Catching up with some college news

This winter, as far as I am aware, three B-B-E graduates are playing collegiate basketball. They include Class of 2023 graduates Kaden Pieper (University of Minnesota-Morris), Tiyana Schwinghammer (Valley City State University) plus Class of 2024 graduate Brooklyn Fischer (St. Cloud Technical and Community College).

In Saturday's game against Mayville State, Schwinghammer scored 18 points in 30 minutes of play to lead the scoring for the VCSU Vikings, who beat the Comets 100-57. This snapped a 10-game losing streak. Schwinghammer, a junior, also had 3 rebounds and 3 assist with 4 made three-point shots. This game was played at Memorial Auditorium on the campus of Concordia College in Moorhead, since Valley City State University's gymnasium recently received water damage.

In another game played on Saturday, the University of Minnesota-Morris Cougars defeated the University of Wisconsin-Superior Yellowjackets 80-78 in a Upper Midwest Athletic Conference game in Morris. Pieper scored 18 points, and the UMM Cougars improved to 4-1 in the UMAC. Pieper scored his 18 points in 32 minutes of play, and he also added 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals.

In a Minnesota College Athletic Conference game on Saturday against Anoka-Ramsey, the St. Cloud Technical and Community College Cyclones fell 64-53. Fischer led the Cyclones with 15 points in 36 minutes of play plus 6 rebounds. Through 17 games, Fischer is averaging 15.6 points per game on 36 percent field goal shooting.

Tonight's activities are nixed, and newspapers continue to go missing for days on end!

Due to the oncoming bitter cold temperatures, tonight's B-B-E school activities have been canceled. This announcement was made shortly after 11 a.m. today. Also, B-B-E schools is closed for Friday, January 23. The Friday evening activities have all been postponed.

In other news...
The Post Office continues to lose my newspapers. For 6 straight days this past week, the Post Office failed to deliver my Willmar/Benson/Spicer/New London newspapers. Multiple subscribers from those communities all received the January 15 issue in today's mail - today! Thursday, January 22. In November, the Post Office did the same thing the week before B-B-E's fall two-act play took place. I am STILL very SORE about that! 

Let's stop for a moment and see how big the failures are. Each Wednesday night, without question, roughly 800 of my newspapers are delivered to the St. Cloud Post Office headquarters. They're separated in totes and bundles in highly organized fashion. It's been this way for decades. The next day, Thursday, subscribers all across central Minnesota are supposed to get my newspaper. Lately, that has not been the case (especially since 2021)...where do they put the newspapers? The January 15 newspapers designated for routes in Willmar, New London, Benson...where were they for the past 6 days? What do they do with them in St. Cloud? How bad can that organization be? It's insane.

Last night, Wednesday, the January 22 issues were brought to St. Cloud. Now the waiting game takes place to see where the heck the U.S. Post Office puts them before getting them to subscribers.

I'm not sure if we can keep the business going when our product is not delivered on time to our subscribers. It is killing us when our advertisers can't get their marketing messaging to the public in a timely fashion. If you add it all up, what this does is make the newspaper an unsustainable business venture.

There's saving grace here, at least a little - the Post Office has been breathing down my neck to spend $2,000+ on fancy software and a new system for the labels. I've been telling them: there's no way I'll invest that money if they keep losing my papers like they have been doing. So if nothing else, I've got a lot of bargaining power to push back on them!! They have to straighten out their organization.

Girls' basketball sweeps EV-W, Pirouettes dance team sweeps at home invitational (VIDEOS)

In their best night of the season so far, the B-B-E/Paynesville Pirouettes dance team earned a clean sweep in 3 categories tonight in their home invitational. The Pirouettes took first place in JV jazz, varsity jazz and varsity kick. This gives them tremendous momentum heading into the Camden Conference championships, which is this Friday at Yellow Medicine East high school in Granite Falls.

Here's a video featuring the awards ceremony from tonight:


The Section 2A dance meet is at New London-Spicer on Saturday, February 7.

