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. ALL VIEWS posted are strictly and without exception the opinions of the newspaper owner and no one else; they're written in first hand format. 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!
Thursday, March 06, 2025
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.
Final: B-E 49, B-B-E 43. Season over. Winter sports are a wrap.
Ash Wednesday Mass...and more college news (VIDEO)
The Christian season of Lent is underway, and multiple churches across the Bonanza Valley area kicked it off with Ash Wednesday worship services tonight.
Here's a short video clip from St. Donatus Catholic Church in Brooten tonight:
The video was recorded during Communion, which was near the end of worship at St. Donatus. Ash Wednesday worship services were also held at Grace Lutheran Church in Belgrade and at Trinity Lutheran Church in Brooten.
In college basketball news...
The Northland Technical and Community College Pioneers women's basketball team has earned the No. 5 seed in the NJCAA Division III National Tournament that begins on March 12 in Rochester, MN. The Pioneers (21-5) were given an At-Large bid to nationals after finishing as runners-up in the North Plains B District Tournament held this past weekend in Thief River Falls. Tiyana Schwinghammer, a B-B-E Class of 2023 graduate, is a sophomore on the Northland team. In the national tournament opener, Northland is paired up with the No. 12-seeded Montgomery County Mustangs, who are 25-2 overall. Their junior college is located in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania.
Tip-off for the national tournament opener is at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, March 12 at the Rochester Regional Sports Center. From Jaguar Country, that's roughly a 200-mile trek. Yikes!
The Braham Bombers girls' basketball team has repeated as Sub-Section 5A-East champions. They defeated Upsala 65-53 at Foley high school to improve to 22-5 overall. They now face Walker-Hackensack-Akeley in a repeat of last year's Section 5A championship. The Wolves and Bombers square off this Friday at 7:45 p.m. at St. Cloud State University's Halenbeck Hall, and the winner advances to state. W-H-A won the section title last year for the school's first-ever trip to the girls' basketball state tournament.
In tonight's game, the No. 3-seeded Cardinals led 6-0 and 11-4 early, but the Bombers stormed back with a 14-0 run to lead 18-11. Upsala came back to lead 24-23, but Braham went into halftime ahead 31-27.
Wednesday afternoon update...in college news...
The Northland Technical and Community College Pioneers women's basketball team is heading to the national tournament! This afternoon, they received news that they earned an At-Large bid to the NJCAA Division III tournament that begins on March 12 in Rochester, Minnesota. B-B-E Class of 2023 graduate Tiyana Schwinghammer is one of their leading scorers in her second year on the team. The Pioneers are 21-5 overall and were ranked No. 3 in the latest NJCAA polls. More to follow as I learn it...
Area boys' basketball playoff scores on March 4:
Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 89, Paynesville Area 54
Montevideo 87, Minnewaska Area 56
Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City 66, New Ulm Cathedral 47
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.
Step II: semifinals is a bust, Jaguars suffer brutal loss; more state wresting success (VIDEO)
Note: video was added late Saturday night to this blog post...
First, I'll start off with the great news.
At the state wrestling tournament: Noah Jensen finished one of the most spectacular 8th grade wrestling seasons at B-B-E by winning a 17-0 tech fall (4:41) in the 107-pound third-place match. With that, he gains a small level of "bragging rights" against his big brother, Tyler, who also had a wonderful 8th grade wrestling season before finishing in 6th place at the state tournament. Tyler Jensen was a 2022 B-B-E graduate.
At 160, Brett DeRoo won an 11-5 decision in the consolation bracket to advance to the third-place match. DeRoo (41-3) faces Holdingford junior Simon Boeckman (44-8) in the third-place match.
More good news: Olive Olson earned a berth in the finals round in Humorous at the Chatfield speech invitational today. Olson ultimately placed 6th overall. In Great Speeches, Tia Nelson took second place with another berth in the finals. The B-B-E speech team left Chatfield at about 5:00 p.m. to head back to Jaguar Country.
