...plus a three by Kacey Fischer got the Jaguars out to a 7-0 lead with one minute played. Another field goal by Kacey Fischer made it a 10-2 lead. Across the next 1 1/2 minutes, however, the Huskers narrowed it to a 10-8 score. They later gained the lead on a three-pointer to go ahead 17-15.
Here's the tip-off and first 2 minutes of the game:
The Huskers led 36-29 at halftime.
Senior Riley Breth was nearly unstoppable as the senior 5'11" forward poured in 27 points with 8 rebounds and 4 steals for the Huskers. Kacey Fischer also had a monster game with 26 points to lead the Jaguars. She knocked down both of her three-point attempts and made 8 of 16 two-point shots for 55 percent field goal shooting.
Holdingford clinched fourth place alone with an 8-6 record. B-B-E falls to 11-2, and this loss sets up a rare winner-take-all game in Belgrade tomorrow. The Kimball Area Cubs will provide the competition, you can bet the house that they'll come in fired up. Spread the word! Let's get a rowdy, loud hometown crowd ready to cheer on the Jaguars to a win.
Overall, B-B-E is 17-8 and has a lock on the No. 2 seed in Sub-Section 5A-East. The rankings will be finalized on Saturday. The playoffs will open at home on Thursday, February 26 at 7 p.m. in Belgrade.
In boys' basketball action...
The B-B-E Jaguars boys' basketball team lost a tough one by a 63-61 score at Royalton tonight. The Jaguars trailed 41-32 at halftime. They are now 7-6 in the CMC and still in third place. However, they have to defeat Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City next week in order to stay in third place. The Royals are 10-14 overall and 6-6 in the CMC.
Next: the boy's basketball team hosts Benson next Monday. The Jaguars have climbed to No. 10 in the latest QRF rankings in Section 6A.
In the Central Minnesota Conference, Paynesville Area remained in first place alone after surviving a scare from sixth-place Kimball Area. The Bulldogs won tonight in Kimball 82-80.
Central MN Conference boys' basketball scores on Feb. 19:
Maple Lake 96, Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City 83
Paynesville Area 82, Kimball Area 80
Holdingford 65, Eden Valley-Watkins 49
Area girls' basketball scores on February 19:
Melrose Area 65, Kimball Area 61
Benson 68, Mille Lacs 47
Yellow Medicine East 68, Lac qui Parle Valley 56
Wabasso 48, Renville County West 42
Milaca 67, Albany 32
Sauk Centre 64, Royalton 59
Lester Prairie 62, Maple Lake 42
Brandon-Evansville 62, Upsala 53
Osakis 46, Swanville 42 (Swanville still wins the Prairie Conference title alone with a 9-1 record; the Silverstreaks took second at 8-2)
Braham 72, Barnum 43
Pine River-Backus 65, Cass Lake-Bena 45
Becker 58, Alexxandria 46
West Central Area 71, Hancock 64
Border West 67, Ortonville 14
Parkers Prairie 74, Henning 68
Area boys' basketball scores on February 19:
Albany 81, Pierz 71
Central-Norwood Young America 74, New London-Spicer 66
Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 51, Sauk Centre 45
Melrose Area 52, Litchfield 51
Minnewaska 63, Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg 48
Benson 96, Browerville 61
Underwood 49, Border West 41
Montevideo 70, Dawson-Boyd 62
Winter weather blows up the middle of the week...and basketball tonight!
We've had a crazy turn of events! Good grief! Let's hope this isn't a sign of things to come for basketball playoffs. A rain/ice/snowstorm gripped the Bonanza Valley area and beyond on Wednesday. The main result was that school at B-B-E started 2 hours late today. Beyond that, Wednesday evening events and athletic practices were cancelled after school was dismissed at 1 p.m. on Wednesday.
Rural travel was treacherous on Wednesday night, and moving around in town on foot was also tricky as temperatures dropped below 32 degrees by mid-afternoon. The Ash Wednesday worship at West Lake Johanna Lutheran church was cancelled, and instead, the Trinity/WLJ Parish will hold Ash Wednesday worship tonight at 7 p.m. at Trinity in Brooten. I had planned on Ash Wednesday at WLJ, but as it appears, I'll miss worship at Trinity due to a home basketball game. I'd skip the basketball game, but it is senior night. Because newspaper publishing duties, I missed the boy' basketball team's senior/parents night held before Tuesday's basketball game in Brooten. Fortunately, I got a nice picture of the five seniors after their game. That's what you'll see in the newspaper this week.