Additional dance team coverage is in the upcoming issue of the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper, which goes to press before sunrise tomorrow!

In basketball news...
Also in home action tonight, the B-B-E Jaguars girls' basketball team completed a season sweep over Central Minnesota Conference rival Eden Valley-Watkins with a 69-51 win.

The Jaguars (12-4) had balanced scoring and were led by Tiffany Dingmann's 15 points, all on 5 made three-point shots. Also in double figures were Macey Roering (12), Teagan Dingmann (10), Kacey Fischer (14) and Mya Worms (10). In the CMC, the Jaguars improve to 7-0 and continue their hold on first place alone.

Here's a video featuring the final seconds of the game:


At Kimball tonight, Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City's girls' basketball team lost 61-47 to fall to 2-5 in the CMC. The Cubs improve to 6-1 and remain just one game out of first place.

In their CMC game tonight, I heard the B-B-E Jaguars boys' basketball team defeated Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City. The final score was 85-65. That's all I've got for this blog post, as it's time to get the newspaper ready for press. The blog post will be vastly revamped tomomorrow. Good night.

Next for the boys' basketball team: the Jaguars (6-7) host a strong Benson team on Thursday this week. The Braves are 13-0 overall and hold first place alone in the Prairie Conference. They are the No. 4-ranked team in the Section 6A QRF standings. The Jaguars sit at No. 11 out of 22 teams.

Central MN Conference girls' basketball scores on January 20:
Holdingford 59, Paynesville Area 53
Royalton 59, Maple Lake 24
Kimball Area 61, Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City 47

Area boys' basketball scores on January 20:
Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 80, Eden Valley-Watkins 56
Browerville 69, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 62
Montevideo 66, Melrose Area 46
Kimball Area 63 Milaca 50
Minnewaska Area 64, Sauk Centre 53
Benson 70, Osakis 68
West Central Area 73, BOLD 39
Hancock 69, Rothsay 57
Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg 90, Minneota 47
Hillcrest Lutheran Academy 95, Parkers Prairie 45
Underwood 52, Border West 41

Home dance competition is tonight

The B-B-E/Paynesville Pirouettes dance team will host their home invitational tonight, Tuesday, January 20 at the elementary school in Brooten. Doors open at 4 p.m. for tickets, and gymnasium doors open at 5:30 for spectators. The National Anthem will be played at 5:55 p.m. with the invitational performances to follow. Teams invited include Sauk Centre, Litchfield, Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg and Canby/Minneota.

Also tonight...and unfortunately, I'll have to miss it...the Belgrade city council meets at 6 p.m. in a regular meeting. A summary of the meeting agenda has been posted at the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper's editor's blog: BelgradeCityCouncilagenda.

HALFTIME in Belgrade: the girls' basketball team has a 32-27 lead over EV-W. The five B-B-E starters all have between 5 and 8 points at the break. More to come later tonight in a new blog post.

More from Youth Basketball Saturday

The B-B-E Jaguars boys' basketball 4th graders defeated Sauk Centre 25-22 in a thriller during the championship game of their home invitational. They held a 12-10 lead after both teams scored in the final 25 seconds of the half.

Here's a video featuring the final seconds of the first half:


The past 24 hours or so have included incredibly dangerous, difficult outdoor conditions. As of 10 a.m. today, the temperature in Brooten is minus 5 degrees.

In other news...
Last Friday at the New London-Spicer Invitational, the B-B-E Jaguars wrestling team finished 6th out of 9 teams with 66.5 points. They competed with just 5 varsity wrestlers. Noah Jensen finished second at 114 pounds as the top place winner for the Jaguars.

The B-B-E speech team kicks off their 2026 season at the Fergus Falls Invitational this Saturday. Additional coverage for their team is coming in the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper.

Tomorrow, Tuesday, January 20: the dance team hosts their home competition at 6 p.m. at the elementary school; the boys' basketball team is at Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City; the girls' basketball team hosts Eden Valley-Watkins; and the girls' hockey team hosts the Northern Lakes Lightning (8-9-2) at the Richmond Arena.