Back to state wrestling news: Brett DeRoo finished a spectacular season as a Jaguar wrestler with a fourth-placee finish at 160 pounds at the state tournament. He lost by a 2-0 decision in the third-place match tonight with a final season record of 41-4.
At 215 pounds, Carson Gilbert meets United North Central sophomore Eli Roiko (35-4) in the championship match that comes later tonight at Xcel Energy Center.
In girls' basketball playoff news...heartbreak in Hinckley
In my humble opinion, the game was lost in the first 6 minutes of the opening half. It was tough to watch, as Upsala attacked the rim with a high level of intensity on offense while using their defense to push the tempo. Facing the No. 3-seeded Cardinals for the second time this season, the B-B-E Jaguars girls' basketball team struggled nearly the entire game and came up short in a devastating 54-51 loss in the Sub-Section 5A-East semifinals.
Upsala's fast start helped them build early leads of 12-4 (with just over 6 minutes played) and later 17-10 (with 9:39 left).
Before the game, news had just been released that Region 5A officials moved the site for the upcoming subsection championship game from Hinckley to Foley high school. It was a terrific prize for either Upsala or B-B-E, but it required winning today's game to get that prize.
Here's a video from the first half today in Hinckley:
In that video, the clip begins right after Upsala scored in the paint with 5:15 left. This gave the Cardinals a 20-17 lead. Across the first 6 minutes, Upsala built a 12-4 lead, but the Jaguars clawed their way back to trail 18-17 when Macey Roering went 1-of-2 at the free throw line with 5:33 to go.
It was not meant to be for the Jaguars, who had an outstanding season from the outer view with a 19-9 final season record, a runner-up finish in the Central Minnesota Conference and a 2-0 record at the Granite City Classic over Christmas. This was all achieved with just 3 seniors on the roster and just 2 senior starters. However, earning playoff hardware was not in the cards. Upsala played a terrific game from start to finish and withstood an incredible second-half comeback by the Jaguars.
With 11:45 left, Upsala led 41-27 and appeared firmly in the driver's seat. The Jaguars slowly chipped away, and they tied it at 48-48 on two free throws by Kacey Fischer with 1:43 left. With under 1 minute to go, Teagan Dingmann's three-pointer forced a 51-51 tie, but the Cardinals won the game on a banked three-pointer by senior guard Isabel Ripplinger on the left wing with 23 seconds to go.
Upsala (19-9) advances to the subsection finals to face top-seeded Braham (22-6) next Tuesday, March 4 at 7 p.m. at Foley high school. Upsala has 6 seniors on the roster, and they earned a huge feat by getting Upsala into a playoff championship game for the first time in many years. (I'll look that up later.) This is all I have for now, as my laptop battery is nearing the end of its charge. This blog post will be updated again at about 7 p.m.
In Class 1A state wrestling news...the Jaguars have another state champion in the program. Carson Gilbert won by a 6-5 decision in the 215-pound state championship tonight to finish a perfect 42-0 overall. He's the third B-B-E wrestler to have an undefeated season, joining Adam Jaeger (2018) and Maximus Hanson (2024).
Gilbert trailed 4-2 after the first period but took the lead with a takedown with just 20 seconds remaining in the third period. The 3 points awarded at that point gave him a 6-5 lead.
In college basketball news...
Earlier today in the NJCAA Division III Region 13B tournament, Northland Technical and Community College (21-4) defeated St. Cloud Technical and Community College 70-49 to advance to tomorrow's national-qualifying championship game. The Pioneers, who include B-B-E Class of 2023 graduate Tiyana Schwinghammer, face Rochester Community and Technical College (20-4) tomorrow on back Northland's home court at noon in Thief River Falls. The winner gets an automatic berth in the NJCAA DIII national tournament.
The STCC Cyclones finish 11-13 overall after earning a region playoff berth for the first time since 2020 and just the third time in program history. They were led this season by B-B-E Class of 2024 graduate Brooklyn Fischer.
