Tigers down Enderlin ND w/ super second half

Why not play on Saturday too? The prep sports slate can get kind of intense sometimes. But fans of the Tigers had to enjoy what they saw at the home gym Saturday. Great therapy during this disheartening mid-winter weather, eh? High school sports does a lot to counter that. 

I'm not sure it's enough for this winter, though. Unusual to see extreme cold at the same time the wind really whips up. "Hunker down" might well be the theme. But enthused fans assembled at Tiger Center on Saturday. We had an unusual opponent: Enderlin from out-of-state, the fourth-ranked team in North Dakota Class 'B'. 

As in the Tigers' previous game, versus Montevideo, the opponent carved out a first half advantage. Enderlin showed the superior shooting eye in the first half. So it was the visitor getting the 30-25 lead. The second half was an entirely different story. The Enderlin Eagles cooled off to 8 of 32 in shooting. Jackson Loge got in the groove with the kind of offensive prowess fans are used to seeing. Loge came through with 19 of his 25 game-total points. 

The Tigers won this game 64-54. (We also won the Monte game.)

Enderlin was handed its third loss. Their win total is eight. Meanwhile the Tigers continue to own the No. 3 state ranking. 

We overcame the Eagles' Carson Bartholomay who made four 3-pointers and posted 17 points. He was complemented by the Hurlbuts, Joe with 14 points and Gus with 13. 

MACA owns a 13-0 record. Our field goal shooting numbers were 23 for 63, 37 percent. Loge made eight of 23 shots en route to his game output of 25 points. Brandon Jergenson was four of eleven in the process of scoring ten. Thomas Tiernan made two of eight and posted nine. Cole Wente and Toby Gonnerman each scored six points. Tyler Berlinger put in four and Durgin Decker and Sam Kleinwolterink two each. 

Loge led our 3-point shooting with his four makes in nine shots. Jergenson and Tiernan each made two long-rangers. We were eight of 23 as a team, 35 percent. 

Our freethrow stats were ten of 14, 71 percent. Loge was five of six at the line. Tiernan made three freethrows and Decker two. Loge had seven of our team total 20 rebounds. Two of his boards were offensive. Decker and Wente each had four assists among our team total 12. Berlinger executed two steals. Our turnover total was eight. 

Loge blocked two shots and Jergenson blocked one. "Let's go Brandon." No, let's not hear that, please.

Paying last respects

Recently I have tried doing what I can, with the online resources at my disposal, to highlight the recent sudden and tragic death of Jim Carlson in Florida. How much reach do I have? I really cannot know for sure. I would hope that my writing helps make the public aware of Jim's passing, along with the legacy he leaves as jazz educator and promoter. 

Oh but his talents went well beyond jazz. Jazz represents the clear stamp he left on West Central Minnesota music. His UMM Jazz Festival helped put Morris on the map, maybe better than any other event. As much as this asset had impact, it appears the institution isn't much interested today in keeping it going. A good source tells me it's done. Well, we lost Prairie Pioneer Days initially, so maybe the shock value of these developments has diminished. 

Jim Carlson

I wrote five posts on Jim in the days following his passing. What I'm writing here might be considered a sixth. We had to wait a while to become aware of any sort of official obituary. Well, that wait finally ended Thursday. The appropriate funeral home in Florida came through. So I'm wondering if the obit will make its way into Morris-based commercial media this week. 

Will it be in Tuesday's Morris newspaper? How about the kmrs-kkok site where Marshall so often handles things capably? I call him "Marshall Tucker." 

I'd like to see Marshall do an expose on the softball complex, but that will probably only happen in my dreams. I'm a dinosaur in journalism with my attitude that we cannot trust the sugar-coated pronouncements of people behind projects like this. I came of age during Vietnam and Watergate. "Burn baby burn!" 

Marshall will probably have his usual big bowl of Sugar Frosted Flakes. Same with the newspaper, although I consider the paper to be brain-dead in terms of even seeing expose potential. I think Marshall at least sees it. Me? I'm a throwback. 

A friend commented re. speculation that Jim's obit would appear Tuesday:

 

The obit just came out Thursday, and as all material for publication has to be in to the paper office by Thursday noon, it may not appear in the next issue (if in fact the Florida Funeral home even sent it to the Morris paper). The paper’s obituary page on their website is all messed up when I checked it today. Pedersen Funeral Home can't be counted on for all death notices as many times the family takes care of “arrangements” on their own, or through the Minnesota Cremation Society, so Morris deaths won’t necessarily appear on their website. And if the family opts out of the media contact fee with the funeral home, then nothing may show up.

 

Systems with obituaries are "morphing" just like all of communications. Some people think "social media" is good enough. I'll demur on that. 

Jim Carlson's Jazz Fest is stored away in our memories. I guess that's where it will have to stay. I ought to be admired some for my attitudes on such things. Of course I am not. I'm an agitator. I don't know what's good for me.

Jim Carlson, at right, at his best during the Jazz Festival at Edson. Edson is part of the facility named for Edward and Helen Jane Morrison. Helen Jane is 100 years old!

 

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com