Looking ahead: the boys' basketball team's varsity game at Paynesville Area this Friday will start at 5:30 p.m. Paynesville Area is hosting a boys/girls doubleheader that includes Royalton's girls' basketball team.

Youth Basketball Saturday (VIDEOS)

Led by 4th grade head coach Jason Langer and assistant coach Kevin Gruber, the B-B-E Jaguars Class of 2034 boys' basketball team went 3-0 at their home tournament on Saturday in Brooten. They soundly defeated Kimball Area 28-12 and Benson 36-18 to pave their way to the championship game. In the finals, they faced a fast, disciplined Sauk Centre Mainstreeters team. In a back-and-forth affair with numerous ties and lead changes, the Jaguars won 25-22 for first place.

Sauk Centre struck first with a steal and layup just a minute into the action. About a minute later, Brecken Dingmann scored in the paint for a tie game. With 13:30 left, Dingmann earned an assist when he passed downcourt to a speedy Cameron Gruber, whose fastbreak layup gave B-B-E their first lead of the game.

After the Mainstreeters tied it at 4-4, Tyson Tensen scored on a fastbreak shot with 10:05 left.

Here's a video featuring that Tensen fastbreak shot:


A minute later, the game had its third tie with a 6-6 score. With 8:06 left, Dingmann's paint shot put the Jaguars in front 8-6. Almost 3 1/2 minutes passed before the next bucket was scored, and the Jaguars had a 10-6 lead after Asher Anderson scored on a rebound shot just inside the left block. Sauk Centre answered right away with a clean 12-footer.

Over 3 minutes passed in the game before the next bucket. With 22 seconds left, Tensen scored on the right block with a Gruber assist for a 12-8 lead. With 10 seconds left, Sauk Centre's paint shot made it a 12-10 halftime score.

The Mainstreeters tied it with an outside shot in the opening minute of the second half. With 13:42 left, Maddux Rooney's baseline shot broke the tie score. On their next possession, Sauk Centre exposed B-B-E's interior defense with an easy shot for the game's fifth tie. With 11:50 left, a fastbreak layup gave Sauk Centre a 16-14 lead. B-B-E answered right away on Gruber's 12-footer for a 16-16 tie.

Tensen's rebound shot gave B-B-E an 18-16 lead, but the Jaguars were outscored 4-0 across the next 3 minutes of the game. With 6:50 left, Dingmann's shot off the glass tied it at 20-20. Caleb Hernandez-Valdiviezo snared a huge offensive rebound and sank it with 5:50 left to give the Jaguars a 22-20 lead. Nearly 3 minutes later, Sauk Centre got 3 straight offensive rebounds and converted the last for a tie game at 22-22.

Dingmann converted his offensive rebound into a putback for a 24-22 lead with 2:20 left. With 1 minute to go, Gruber converted one of two free throws for a three-point lead. The Jaguars played outstanding defense in the last 60 seconds to come out on top by the 25-22 final score.

Here's a video featuring the last 6 seconds of the game and the post-game celebration:


B-B-E's 4th grade team includes 9 fourth graders and one third grader. Video from the championship game is being processed; it will be posted here at approximately 5 p.m.

Coach Gruber is a B-B-E Class of 2004 graduate who played for Hall of Fame Coach Dave Montbriand. In his senior year, the team overcame heavy graduation losses from the Class of 2003 plus an 0-5 start in December to land a spot in the Sub-Section 5A-South championship in March. With one of the program's best-ever section playoff performances, the Jaguars soundly defeated the Prairie Conference champion Osakis Silverstreaks 86-69 to earn B-B-E's third boys' basketball section finals appearance. In the Section 5A championship, the Jaguars played valiantly in a 62-54 loss to Bertha-Hewitt. Their final season record was 16-13.

Cameron Gruber's father is Coach Kevin Gruber, and Brecken Dingmann's father is Adam Dingmann, who graduated in 2000 and also played for Coach Montbriand.

