Youth Basketball Saturday (VIDEOS)

Led by 4th grade head 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 speedy Sauk Centre Mainstreeters team. In a back-and-forth affair with numerous ties and lead changes, the Jaguars won 25-22 to take 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 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 defensive 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.

A win and a loss on the hardwood (VIDEOS)

I haven't caught up with wrestling scores from tonight's quadrangular at Osakis.

In a Central Lakes Conference game tonight, the River Lakes Stars girls' hockey team defeated the Willmar Cardinals in a 3-0 shutout at the Willmar Civic Center.

In basketball action tonight:
In a Central Minnesota Conference game, the B-B-E Jaguars boys' basketball team turned in a marvelous performance in a 77-58 win over Kimball Area in Brooten. The Jaguars led 43-21 at halftime. In the first half, the Jaguars made a few key outside shots while being highly successful at driving to the basket.

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


With 3:55 left in the first half, Hudson Reed's layup gave the Jaguars a 28-16 lead. Reed led the team with a career-best 23 points plus 6 rebounds. As a team, the Jaguars shot 53 percent from the floor while making 8 out of 11 free throw shots.

The boys' basketball team improves to 1-2 in the CMC and 4-6 overall. Next: they host Royalton in a CMC game on Thursday this week. Kimball Area is 2-2 in the CMC and 3-9 overall.

In a non-conference border battle in Belgrade, the B-B-E Jaguars girls' basketball team took a 72-61 loss to Minnewaska Area. After falling behind 17-6 to start the game, the Jaguars rallied in the closing minutes of the first half to take a 30-28 lead at the break.

In the opening minute of the second half, Macey Roering's layup made it a 32-28 lead. The Lakers then scored inside twice before connecting three straight times from beyond the arc. With 13:25 left in the game, the Lakers had a 41-32 lead after a 13-0 run.

Here's a video recorded late in the second half tonight:


Minnewaska Area, a contender in the West Central Conference and in Section 3AA, improved to 11-2 overall. B-B-E's five-game winning streak ends tonight, and they are 10-3 overall.

Excellent 81 percent free throw shooting kept them in the game, and they connected on 14 of 17 free throw shots in the second half. Kacey Fischer led the team with 23 points. From the floor, the Jaguars shot 33 percent (19-of-56).

The Jaguars don't have much time to lick their wounds, as they now have a tough road trip to Holdingford this Thursday night in a CMC game.

The Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper website will be updated on Thursday morning: https://www.bonanzavalleyvoice.com.

Central MN Conference girls' basketball scores on January 13:
Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City 42, Maple Lake 36

Central MN Conference boys' basketball scores on January 13:
Holdingford 79, Maple Lake 30

Area girls' basketball scores on January 13:
Foley 79, Holdingford 35
Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg 82, Eden Valley-Watkins 47
Braham 70, Pine River-Backus 56 (10th-ranked PR-B's first loss of the season)
Kimball Area 39, Annandale 32
St. Cloud Cathedral 66, Melrose Area 63
Sauk Centre 60, Albany 45
BOLD 79, Central MN Christian 60
Upsala 71, Browerville 42
Swanville 57, Benson 40
Brandon-Evansville 59, Battle Lake 57
Underwood 73, Hancock 51
Parkers Prairie 56, Border West 45

Knights of Columbus free throw shooting contest is January 25 (VIDEOS)

This is exciting news for area youth basketball players.

The Knights of Columbus will host their annual youth free throw shooting contest on Sunday, January 25 at the Sauk Centre high school multi-purpose room. This features boys and girls divisions for ages 9 to 14. Registration is at 12:30 p.m., and the contest starts at 1 p.m.

Note: entrants can compete in only one local competition.

The Lucky Shots Bowling Alley in Brooten hosted the Big Grove-Crow River-Grace Lutheran Parish youth group for an Overtime youth night, which was open to all 7th-12th graders at B-B-E high school.

Here's a video from that night in Brooten:


Tonight: the girls' basketball team hosts Minnewaska Area; and the boys' basketball team hosts Kimball Area. Game updates will follow much later tonight.

Here's an exterior video view of Lincoln's Seafood and Steakhouse in Brooten:


The view around the building at night is beautiful, and the light snowfall just added to the scenery.

*Halftime: BBE 43, Kimball 21.

Another busy stretch ahead (VIDEOS)

I'm still reviewing wrestling results from the Minnewaska Invitational, which was held this past Friday.

Noah Jensen, a freshman, won the 114-pound title and now has a 23-2 overall record this season.

Here's action from the last few minutes of the first half against Hancock on Tuesday, January 6:


And here's the last couple of minutes of the Paynesville game on Friday:


The school board (at Brooten) and Brooten city council meets tomorrow night. No rest whatsoever in the Bonanza Valley Voice universe! Monday night features no varsity events. On Tuesday, the girls' basketball team hosts Minnewaska Area, and the boys' basketball team hosts Kimball Area. The girls' hockey team travels to Willmar for a Central Lakes Conference game.

Update...
The Brooten city council meeting agenda will be posted late on Monday afternoon to the Bonanza Valley Voice editor's blog. The direct link to view that is: BrootenCouncilAgenda.