Ash Wednesday worship was held at St. Francis de Sales Catholic church at 7 p.m. last night. I wish I could have made it - but honestly, I was out of gas! I lost all desire to leave home last night as the weather bit down.
In basketball action...
Tonight is senior night for the B-B-E Jaguars girls' basketball team, as they will honor four seniors: student athletes Kacey Fischer and Tiffany Dingmann plus student managers Kenna Lieser and Josie Buckentine. The Jaguars host Holdingford in another big Central Minnesota Conference game. The Jaguars have yet to grab at least a share the Central Minnesota Conference title...that could happen tonight.
Meanwhile, at Royalton, the B-B-E Jaguars boys' basketball team is in a key CMC game with the Royals. I have to somehow keep tabs on that game via their online stream.
AT HALFTIME: the boys trailed by 9 points at halftime in Royalton. For the girls, they trail 36-29 at the break.
On a night with two home contests on the hardwood, results were one and one for local fans.
In a key Central Minnesota Conference game in Brooten, the B-B-E Jaguars boys' basketball team defeated Maple Lake 75-71 to stay in the hunt for third place. It was a great night where the Jaguars overcame an early 8-4 deficit to hold a 44-31 halftime lead.
Next: now winners of four straight, the Jaguars have a tough assignment with a road trip to Royalton on Thursday this week. B-B-E (12-10) is currently 7-5 in the CMC and in third place alone. The Royals played at Sauk Centre tonight in a Section 6AA game.
Maple Lake falls to 8-15 overall and 2-10 in the CMC.
In girls' basketball action...
In a second straight non-conference game against a Camden Conference juggernaut in Belgrade, the B-B-E Jaguars girls' basketball team fell 75-60 to MACCRAY. The Jaguars now have two remaining games on the season: Thursday against Holdingford and Friday against Kimball. Both games are on the home floor to close out a four-game homestand before playoffs.
Here's a short video featuring action leading up to halftime against MACCRAY:
On Monday this week, the Eden Valley-Watkins boys' basketball team lost 73-55 in a border battle at Paynesville. This knocks the Eagles out of a tie for third place in the CMC; they're now 8-14 overall and 6-6 in the CMC. In another noteworthy neighborhood boys' basketball game last night, Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg invaded neighboring Benson and came home with a 78-62 win. This was just the third loss of the season for Benson, who is 19-3 overall and travels to Brooten to face our Jaguars next Monday.
**LATE Tuesday update: in a CMC girls' basketball game at Kimball tonight, the Royalton Royals lost 55-54 to finish the conference loop with an 11-3 record.
In other news...
I've only had a few minutes here and there this winter to try catching up with the B-B-E Resistance Robotics team. Two of their veteran team members, Coby Schoumaker and Owen Miller, provided comments last Friday at the Sno-Daze pep fest about the current robotics season. You can click over to the official F.I.R.S.T. robotics website to learn more about their 2026 competition: https://www.firstinspires.org/programs/frc/game-and-season.
Varsity basketball teams sweep conference opponents (VIDEO)
Both teams won tonight in varsity conference action. In Paynesville, the B-B-E Jaguars girls' basketball team maintained their position on top of the Central Minnesota Conference with a 58-31 win over the Bulldogs. The Jaguars shot an abysmal 19 percent on field goals in the first half while holding a 21-14 lead at the break.
Next for the girls' basketball team is a home game against Central Minnesota Christian (20-2) of Prinsburg this Friday. They host a second straight Camden North Conference team with MACCRAY (15-7) coming to Belgrade next Tuesday, February 17.
In boys' basketball action...
On the home court, the B-B-E Jaguars boys' basketball team played a terrific second half against Eden Valley-Watkins while claiming a 75-60 win. This squares their record in the CMC at 5-5, and overall, they improve to 10-10. Next for the boys' basketball team is a big road game at Kimball Area on Friday, February 13.
