MACA hoops ushers in March with victories

Boys hoops: Tigers 54, BOLD 47

We're into the month of March which is the prime time for prep sports excitement. The MACA boys ushered in the month with an impressive road win in a conference game.
The site was Bird Island. The opponent was BOLD (the Warriors). The outcome: a 54-47 win for the orange and black crew.
The Tigers broke loose after a deadlocked situation at halftime (a 23-all tied score). Coach Mark Torgerson coaxed his student athletes to a 31-24 scoring advantage in the second half.
The success put a slight damper on a significant BOLD statistical accomplishment. MACA fans are well familiar with the talents of Kyle Athmann. Athmann climbed past 1000 career points in the Thursday, March 1, game. He was "in the groove" offensively with 25 points - the only Warrior in double figures.
He made four shots from three-point range.
Impressive as this exhibition was, it wasn't enough to vault the Warriors past the Tigers.
The Tigers wrapped up their WCC-South schedule 9-3. Those numbers spell second place behind clear kingpin Montevideo. Monte humbled the Tigers in a recent game.
Going into Thursday, it wasn't certain that Athmann was going to surpass the magical milestone. There wasn't clear cause to dispatch the TV crews etc. Athmann needed 24 points. Talented as he is, there was no certainty he could post such a total.
But he did, clearing the milestone by that precious one point. His Warriors closed out the conference at 6-6. In overall they've done a bit better, with 13-10 W/L numbers coming out of Thursday.
The Tigers' win was their 15th overall against nine losses. How far can they climb in the post-season? This is the month to find out.
Logan Manska made the only "3" for MACA Thursday. He'd finish the night with a team-best 21 points. Austin Dierks put in 14 points and matched that total in rebounds.
Continuing with scoring we have Riley Arndt (5), Jake Torgerson (4), Brody Bahr (4), Lincoln Berget (4) and Chandler Erickson (2).
Erickson and Bahr each had four assists, and Erickson stole the ball four times.
From the freethrow line the Tigers made 11 of 17 shots.

Girls basketball: Tigers 57, Paynesville 50

March began on a most upbeat note for the Morris Area Chokio Alberta girls. Tournament-time was already here. The Tigers were seeded fifth and were going to have to strive for upset form vs. the No. 4 seed.
The opponent: Paynesville (the Bulldogs). As the lower seed the Tigers accepted the road assignment. They succeeded as the road team and as the underdog.
Coach Dale Henrich coaxed his student athletes to a 57-50 triumph in this Section 6AA South affair.
The Tigers might find the going tougher today (Saturday, 3/3). Now they face the No. 1 seed, New London-Spicer, who cruised through the opening round with a 71-45 win over St. John's Prep.
Today's venue is St. John's University in Collegeville. It's semis day.
Coach Henrich liked the fast start his team performed against Paynesville. It's always good to quiet the (opposition) home crowd.
Henrich liked the crisp passing by his team. The reward was high-percentage shots much of the time.
Foul trouble began looming. Paynesville took advantage to claw back and get the score tied. They used steals and layups and began looking like the higher-seeded team. The scoreboard revealed the tie score for halftime: 23-all.
The Tigers prevailed partly because of defense and rebounding which won good grades throughout the game. Henrich commented to the media that "we really hustled after the ball."
Different players stood out at key, pivotal times. "Put-backs" fueled the winning surge.
Katie Holzheimer was at the fore with a statistical double-double. She led the squad in scoring with 22 points. She snared ten rebounds. MaKenzie Smith put in 14 points and collected seven rebounds. Tracy Meichsner contributed eight points and ten rebounds.
Three-point shots had their role in the win. Here the team numbers were the quite acceptable four of ten. Holzheimer was dead-on in shooting and made all four.
Nicole Strobel scored seven points, Beth Holland five and Holly Amundson one.
Meichsner matched Holzheimer's rebound total of ten, and Strobel had nine. Holland led in assists with four. Meichsner with her four steals led there.