Schwinghammer and fellow sophomore Josie Iverson each scored 16 points to lead the No. 3-ranked Pioneers, who are the top seed in Region 13A. Also in the scorebox for Schwinghammer: 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 3 blocked shots.
In the Northern Sun Intercollegiate College conference tournament quarterfinals in Sioux Falls, the Minnesota State University-Moorhead Dragons women's basketball team lot 87-79 to top-seeded Southwest Minnesota State University. MSU-Moorhead finishes 14-16 overall after they went 11-11 in the NSIC regular season. B-B-E Class of 2023 graduate Abby Berge scored 13 points with 6 rebounds for the Dragons.
Ridgewater College lost 74-53 to Minnesota West Community College in the Region 13A semifinals today in Thief River Falls. The Warriors, whose roster includes B-B-E Class of 2024 graduate Grace Jackson, went 4-20 overall this season.
Area girls' basketball playoff scores on March 1:
Sauk Centre 68, Foley 48
Breckenridge 66, Wheaton/Herman-Norcross 49
Annandale 58, Osakis 57
West Central Area 62, Hancock 57
Underwood 60, New York Mills 53
Royalton 49, Albany 43
Walker-Hackensack-Akeley 69, Sebeka 30
Bertha-Hewitt 61, Pine River-Backus 46
Fergus Falls 59, Willmar 47
A big day lies ahead with postseason action taking place in Hinckley and St. Paul.
MAJOR afternoon update...Region 5A officials have already changed the venue (site) for Tuesday's subsection championship game to Foley high school. This is wonderful!!!! Now we have to get there!
At Xcel Energy Center, three members of the B-B-E Jaguars wrestling team compete for hardware at the Class 1A individual state wrestling tournament. Noah Jensen at 107 pounds can battle back for as high as third place, while Brett DeRoo (160) and Carson Gilbert (215) are both in contention for state titles.
And shifting gears to basketball...
Coach Austin Rambow reported that the seeding for Section 6A has to be completed by 10 a.m. today. Shortly after 10 a.m., we should know the final seedings and the schedule for next week's boys' basketball playoffs.
UPDATE in the afternoon: please spread the word! Both local radio stations will carry today's playoff game in Hinckley. Smooth Magic 107 FM of Glenwood (107.1 FM) also streams online with Brady Erdmann's coverage: https://www.kmgk1071.com. Also! Out of Norway Lake-Sunburg, 106.5 FM The Train will carry the game. Bill Dean's radio coverage can be heard online at: https://www.willmarradio.com/the_train.
Here's a video from Royalton on February 18:
The B-B-E Jaguars girls' basketball team faces Upsala in the sub-section semifinals today after an obnoxious, ridiculous 2 1/2-hour drive to face Upsala at Hinckley-Finlayson high school. For what it's worth, Upsala also has an extensive drive, but they have the "luxury" of not being forced to drive through the 83 stoplights of the St. Cloud Metropolitan area. The Upsala team and fans have about a 100-minute-long drive to go 89 miles. The drive for us is 120 miles and at least 150 minutes of driving.
MEANWHILE...Braham, the top seed with a 21-5 overall record, has just 26 miles to drive to play today's game. Braham faces No. 5-seeded Swanville (13-12) at 12 p.m. in Hinckley. Swanville has to travel 99 miles with what is about a 2-hour long drive that includes traveling through Little Falls. That would be a challening drive to complete in under 120 minutes. THINK about it: Braham has a 30-minute drive time today, while Swanville has a 120-minute drive. The playoff site of Hinckley-Finlayson high school creates one of the most over-the-top terrible decisions I've seen in over 20 years of sports reporting by the powers-that-be who create the playoff brackets. This is far and away a "Top 5" bad decision in anything I've seen. It's absolutely wild that officials did not seek out a site that's at a minimum closer to St. Cloud. There's "fair" and there's "wrong" and this is wrong!
