On the winning track: fastpitch Jaguars win thriller over Benson (VIDEOS)

A clutch RBI-single by sophomore Lillian Thompson lifted the B-B-E Jaguars fastpitch team to a 3-2 come-from-behind walk-off win against Benson today. The game marked the final home game of the season. B-B-E is 11-7 overall heading into tomorrow's regular season finale, which is a Central Minnesota Conference game at 4:30 p.m. (May 12) at Eden Valley-Watkins.

The Jaguars trailed 2-0 going into the bottom of the sixth inning. They scored once in the sixth and then twice in the bottom of the seventh for the win.

Here's video from the top of the 3rd inning today:


Kamie Fischer's sacrifice bunt helped set up Thompson's late game heroics. That bunt advanced Abby Lieser, who advanced on an error by Benson's second baseman while fielding a ground ball. McKinley Haider entered to pinch run for Lieser, and she scored the tying run on Lydia Primus's two-out RBI-single to centerfield. Thompson then slapped a base hit to the outfield to drive home Primus and end the game.

Here's a video featuring the end of the game:


Brielle Worms was fantastic in the circle with 10 strikeouts against 3 walks and 4 hits. The Jaguars had no errors in the field to 3 by the Braves. For her part, Benson's freshman Tess Nygaard was also strong in the circle with 5 strikeouts, 2 walks, 1 earned run and 6 total hits given up.

B-B-E and EV-W (13-8) are currently both tied for third place in the CMC with 7-6 records. The winner tomorrow locks up third place alone. Holdingford (10-3) has locked up second place, and Kimball Area won the title once again and remains undefeated (12-0) in the CMC.

The Jaguars currently sit in fifth place in the Section 4A standings. Within their reach is the No. 3 or No. 4 seeds, but that all hinges on beating EV-W tomorrow plus how Braham and Mayer Lutheran fare today and tomorrow.

It's time for the school board meeting.

On Tuesday this week:
The track and field teams travel to Maple Lake for the CMC championships starting at 3 p.m. The girls' golf team has a CMC meet at Paynesville, and the baseball team hosts A-C-GC in Elrosa for a 5 p.m. CMC game.

Two additional albums of sports photos have been added here: https://bonanzavalley.smugmug.com/B-B-E-Spring-Sports-2026.

Central MN Conference fastpitch scores on May 11:
Paynesville Area 2, Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City 0
Kimball Area 15, Royalton 0 (4 innings)

Central MN Conference fastpitch scores on May 8:
Holdingford 6, Maple Lake 3

Jaguars take down 20-win Braves team (VIDEOS, updated Tuesday*)

This blog post has been updated twice on Tuesday...

In a game with multiple lead changes and multiple runs where each team scored in bunches, the B-B-E Jaguars boys' basketball team scored a giant upset win tonight on the home floor by defeating Benson 65-62. They played outstanding defense while holding the Braves 14 points below their scoring average.

At halftime, the Jaguars led 38-34. Benson used an 8-0 run to erase B-B-E's lead as the second half developed. Two three-pointers and a layup put Benson ahead 44-41 with 14:08 to go.

With 7 minutes to go in the game, Benson pulled in front 53-48 after their 6'7" senior post, Harold Habben, scored 3 straight shots in the paint. This all came after Hudson Reed scored in the lane with 11:40 left to put the Jaguars ahead 48-47. Trailing by 5 points, B-B-E then manufactured an incredible comeback starting with a three-pointer and then a shot under the basket for a tie score with 5:45 to go.

Benson falls to 20-4 overall, while the Jaguars are 13-11 going into tomorrow's home game against Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City. The A-C-GC game is huge! The Jaguars (7-6 CMC) have to beat the Falcons in order to clinch part of third place in the CMC standings. Royalton is currently in a tie for third with the Jaguars; they play at Maple Lake on Tuesday to close out the CMC schedule.

BREAKING news on Tuesday afternoon: the game against A-C-GC has been cancelled. This is due to an error on A-C-GC's part with their regular season schedule. That's what I know. The game will not be made up. So please spread the word: there's no home game tonight in Brooten. It's an "off" night.

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


B-B-E finishes the regular season with a Section 6A game against Ashby in Brooten on Friday this week. The Arrows are 6-18 overall; they went 2-14 in the Little Eight Conference for 9th place.

And here's a video featuring action during the final minute of the game:


In the Section 6A standings, this win may not move them enough to make a difference on the QRF. The Jaguars are No. 10, while Hancock is No. 9 and West Central Area No. 8. In the No. 7 spot currently is Underwood (18-5). The Underwood Rockets appear solidly at No. 7, but it is possible they leap above Benson. This would move the Braves down to No. 7. For West Central Area, they are 9-14 overall with 2 games left: BOLD and Border West. I predict WCA wins out and remains at the No. 8 spot. Hancock could make some moves in the standings if they win at Underwood tonight in a Little Eight Conference game. In the first Hancock vs. Underwood meeting, which was back on February 12 in Hancock, the Rockets won 65-62.