Mainstreeters sweep hoops doubleheader (VIDEOS)

Two varsity games played out in remarkably different fashion tonight but had the same outcome at Sauk Centre high school tonight.

In the first varsity game, the B-B-E Jaguars girls' basketball team fought with all they had to overcome a double-digit deficit. Late attempts at the comeback fell three points short in a 54-50 loss.

Here's a video from early in the 1st half in the girls' basketball game:


Sauk Centre (10-4) entered the game as the No. 3-ranked team in Section 6AA, and they're now on a 4-game winning streak.

The Jaguars shot just 28 percent from the floor; they were 9-of-19 at the free throw line, which ultimately cost them the game. Kacey Fischer (19 points) and Teagan Dingmann (17 points) were the two Jaguars in double figures.

And here's video from the 2nd half tonight in the varsity girls game:


The Royalton Royals girls' basketball team picked up a huge Section 6AA win by defeating Foley 74-63 in Foley tonight. The Falcons were 11-1 coming into the game with an 11-game winning streak. Both are contenders in Section 6AA this season.

More to come.

In girls' hockey news...
Last night in Richmond, the River Lakes Stars girls' hockey team defeated Sartell-St. Stephen/Sauk Rapids-Rice 3-2 in a Central Lakes Conference game. They're now 10-8 overall and 5-4 in the CLC.

In the boys' basketball game tonight:
The Kevin Kuefler-coached Sauk Centre Mainstreeters defeated the B-B-E Jaguars boys' basketball team 61-37. This squares their record at 6-6 overall, while the Jaguars fall to 5-7.

Across the game's first 9 minutes, the Mainstreeters made 6 three-point shots while building a 25-3 lead.

Area girls' basketball scores on January 16:
New York Mills 70, Verndale 48
Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 57, Browerville 37
Minnewaska Area 60, Albany 44
Melrose Area 63, Holdingford 26
Royalton 74, Foley 63
Pine River-Backus 82, Cass Lake-Bena 41
Swanville 69, Upsala 41

Area boys' basketball scores on January 16:
Melrose Area 75, Brandon-Evansville 61
Maple Lake 77, Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City 63 (Central MN Conference game)
Paynesville Area 93, Kimball Area 65 (Central MN Conference game)
Holdingford 70, Eden Valley-Watkins 49 (Central MN Conference game)

Halftime at Sauk Centre (VIDEOS*)

The B-B-E Jaguars girls' basketball team struggled across the last 9 minutes of the first half at Sauk Centre tonight. After Kacey Fischer scored with 9:20 left to give the Jaguars a 13-11 lead, the Mainstreeters went on a tear. With 2:08 left, a three-pointer gave Sauk Centre a 26-14 lead.

Halftime: Sauk Centre 26, B-B-E 19.
A buzzer-beating shot from the right baseline by Kamie Fischer closed out the first half with a 5-0 run by B-B-E.

The game is being aired on Smooth Magic 107 FM of Glenwood. They broadcast online: https://www.kmgk1071.com. The varsity boys' basketball game will begin after this game concludes. It will likely be around an 8 p.m. tip-off.

Here's a video recorded early in the first half last night against Royalton:


Road conditions are terrible. Be smart about your travels if you are out and about tonight! Game updates will be posted here after the conclusion of the girls' varsity game.

*In the second half, with five minutes to go, the Mainstreeters are ahead 45-39.

Final girls' basketball score: Sauk Centre 54, B-B-E 50. The Jaguars fall to 11-4 overall with the loss.

The boys' varsity game will start at about 7:55 p.m.

UPDATE: after spotting the Mainstreeters 15 points to start the game, the Jaguars trail 35-18 at halftime. Sauk Centre shot the lights out from beyond the arc. With 13:40 left, Jacob Drevlow made his team's third three-pointer, and the score was 15-0.

By the 9-minute mark, Sauk Centre connected on their sixth three-pointer, and their lead was 25-3.