Wrestling: media observations

The main "wrestling crowd" is in St. Paul this weekend for the state tournament so they aren't around to observe the weekly Morris newspaper, which comes out on Saturday. I assume today's paper includes coverage of the section meet which is a really big deal in wrestling.
By the time the weekend wrestling travelers get home, the section meet coverage might seem as old as the day it was born. But there was a way to appreciate print media coverage of the section meet last week. All you had to do was acquire the Chokio or Hancock newspapers, newspapers that serve Mayberry-like communities. That's a compliment.
The "big town" paper (Mount Pilot?) wasn't published all week. But you could read about the Tigers in the section meet by getting a small-town paper. I checked these out at our Morris Public Library. Both seemed to have a quite thorough summary.
But I noticed something odd. The article in the Chokio paper was written by Blaine Hill, coaching staff member. The article in the Hancock paper was written by a Morris newspaper staff member. (The Morris and Hancock papers are owned by the same Fargo-based company.)
The duplication of effort struck me as odd. I have no idea what the story is behind this. There are lots of little stores behind area high school athletics. Most of the people buzzing about these have little idea that the "outside world" doesn't give a hoot (apologies to the Hancock Owls).
The outside world follows normal life from day to day. We wouldn't dream of getting our blood pressure up over the kind of issues that can consume the high school sports folks.
If Blaine Hill (also Morris city manager) likes to write and wants to provide a public relations outlet, why can't his services suffice for any and all media? I'm just asking.
The article in the Hancock paper required time and coordination between the writer and the coaching staff I'm sure. Section wrestling results are extensive and complicated, with 14 weight classes, data on decisions, major decisions, falls etc.
It seems to me if Blaine is willing to compile all this, let's all just go with it and skip the duplicative process. I'm just wondering.
Beyond that I have another suggestion which should be as clear as the nose on your face. If Blaine likes to write and if Chuck Nelson likes to take pictures - I'm told Chuck compiles a souvenir DVD for fans - why don't they establish an information bureau online - a "Morris Area Hancock Chokio Alberta" website that would be the last word on Tiger wrestling, and a PR outlet?
All they need do is implement a free blogging platform like what you're looking at right now. How about it, guys?
You could then tell any and all area newspapers that they are welcome to come and get anything they want on the site.
Convenient, yes. But the newspapers wouldn't like this because of the realization that fans would simply start using the website. Who needs the newspapers?
The website is free and there are no limitations - no need to "squeeze in" the material as so often happens with newspapers, which try to be all things to all people.
Hey, wrestling people, take care of your own needs online. UMM's winter sports already does. Step into the future and realize (and seize) the new media realities.
Here's a dirty little secret: it's fun.
Blaine is going to have his hands full in the next few months as the City of Morris grapples with the need to tear down the old school. What a mess. If it was going to be torn down, it should have been done sooner rather than later.
I wouldn't want to own property downwind during the demolition. Imagine the gawkers who will turn out.

Congrats to state wrestling achievers Tim Ostby and Zach Gibson and to all the MAHACA Tigers.

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

Hancock girls end regular season 19-4

Parkers Prairie 51, Owls 32

The Hancock Owls experienced the rare sting of a loss on Thursday, Feb. 23.

The sting was felt at home where they took on a team they knew would give them all they could handle. That foe: Parkers Prairie (the Panthers).
The PP girls came to Hancock owner of 23 wins and they added No. 24 that night, by a score of 51-32.

Coach Jodi Holleman's Owls came out of the night at 19-4. Those are the numbers they'll tote into the post-season where the debut game is presented tonight (Thursday, March 1).
Tonight's foe is Henning. This is the Class A, Section 6 affair.

Parkers Prairie came out of last Thursday with a 24-1 record.

For Hancock, losing by the relatively wide margin might have been the most discouraging aspect. It wasn't all that bad at halftime when the score stood 17-10. Yes, the margin wasn't all that bad but look at the meager point total: ten. Both teams must have been playing somewhat tentatively.

The game took on a much less restrained complexion the rest of the way. The Owls doubled their point total and added 22 points in the second half. But PP turned on the jets to score 34 second half points, truly taking command.

Starting guard Serandon Bigalke was no-go for much of the game. She was nursing a practice injury (from Wednesday). She gamely took the court for the first half in the 2/23 game. But she had to retire to the bench the rest of the way.