Regardless of all the potential moves up and down for teams in the Section 6A standings, tonight's win is a huge confidence booster for a B-B-E team that has already been playing superb basketball as of late. B-B-E has just one loss this season to a Class 1A team (Hancock), and they've won 5 of their last 6 games. Winning out this week will set them up for a nice run during March Madness!

Section 6A boys' basketball update...Hancock clinched second place alone in the Little Eight Conference by defeating Underwood on Monday 82-71. This puts them at 13-3 in the Little Eight, while Underwood finishes the loop 11-5. The Rockets could have tied the Owls for second place with a win. It will be interesting to see how this shakes out in the section rankings!

UPDATE for the Central Minnesota Conference...on Monday, Holdingford earned a 70-61 win against Paynesville to pull into a virtual tie for first place with the Bulldogs. The Huskers hosted Paynesville in a key CMC game. The Bulldogs finished the loop with a 13-1 record, so they have at least a share of the title. Holdingford (19-6) has to win at Kimball on Friday this week in order to clinch a share of the title. If the Cubs beat the Huskers, Paynesville (15-11) would win the CMC outright.

Area boys' basketball scores on February 23:
Montevideo 70, Melrose Area 41
Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 65, Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg 42
Central MN Christian 79, Renville County West 48
Browerville 68, Parkers Prairie 67
Brandon-Evansville 78, Border West 67
Canby 58, MACCRAY 55
Hancock 82, Underwood 71
Willmar 91, Detroit Lakes 76

Step I: Jaguars pour it on against the Braves (VIDEOS)

After about one-third of the first half was played, the B-B-E Jaguars boys' basketball team settled in against a tough, physical defense being dished out by visiting Benson tonight in their playoff opener.

After leading just 6-4 with five minutes played, the Jaguars went on a 22-1 run and began running all over the Braves while building a 35-8 halftime lead.

**Here's the playing of the National Anthem, the starter introductions and the opening minutes of the game:


**Here's a video clip from the first half that begins with about 10 minutes left:


The Jaguars then scored the first nine points of the second half to lead 44-8 with 15:30 to go. Benson's shooting improved in the middle part of the second half, and with 11 minutes left, they trailed 52-22. Junior guard Juan Espinoza drained at least four second-half three-pointers to help the Braves fare better after the break.

With 4:35 left, Gavin Kampsen scored on the right block to give the Jaguars a 60-33 lead.

Final score: No. 1-seeded B-B-E 67, No. 8-seeded Benson 41. A total of 11 Jaguars scored in the game. We now have to go back to the 2016-2017 season for the last time B-B-E lost in the playoff opener.

Next for the Jaguars: the Sub-Section 6A-South semifinals will be this Saturday, March 12 at 1 p.m. at Minnewaska Area high school. The Jaguars (23-4) will face No. 4-seeded Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg. The Fighting Saints (17-9) prevailed in a close battle against Wheaton/Herman-Norcross in Kerkhoven by a 49-47 score. The Warriors (17-9) had a late three-pointer glance off the rim in the final seconds. K-M-S was ahead 28-24 at halftime. The Fighting Saints finished 10-6 in the rugged Camden North Conference in a second-place tie with Dawson-Boyd. More on their team will come in a new blog post on Friday.

Halftime scores in Sub-Section 6A-South...the Hancock Owls led 37-29 over Brandon-Evansville; the Ashby Arrows held a slim 23-19 lead over No. 7-seeded Parkers Prairie.

Video is uploading. I am having Internet connectivity issues so it's been a slow process tonight. It will be a little after 10 p.m. before the first video is ready to post.

Sub-Section 6A-South quarterfinal boys' basketball scores on March 10:
Ashby 49, Parkers Prairie 41_
Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg 49, Wheaton/Herman-Norcross 47
Hancock 72, Brandon-Evansville 55

Area boys' basketball playoff scores on March 10:
Browerville 56, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 39
Nevis 82, Bertha-Hewitt 49
Osakis 73, Royalton 36
Verndale 58, Upsala 56
Battle Lake 60, Breckenridge 55
New York Mills 77, Park Christian 36
Swanville 75, Pine River-Backus 61 (Swanville is the No. 6 seed in their subsection, while PRB was the No. 3 seed)
Annandale 70, Maple Lake 21
Redwood Valley 60, Fairmont 56
Pierz 54, Eveleth-Gilbert 37
Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 67, Litchfield 42
Central MN Christian 61, Lac qui Parle Valley 57