Against EV-W, senior Owen Roering powered the offense with 24 points on a school-record eight three-point shots. He had 6 made threes by halftime. Also having a career night was freshman Hudson Reed, who had 21 points. Of Reed's scoring total, 15 points came in the second half. At halftime, B-B-E led 36-25.
Here's a video recorded in the second half tonight:
The Eagles fall to 7-12 overall and 5-4 in the CMC. The winter weather has wreaked havoc on their schedule as well; they have yet to play neighboring Kimball in the CMC series.
We have home cooking tonight with the B-B-E Jaguars boys' basketball team hosting Eden Valley-Watkins. The Jaguars are trying to avenge a loss in the conference opener in early January. At stake is a shot for third place in the Central Minnesota Conference. A loss would make a third-place finish highly unlikely.
At halftime in Paynesville, the B-B-E Jaguars girls' basketball team struggled through a ragged first half but holds a 21-14 lead at the break.
In the boys game...
The Jaguars are ahead 36-25 at halftime over Eden Valley-Watkins. *More to come in a NEW blog post.
The B-B-E Jaguars boys' basketball team shook off a tough three-game losing streak with a very satisfying 45-41 win at Browerville today. A late steal in the closing seconds by Hudson Reed iced the win. The girls' basketball team also recorded a win over Browerville's varsity squad; the final score was 65-34.
It's time to head to the Belgrade VFW Auxiliary steak and pork chop fry and then the open gym session at the high school.
In the boys' basketball game, the Jaguars were led by Taylor Pieper's 11 points. Next were Aiden Radermacher and Owen Roering, who had 9 points each. Free throw shooting proved to loom large in the outcome: Browerville was 1-for-3 in the game, while the Jaguars made 5 out of 9 shots at the charity stripe. The win raises their record to 9-10 overall; next is a home game on Tuesday against Eden Valley-Watkins.
In the Section 2A hockey playoffs today, the River Lakes Stars girls' hockey team suffered a 4-1 loss to Minnesota River at the Le Seuer Ice Arena. They finish the season 14-11-1 overall. Minnesota River (21-5-1) advances to the 2A finals to face top-seeded Mankato East. The Cougars (23-2-1) erased Hutchinson from the playoffs with a 5-1 win in the other semifinal game held today.
And now it's Sunday afternoon...the last 24 hours were a blur. I'll get a new blog post up with some notes from the Browerville games.
Clutch performance by Jaguars in final minutes brings epic come-from-behind win (VIDEOS)
Inside 8 minutes to go, shots were not dropping as a cold shooting spell was plaguing the B-B-E Jaguars girls' basketball teamin a battle of two of the three contenders for the Central Minnesota Conference title. With Royalton in town, it was all-out war that was tipping in favor of the Royals, who led 47-38 with 7:40 to go. A 7-0 scoring run followed that put them back in the game, and the Jaguars utilized lights-out defense and tenacious rebounding that limited Royalton to just 6 points in the last 5 minutes of the game.
FINAL:B-B-E 56, Royalton 53. The Jaguars are 15-5 overall and 10-1 in the CMC; the Royals (13-7 overall) are 9-2 and one game out of first place as their red hot 9-game winning streak crashed to an end.
In the first half...
The Royals took a 24-22 lead with 2:09 to go on a three-point play by Chloe Reedy. With 1:22 left, Teagan Dingmann knocked down a corner three-pointer for a 25-24 lead. Haylie Wolbeck banked an outside shot with around 20 seconds left that gave Royalton a 26-25 halftime lead.
Here's a video featuring action in the last minute before halftime:
At halftime, Teagan Dingmann led the Jaguars with 12 points. Reedy was the top scorer for Royalton at the break with 18 points.
Here's a video featuring the game turning in favor of B-B-E:
The video begins with the Jaguars bringing the ball into play from the sideline with just over 80 seconds to go. The Royals led 53-49 at that point. With 1:16 left, Kacey Fischer drained two free throws for a 53-51 deficit. With 33 seconds left, Tiffany Dingmann cashed a three-pointer on the left wing for the final lead change of the night. In the video, her three-pointer comes at about the 1:14 mark.
Holdingford has moved into fourth place alone in the CMC with a giant 51-44 upset win at Kimball tonight. This pulls the Cubs out of first place as they fall to 8-2 in the CMC.