The Panthers were buoyed by two double figures scorers: Micaela Noga and Madison Dorn. Dorn made two 3-point shots.

The Owls failed to strike from three-point range. In total field goals the Owls were 12 of 29, and their stats in 3's were 0/4. They made six of 17 freethrow attempts.

Kendra Schmidgall was a force, leading the squad in points, rebounds and assists. Kendra with her 20 points was followed on that list by: Sami Schmidgall (5), Karol Algarate (2), Olivia Koehl (2), Bigalke (2) and Courtney Greiner (1).

Kendra's team-leading rebound total was 12. Sami Schmidgall and Koehl each grabbed five rebounds. Kendra dished out two assists.

Greiner came away with three steals.

Owls 44, Canby 42

Canby got off to a fast start in front of their home fans, challenging the Hancock girls on Saturday, 2/18. The scoreboard showed a 9-0 score at one point early-on, with Hancock striving to get untracked on this day of a girls/boys doubleheader in Canby Lancer country.

The Canby girls have a won-lost mark way over .500. They also have a particularly talented scorer in their ranks: Riley Nordgaard.

The Lancers may have enjoyed that early 9-0 run but Nordgaard was not going to have a banner first half. The Owl defense held her to seven points in the half.

The Owls were able to get untracked, given a little time, and coach Holleman's squad went on to win narrowly, 44-42.

The Owls in fact fought to get the lead by halftime. They eked out an 18-16 halftime lead and played even with Canby the rest of the way. Each team scored 26 second half points.

Clutch freethrow shooting down the stretch by Kendra Schmidgall and Serandon Bigalke lifted the Owls' fortunes. They were totally poised in front of the Lancer fans.

The Owls showed poise in long-range shooting - certainly a big plus - as they made five of 18 shots from three-point range. They were 12 of 43 in total field goals and a superb 15 of 18 at the freethrow line.

Schmidgall with her 19 points set the pace there. Then we have Olivia Koehl with 11 points, Bigalke with nine and Courtney Greiner with five.

Greiner worked the boards for nine rebounds. Karol Algarate collected seven rebounds, and there were three Owls each with five: Schmidgall, Koehl and Bigalke.

Bigalke showed deft passing to accumulate six assists. Three Owls each had two steals: Greiner, Koehl and Algarate.

The Lancers' Nordgaard may have been held back in the first half but her talents were most notable in the second. This talented Lancer finished with 22 points, making one "3" along the way. Given her persistence, the Owls needed all their freethrows (and those five 3-pointers to be sure).

The Owls came out of the night at 19-3 in overall. Canby's record: 18-6.

Boys basketball: Owls 61, Canby 60

Saturday, Feb. 18, was a banner day for Hancock hoops on the road. The Owls provided lots of entertainment in both parts of the boys/girls doubleheader in Canby.

The Owls won both parts, succeeding by close scores. The boys' story was a 61-60 Hancock victory. (The margin in the girls game was two.)

Things didn't look too encouraging at halftime. My, the Owls were down by four points against a Canby team that had a slightly better record (and presumably home court advantage). The halftime score: 30-26.

The Lancers, sitting at one game over .500, wanted to stay on the right side of that mark. The Owls, striving to climb toward .500, showed a firm resolve toward that end in the second half.

Jordan Miller and Taylor Holleman showed prime scoring punch. Miller would flirt with 30 points on the day.

The Owls carved out a memorable 61-60 win. They came out of the weekend with an 8-11 record.

They made exactly half their field goal tries: 25 of 50. They were efficient in 3's making four of ten. Austin Steege made two 3-pointers while Holleman and Bryan Shaw each made one. The Owls were seven of 18 in freethrows.

Michells Algarate led in rebounds with nine followed by Holleman with seven. Collin Cunningham dished out six assists followed by Holleman with four.

Holleman, Shaw and Miller each had two steals.

Miller and Holleman led the scoring list with 28 and 18 points respectively. Shaw came through with seven, Steege with six and Cunningham with two.

It was a day for the Owls to hoot!