Here's a video featuring action in the final minute of the 1st half:


The second half should begin at about 8:35 p.m.

Two Central Minnesota Conference wins, Girls' Basketball takes sole grab on 1st place (VIDEOS)

It's not how you start...it is how you finish!

Of course, strong starts to games are always helpful...with that said, tonight was a great night for our basketball teams.

At Holdingford, the B-B-E Jaguars girls' basketball team was powered by a career-high 28 points from junior Teagan Dingmann in a 70-56 win. Consistency was the key, with the Jaguars shooting 38 percent from the floor in the first half and 42 percent in the second. They cranked up the defensive pressure in the second half after holding a 33-31 halftime lead.

Teagan Dingmann made 4 three-pointers while also grabbing 5 rebounds and 4 steals. Macey Roering scored 15 points, and Mya Worms had 14 to round out the players who were in double figures.

The girls' basketball team improves to 11-3 overall with the win and 6-0 in the CMC. Coming into tonight, Kimball Area was 5-0 in the CMC; they played at Royalton.

FRIDAY update: the Royalton Royals sent a message in the CMC, as they pounded on Kimball Area Thursday night by a 74-37 score to knock the Cubs into second place. The Cubs fall to 5-1 in the CMC, while the Royals improve to 5-1. Kimball Area was on an eight-game winning streak.

Central MN Conference girls' basketball scores on January 15:
Eden Valley-Watkins 57, Paynesville Area 42

In boys' basketball action...
The B-B-E Jaguars boys' basketball team has a strong rivalry going with Royalton, and their games generally are close, hard-fought battles regardless of which court they play on. Tonight's game was no different, as the Jaguars fought their way to a 24-23 halftime lead.

Powered by outstanding three-point shooting in the second half, the Jaguars defeated the Royals 59-46 for their second win in 3 nights. Their defense was terrific, as they held the Royals 16 points below their scoring average.

Here's a video featuring the starter introductions and more against Royalton:


This evens their CMC record at 2-2, and they are 5-6 overall going into tomorrow night's girls/boys doubleheader at Sauk Centre. Royalton falls to 2-3 in the CMC and 5-7 overall with their fourth straight loss. This was an impressive win. Earlier in the season, the Royals defeated Eden Valley-Watkins 68-44. Three nights before that, Royalton won 58-56 at Kimball Area.

In the CMC, the boys' basketball team has pulled into a tie for fourth place with Kimball Area.

Here's video from later in the second half:


Tomorrow night at Sauk Centre: preliminary games start at 4:30 p.m. in various gyms at Sauk Centre high school; the girls' varsity game starts at 6 p.m., and the boys' varsity game is set to follow starting at about 7:30 p.m. Also tomorrow night: the wrestling team travels to New London-Spicer for an invitational that starts at 3:30 p.m.

More to come. Video is uploading. I'm also getting a little side-tracked. Lately, I've gotten into the habit of watching Leave it to Beaver on our Roku TV channel. They are really, really terrific shows! Wholesome and good, which is what the world needs more of today.

Area girls' basketball scores on January 15:
West Central Area 69, Montevideo 37
Minnewaska Area 56, Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 46
Lakeview 60, MACCRAY 52
Central MN Christian 79, Yellow Medicine East 41
Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg 80, Renville County West 42
#3 New London-Spicer 65, Dassel-Cokato 41

Halftime vs. Royals

At halftime, the B-B-E Jaguars boys' basketball team has a slim 24-23 lead against Royalton in Brooten. With 13:12 left, Hudson Reed made a corner three-pointer that gave the Jaguars a 10-6 lead. The last 13 minutes of the first half were a defensive battle.

Update: just 90 seconds into the second half, the Royals took a 26-24 lead.

For the B-B-E Jaguars girls' basketball team, they had a 23-22 lead with 5:11 left in the first half at Holdingford. Update: the girls' basketball team has a 33-31 halftime lead.

More to come in a new blog post, including final scores and game video from Brooten.