Upsala has a roster that includes "lights out" good players such as Dakota Soltis, who can go off for 20+ points if she gets on a tear. The Cardinals are 18-9 overall while having one of their better girls' basketball seasons in school history. They have earned great success in fastpitch softball in the past 3 years, and this year's girls' basketball team includes players with extensive state fastpitch tournament experience (2022 state appearance and then 4th at state in 2023). Last spring, Upsala went 17-7 overall and finished third in Section 6A after going 6 games deep in the postseason. In fastpitch softball, Upsala's team has played in 21 postseason games in the last 3 years. In the Prairie Conference, Upsala's fastpitch team tied with Swanville for the title last spring, and the Cardinals earned solo Prairie titles in their state tournament seasons of 2022 and 2023.
UPDATE:you can listen to the Braham vs. Swanville girls' basketball playoff game (noon tip-off) by clicking here to YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_X5SIFp43A. After Swanville took a 2-0 lead, they committed three straight turnovers while facing Braham's fullcourt press. The Bombers then racked up 5 team fouls in the game's first 3 minutes, but they have a 5-4 lead.
With 14 minutes to go in the first half, the Bombers had 5 team fouls, and Swanville was tagged with their first team foul. Braham led 7-6 at that point. The underdog Bulldogs clearly came to play! It will be interesting to see how they fare against Braham's fullcourt pressure.
UPDATE at state wrestling! Noah Jensen (37-8) won a 20-8 major decision this morning against Pipestone Area freshman Lane Fruechte (34-7) to advance to the consolation bracket semifinals. Additional updates to follow here after 11 a.m. Update: Noah's next opponent will be Chatfield freshman Jameson Priebe, the bracket's No. 2 seed. Priebe is 40-3 going into this match.
Brett DeRoo's semifinal match should start sometime after 12 p.m.
Afternoon update: Brett DeRoo lost a tough one in his state semifinal match by a 7-1 decision to the bracket's No. 2 seed. He will battle in the consolation bracket and try to fight back to take third place at 160. DeRoo faces Canby senior Blake Giese in his consolation semifinal match.
In his 215-pound semifinal, Carson Gilbert won a 7-2 decision to advance to the state finals.
At 107, Noah Jensen won a 14-7 decision to advance to the third-place match at state. It's a grand achievement for the 8th grader in his first appearance at the individual state tournament!
BASKETBALL UPDATE:Braham defeated Swanville 67-58 in overtime to advance to the subsection finals. At the end of regulation, the score was tied 53-53. I've got extensive game notes to post tonight from that game. The B-B-E vs. Upsala game should get started at about 2:10 p.m. in Hinckley. Updates to follow!
In the first half, the Cardinals have jumped out to an early 12-4 lead. With 11 minutes to go, the Jaguars trail 12-6.
Halftime: Upsala 23, B-B-E 19. It as been a mighty struggle.
In the 2nd half, with 12:40 to go, the Cardinals have a 39 to 27 lead. This blog post is a wrap as of 4 p.m. A new blog post is coming later this afternoon with the girls' basketball final score.
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
Wresting success at state - UPDATES! and Speech heads south
In his Class 1A state wrestling opener this morningat Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Noah Jensen won by an 8-5 decision to advance to the quarterfinals. Jensen, an eighth grader, is one of four members of the B-B-E Jaguars wrestling team who are competing in the individual state tournament today.
Jensen's first-round opponent was a fellow eighth grader, Kiptyn Thompson of Fosston/Bagley, who had a 31-10 record. Jensen improves to 35-7 and now faces Paynesville seventh grader Tyson Meagher (34-4) later tonight.
At 160 pounds, B-B-E senior Brett DeRoo won a 17-2 tech fall (4:05) against Redwood Valley's Zachary Guggisberg in his state opener today. In the state quarterfinals, DeRoo faces Border West senior Brody Nachbor (35-9).