A personal note: This is the first writing I've done on Hancock boys basketball in six years. I have missed it greatly, but life throws you its curves sometimes. Some of the players here still seem like "little kids" in my mind. They're growing up!

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

Girls crush 'Waska, boys bow, wrestlers shine

Girls hoops: Tigers 42, 'Waska 25

The road was an agreeable place for the Morris Area Chokio Alberta girls on Thursday (2/23). The MACA hoopsters took command against a struggling Lakers team of Minnewaska Area.
The Tigers gained their eighth win of the season, 42-25. The Lakers have won but twice.
Coach Dale Henrich's squad applied a balanced attack. Still there was a standout: MaKenzie Smith with her 13 points, nine steals and nine rebounds. Yes, she nearly eked out a triple-double.
Is the win a sign of better things to come for the orange and black cause? The Tigers had been slumping. All that can be forgotten quickly, naturally, with a spurt in the post-season.
The Tigers ended the regular season with back-to-back wins.
The Thursday success was despite putting up bricks from three-point range. The Tigers made none of their seven 3-point tries and they were 15 of 50 in total field goals. In freethrows they made 12 of 22.
Smith with her 13 points was one of eight Tigers who scored. She was joined by: Courtney Gades 9, Katie Holzheimer 8, Beth Holland 6, Nicole Strobel 2, Miranda Day 2, Cassey Hickman 1 and Tracey Meichsner 1.
Paige Anderson held up 'Waska's scoring with eight points but the lowlights have exceeded the highlights in Minnewaska's season, to be sure. The Lakers have a loss skein of 18. They made just eight of 36 field goal tries Thursday.
The Tigers led at halftime 17-9.
Now we're into the post-season, where the slate calls for MACA to play Paynesville at Paynesville at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 1. We're in Section 6 of AA.

Boys basketball: Montevideo 66, Tigers 44

The Tigers took to the home court Friday (2/24) for the daunting challenge of facing Montevideo.
Monte is a high-powered unit and came here eyeing the WCC-South title. The Thunder Hawks showed their state-ranked attributes from early-on. They assumed a healthy lead and stayed on an even keel.
They boosted their conference record to 10-1 with a 66-44 win over the Tigers. Monte stands at 18-5 overall.
Coach Mark Torgerson's Tigers had trouble getting untracked offensively. The halftime score was 46-17 with Monte on its way to wrapping up the conference title.
Colton Vien was a thorn in the Tigers' side. He flirted with 30 points and snared ten rebounds.
Logan Manska was the Tigers' stop scorer with eleven points. Manska made two of the Tigers' four successful 3's. Riley Arndt and Jacob Torgerson made the others.
Arndt scored eight points. Manska was the team leader in rebounds with four. Three Tigers each supplied two assists: Austin Dierks, Brody Bahr and Tom Holland.
The Tigers were 15 of 53 in total field goals. In 3-pointers alone they were four of 15. In freethrows: 10 of 13.
Here's the complete scoring list: Manska 11, Arndt 8, Chandler Erickson 6, Jake Torgerson 5, Sam Mattson 4, Lincoln Berget 4, Austin Dierks 4 and Brody Bahr 2.
(Thanks to coach Torgerson posting stats on Maxpreps, I'm able to correct an omission from the Willmar newspaper.)
The setback left Morris Area Chokio Alberta with a 14-9 overall record and 8-3 in conference.

Two section champs among Tigers

The MAHACA initials turn up twice in the listing of section wrestling championships.

We are heading into the truly climactic phase of the 2011-12 wrestling season. The state individual tournament is coming up this weekend at St. Paul's Xcel Energy Center. The Xcel will truly be a mecca for the state's wrestling faithful.

Dawson provided the venue for the sectionals that included Morris Area Hancock Chokio Alberta. There, Tim Ostby and Zach Gibson were the headlining Tigers with their accomplishments. Both blazed past their three section foes.

Ostby and Gibson were champions at 145 and 285 pounds, respectively, each going 3-0. They will proudly carry the MAHACA banner in state. Good luck, guys.