For the game, the Jaguars shot 32 percent on field goals while Teagan Dingmann led the scoring with 20 points. Kacey Fischer had a career night with 15 points and 17 rebounds, including 10 defensive boards that were crucial in the comeback win. Also key to the win was fine 7-of-9 free throw shooting in the second half. Kacey Fischer was 9-of-13 at the line for the game. Mya Worms also had a terrific game with 8 points and 7 rebounds.
On Saturday...
The Pirouettes will compete at the Section 2A dance championships at New London-Spicer high school. The National Anthem will be performed at 10:55 a.m., and the competition begins at 11 a.m. For admission, you have to purchase tickets in advance online: https://www.gobound.com/mn/mshl/regions/5a/tickets.
Central MN Conference girls' basketball scores on February 6:
Maple Lake 54, Eden Valley-Watkins 48
Holdingford 51, Kimball Area 44
Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City 48, Paynesville 41
The B-B-E Jaguars girls' basketball team is hosting Royalton tonight. The JV and C-squad games are set to begin at 5:30 p.m.
The JV team defeated the Royals 43-28, and the C-squad also recorded a double-digit win.
**With 7:22 left in the first half, the game is tied 12-all.
HALFTIME: Royalton 26, B-B-E 25. The Royals scored a go-ahead basket in the final 30 seconds, and they missed a buzzer-beating attempt to give us the one-point game at the break. Earlier in the half, the Jaguars trailed 17-13 with 5:40 left on a Chloe Reedy layup.
UPDATE: with 10:18 left in the game, the Royals have a 40-33 lead.
In a game with championship-level implications, the B-B-E Jaguars girls' basketball team struggled for an entire game at Kimball Area tonight. At halftime, the Jaguars trailed 26-17.
Strong three-point shooting in the second half nearly overcame other shortcomings in the game, and the Jaguars made 6 of 15 three-point attempts after halftime. The Jaguars trailed 53-48 with 1:33 to go but could not complete the comeback across the last minute.
Ultimately, the Jaguars lost the game on free throws with 3-of-13 shooting on the line.
Final score: Kimball Area 53, B-B-E 51. The Jaguars have a break in competition until Friday, February 6, when they host Royalton. As it stands now, we have a three-way tie for first place in the CMC with B-B-E, Royalton and Kimball Area. Overall, B-B-E is 14-5 with 7 games remaining before playoffs begin.
At Holdingford tonight, the B-B-E Jaguars boys' basketball team lost 67-48 while seeing their three-game winning streak come to an end. The Huskers led 32-29 at halftime.
Next for the boys' basketball team: the Jaguars travel to Paynesville Area for a CMC border battle next Monday, February 2. Those two teams square off in a rematch on Thursday, February 6 in Belgrade.
Central MN Conference girls' basketball scores on January 30:
Royalton 72, Paynesville Area 34
Central MN Conference boys' basketball scores on January 30:
Paynesville Area 77, Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City 53
Eden Valley-Watkins 87, Maple Lake 52
Royalton 79, Kimball Area 63
Area girls' basketball scores on January 30:
BOLD 83, Montevideo 20
East Central 41, Hinckley-Finlayson 37
Sauk Centre 59, Minnewaska Area 46
Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 66, Melrose Area 42
West Central Area 56, Parkers Prairie 45
Braham 72, Mille Lacs 25
Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg 81, Dawson-Boyd 56
New London-Spicer 58, Annandale 20
Benson 69, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 35
Willmar 78, Rocori 31
Osakis 68, Upsala 38
Swanville 56, Browerville 20
Minneota 63, Tracy-Milroy-Balaton 58
Tough news at halftime out of Kimball. The B-B-E Jaguars girls' basketball team is in a funk and struggling mightily against the second-place Cubs. At the break, the Jaguars trail 26-17. The second half is starting at about 7:07 p.m. I was really counting on being able to watch part of the game, but unfortunately, the Kimball school website has a massive screw up. There's no link or anything that shows where the NFHS Network live stream is posted. I have scoured the Internet and the NFHS website...nothing! Dang it!! I have an active NFHS account, but it is not paying off for me tonight.
Meanwhile! I am at the Padua Pub as I am blogging this. The Belgrade Cooperative Association is holding their 97th annual meeting and banquet. This is a big deal!