In his state opener at 215, B-B-E senior Carson Gilbert won by fall (2:30) against LBW's Tommy Miron (16-20). Gilbert, now 36-0 overall, faces Chatfield junior Will Boelter (39-8) in the state quarterfinals.
In his state opener, B-B-E senior Hunter Laage (30-8) will face Fertile-Beltrami senior Jack Leiser (20-10). That match has not happened yet as of noon.
Update: at 285, Hunter Laage trails by a 4-3 score in the third period against Fertile-Beltrami's Jack Leiser. Final: Leiser 4, Laage 3. Additional individual state tournament updates will be posted later this afternoon.
In other news...
The B-B-E speech team has departed the high school for the long trek south to the Driftless Area of southeastern Minnesota. Part of their travels include the Chatfield high school invitational tomorrow, while other time features team bonding with the overnight trip.
Here they are heading out in two school vehicles...
At the team state wrestling tournament...
In the Class 1A team state consolation championship held yesterday, No. 5-seeded Canby defeated United North Central 34-28 to take fifth place. Staples-Motley, the No. 2 seed at state, defeated top-seeded Chatfield 33-16 in the championship last night.
Friday evening state update...
In his state quarterfinal match, Noah Jensen lost an incredible battle by an 11-7 decision to Paynesville's Tyson Meagher. Jensen will compete later tonight in the wrestleback round.
In his state quarterfinal match, Brett DeRoo won by fall (2:42) against Border West's Brody Nachbor. DeRoo (40-2) advances to the state semifinal round, which takes place tomorrow morning. Update: DeRoo will face the No. 2 seed in the 160-pound bracket: senior Ayden Miner (42-4) of Chatfield.
In his state quarterfinal match tonight, Carson Gilbert won by fall (4:54) against No. 9-ranked Will Boelter of Chatfield to move on to the 215-pound semifinals. In tomorrow's semifinals, Gilbert faces No. 3-ranked Le Sueur-Henderson junior George Doherty (32-2).
Laage's season has concluded.
Another Friday night update: in the 107-pound wrestlebacks, Noah Jensen won a 17-1 tech fall (2:13) against New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva seventh grader Grahm Jacobson (21-22). This keeps his season alive as he guns for tomorrow's third-place match...but he's not there yet.
If you're reading this far, this blog post is a wrap. A NEW blog post is coming later tonight featuring additional state wrestling notes and also an update on the boys' basketball game at Hancock.
Step I: dominant performance sends Jaguars to semifinals (VIDEO)
A terrific postseason streak continues for the B-B-E Jaguars girls' basketball team! You have to go back 15 seasons to see the last time that this team lost in the playoff opener.
After building a 49-13 halftime lead tonight, the Jaguars advance with a 75-33 win against Mille Lacs in the Sub-Section 5A-East quarterfinals.
The Jaguars fired on all cylinders in the opening half with 47 percent field goal shooting (5-of-12 beyond the arc) and 4-of-6 shooting at the line.
Here's the final seconds of tonight's game:
The Jaguars shot 39 percent on field goals and were 7-of-21 from outside the arc. At the line, they went 10-for-16 while earning a 31 to 17 advantage in rebounds.
Next: the Jaguars (19-8) travel the completely obnoxious, ridiculous 2 1/2 hour drive east to Hinckley-Finlayson high school for the semifinal game this Saturday, March 1. The game should begin at about 1:45 p.m. that afternoon. The opponent will be No. 3-seeded Upsala (18-9). It will be a rematch of B-B-E's 54-53 loss at home to Upsala on January 28. In the other semifinal game on Saturday in Hinckley, top-seeded Braham will face No. 5-seeded Swanville with tip-off at 12 p.m. sharp.
I have confirmed that Jaguar fans have the treat of being able to enjoy radio coverage on Saturday from both Smooth Magic 107 FM of Glenwood plus 106.5 FM The Train of Norway Lake-Sunburg. Please pass the word!