Girls' basketball Jaguars overpower Bulldogs in strong 2nd half (VIDEO)

Saturday, January 10 notice: don't forget that today, Saturday, Marcia's Bar and Grill will host a Glacial Ridge A.B.A.T.E. meat raffle! It will heat up some time after 4 p.m., likely once the bar bingo crowd starts heading south from the Kade Shack


The visiting Paynesville Area Bulldogs proved a formidable opponent in the first half for the B-B-E Jaguars girls' basketball team. In a home Central Minnesota Conference game tonight, the Jaguars led 22-20 at halftime. Led by a 20-point performance by Kacey Fischer, the Jaguars won 57-37 to improve to 5-0 in the league.

Cold shooting hurt the Jaguars across the game, but 10-of-14 free throw shooting in the second half helped them to rack up 35 points in the last 18 minutes. For the game, the Jaguars were 14-of-20 from the line with 26 percent overall field goal shooting.

The girls' basketball team now prepares for another home border battle, with Minnewaska Area coming to town next Tuesday, January 13.

Here's video from the first half of tonight's game with under 8 minutes left:


Central MN Conference girls' basketball scores on January 9:
Eden Valley-Watkins 53, Holdingford 50
Royalton 67, Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City 43
Kimball Area 53, Maple Lake 22

I'm in a considerable delay with sports blogging tonight. It's all good - I've been enjoying the evening in downtown Brooten with time split between Lincoln's Steakhouse and Lucky Shots Bowling Alley. The town of Brooten was hopping tonight! We are blessed.

I'm still in the process of catching up on wrestling results from the Minnewaska Invitational.

In boys' basketball action tonight...
In their CMC game at home, the B-B-E Jaguars boys' basketball team faced defending champion Holdingford in Brooten. The Huskers built a 43-20 halftime lead on 55 percent field goal shooting. In the second half, the Jaguars played much better defense in a 64-44 loss. Hudson Reed led the Jaguars with 17 points.

The Huskers improve to 7-3 overall and 3-0 in the CMC.

The boys' basketball team hosts Kimball Area next Tuesday in another CMC game.

And finally...in wrestling news...
The B-B-E Jaguars wrestling team had what is likely the best night of the season so far after they turned in a 4th-place finish out of 11 teams at Minnewaska Area high school tonight. The Jaguars racked up 214.5 team points while out-placing fifth-place Badger-Greenbush-Middle River (201.5 points) and Wabasso (184 points). The host Lakers were champions with 558 points.

In girls' hockey news...
At Hutchinson last night, the River Lakes Stars girls' hockey team defeated the host Tigers by a 2-1 score. This squares their overall record at 8-8. Next for the Stars is a road game at Willmar in Central Lakes Conference action next Tuesday, January 13.

In college basketball news...
In an incredible collegiate performance for the ages, B-B-E Class of 2023 graduate Kaden Pieper scored 45 points to help lead the University of Minnesota-Morris Cougars to a 106-91 win at Martin Lutheran College in New Ulm on Wednesday this week. The 45 points is the second-most scored in UMM program history and the most points scored by any men's player in a single game at UMM since the 1964-65 season. Crazy.

Area boys' basketball scores on January 9:
Central MN Christian 101, Tracy-Milroy-Balaton 39
Litchfield 67, Eden Valley-Watkins 56
Melrose Area 76, Royalton 62
New London-Spicer 78, Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 66
West Central Area 78, Brandon-Evansville 39
Osakis 59, Upsala 58
Benson 71, Hancock 64
MACCRAY 70, Minneota 65
Ortonville 52, Renville County West 52

Halftime update

At halftime, the B-B-E Jaguars girls' basketball team has a 22-20 lead over Paynesville Area. Meanwhile, the boys' basketball team is competing at home against Holdingford. The wrestling team is at Minnewaska Area, and the Pirouettes dance team is in Grove City.

Updates and final scores to follow in a new blog post.

Game updates at Eden Valley

A tough start has the B-B-E Jaguars boys' basketball team in a double-digit hole in the first half at Eden Valley-Watkins. With 11 minutes to go, the Eagles hold an 18-7 lead. Seconds later, they expanded that to 21-7 on a three-pointer.

With 9:15 left, Taylor Pieper scored under the basket.

Update: abysmal, flat-footed interior defense by the Jaguars has contributed to the Eagles forging a 36-21 halftime lead.

With 8:48 left in the game, the Eagles have a 49-34 lead.

With 1:36 left in the game, the Eagles have a 60-48 lead. Final: EV-W 63, B-B-E 50. The Eagles improve to 2-1 in the Central Minnesota Conference and 3-4 overall.

Here's action from the first half of the Hancock game on Tuesday night:


The wrestling team was in Minneota tonight.

Central MN Conference boys' basketball scores on January 8:
Holdingford 89, Royalton 44
Kimball Area 92, Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City 63
Paynesville Area 73, Maple Lake 39

Area boys' basketball scores on January 8:
Melrose Area 64, Sauk Centre 49
Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 91, BOLD 35
Border West 71, Parkers Prairie 66
Hancock 76, Battle Lake 44
Hillcrest Lutheran Academy 66, Ashby 38
Underwood 83, Rothsay 60
Dawson-Boyd 92, Canby 44
Alexandria 94, Fergus Falls 61
Willmar 70, Becker 62
New York Mills 62, Browerville 52
Minnewaska Area 51, West Central Area 40
Montevideo 84, MACCRAY 34