In their quarterfinal game tonight, the Upsala Cardinals defeated No. 6-seeded Maple Lake 57-45. Braham defeated No. 8-seeded East Centra 82-20. Swanville earned a mild upset by a 76-72 score at No. 4-seeded Ogilvie.
It was in the 2009-2010 season when the Jaguars fell in the Sub-Section 6A-South play-in round 57-51 overtime loss to Hillcrest Lutheran Academy. They've won every playoff opener since that season.
Area girls' basketball playoff scores on February 27:
Minnewaska Area 42, New London-Spicer 36
Walker-Hackensack-Akeley 76, Verndale 29
Pine River-Backus 88, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 31
Bertha-Hewitt 52, Browerville 31
Royalton 66, Mora 30
Spectrum 52, Kimball Area 49
Wheaton/Herman-Norcross 57, Parkers Prairie 54
Sebeka 74, Nevis 60
BOLD 62, Cedar Mountain 55
West Central Area 63, Brandon-Evansville 49
Milaca 64, Melrose Area 46
Osakis 60, Legacy Christian 41
Annandale 49, St. Cloud Cathedral 25
Foley 64, Holdingford 53
Albany 58, Pine City 41
Willmar 49, Rocori 37
Hancock 83, Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley 42
GAME NIGHT! In Jaguar Country - Playoffs...**Online ticket purchase only (VIDEOS)
Major update here...see below...
This is playoff time for our B-B-E Jaguars girls' basketball team. With just 3 seniors on the roster, the Jaguars completed a remarkable regular season during which they won 14 out of their last 17 games. They are 18-8 heading into tonight's Sub-Section 5A-East quarterfinal game, which they will play on the home court in Belgrade against No. 7-seeded Mille Lacs. Tip-off is at 7 p.m.
Also! Dozens of B-B-E 4th and 5th grade students will gather to sing the National Anthem prior to tip-off tonight.
I will check on whether or not we have radio coverage coming tonight. I believe we will at least have The Train (106.5 FM) in the house. **UPDATE: that was an incorrect belief...there is no radio coverage tonight. The Train will be covering the Minnewaska vs New London-Spicer game, which should prove to be a very exciting game that I feel is up for grabs between two area powerhouses. Tip-off at the college in Marshall is at 5:50 p.m.
Here's a clip from the last regular season game that was played in Royalton over a week ago:
The Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper website is being updated: https://www.bonanzavalleyvoice.com. More to come later. It's soon time to prepare for the big game!
Major update for Jaguar basketball fans...
I got thrown a massive curveball late this afternoon, when I learned that fans for tonight's game can only be admitted after purchasing a ticket via the Internet. This is NOT the idea of B-B-E schools! Or anyone associated with B-B-E...this is a decision by the powers-that-be who run the playoff system. I actually do not know if a person can be admitted if they arrive with just cash, and ask to get a ticket purchased online at the gate. This is all new to me! And no - I am not happy about it, but I can't change it, and it only has the potential to become a distraction.
FIRST half update: with 12:10 to go, Mya Worms scored on a spin move in the paint to give the Jaguars a 16-0 lead. The Raiders scored their first field goal with 10:53 left. Just after that, Ava Deters hit a three-pointer for a 22-3 B-B-E lead.
The Jaguars continue to play hard the rest of the first half, with a shot by Kacey Fischer at the 7:30 mark giving them a 30-6 lead.
Here's a video featuring the final seconds of the first half tonight:
HALFTIME:B-B-E 49, Mille Lacs 13.
In the Sub-Section 3AA-North championship tonight at Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall, the New London-Spicer Wildcats held a slim 19-18 lead against Minnewaska Area. Final: Minnewaska Area 42, New London-Spicer 36. The Lakers improve to 26-3 overall and head to the Section 3AA finals, which will be held in Marshall on Thursday, March 6 at 5 p.m. at SMSU.
A NEW blog post goes up tonight after 9 p.m. with the final score plus additional playoff updates.