Evan Nelson came on strong to win four bouts and drop two, a showing good for third place at 120 pounds. He had the heartbreak of losing a "true second" match. First and second place achievers advance to state.
Connor Metzger fashioned a 3-2 record as the Tigers' 170-pounder, notching third. Joel Harrison was a third place achiever at 220 pounds where he turned back four opponents and lost to two.

Taking fourth at 113 pounds was Travis Ostby who fashioned a 2-2 mark. Myles Smith sported a 2-2 record at day's end, so he too could feel pride in a fourth place finish (at 132).

Big Tyler Moser at 195 pounds took sixth with his 2-3 showing on the Dawson mats. Dillan Johnson was the No. 6 achiever at 126 pounds, going 1-2.

MAHACA was also represented by the following: Mitchell Ascheman at 106 pounds (a 1-2 showing), Jerid Berning (138, 0-2), Seth Nelson (152, 1-2), Jordan Thooft (160, 2-2) and Wade Ehlers (182, 0-2).

Bring on the bright lights and arena atmosphere of the Xcel!

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

Pomme de Terre River, its lakes help define us

The Pomme de Terre River flows lazily past our wind turbines. (Photos by B.W.)
My favorite Pomme de Terre River photo, taken south of Morris close to Highway 59.
The Pomme de Terre River in springtime, bulging with springtime thaw. This photo was taken down the hill from the West Central Research and Outreach Center (WCROC).

Del Holdgrafer used the term "time immemorial" in describing some of the original prairie close to where he grew up. It was right across the road from his family's farm, he recalled in a book put out by the Stevens County Historical Society.

He remembered the "burrowing owls and native plants." The panorama of the prairie had a timeless quality. Early explorers were spellbound at the vastness of it all. The owls and plants were part of a most resilient ecosystem.

Holdgrafer described the wondrous nature as having thrived "from time immemorial."

I have read that if you want to get an idea of what the original prairie was like, go down by the Pomme de Terre River. It's easier now than when I was a kid. We have biking/walking trails which provide for a wonderful departure from one's usual routine.

You can get a sense of the real "prairie."

The Pomme de Terre River cuts through the prairie landscape with an irresistible force. Water is like that. Anyone who grew up in Morris considers the river like an old companion.
The Pomme de Terre is "our" river. As kids we may have "wet a line" on its banks.

The wide spots are wide enough to be considered lakes. Some are borderline in this respect, like the "wide spot" at Pomme de Terre City Park. This "almost" lake provides the backdrop for the campground. It seemed more palatable for swimming years ago. The same can be said of Pomme de Terre Lake (or Perkins Lake, if that's the name you prefer) several miles to the north.

It's all hooked together by the Pomme de Terre River which snakes along close to Highway 59 North. It gets narrower as you go to the north - logical since this is how rivers behave. As you get toward Elbow Lake the river almost seems to get lost among the vegetation ("cattail" plants etc.) in places.

So where does it all begin? How many of us Morrissites, who have been familiar with the river all our lives, can answer trivia questions about it?

You have to go quite far to the north, actually, to pinpoint where the Pomme de Terre begins. We're talking the Fergus Falls area.

In all the Pomme de Terre River is a little over 100 miles long. It's part of the watershed of the Mississippi.

The Pomme de Terre River begins from Stalker Lake. Someone once told me Stalker is a quite deep lake and has walleyes. The closest town is Dalton. The river proceeds past or through Barrett and Appleton in addition to Morris.

Finally it ends up in southwestern Swift County where it gets absorbed by Marsh Lake.

Marsh Lake is on the Minnesota River. Appleton is about four miles away. Marsh Lake is maintained by a manmade dam. It was formed by a backup of water caused by the Pomme de Terre's delta.

The river strings together the lakes north of Morris known as a "chain." On the map these lakes probably look more impressive than they really are.

"Middle" Pomme de Terre really doesn't seem like a separate lake. The one lake that has recreation possibilities doesn't have a commonly accepted name. On official maps it's "Perkins." But the big sign at the public access welcomes people to "Pomme de Terre Lake."

I have raised this issue before, even bringing it to the attention of the Historical Society, but the reaction has been more or less a shrug of the shoulders.

"Let sleeping dogs lie," I guess.

The contradiction doesn't seem to bother anyone. People in Mayberry pretty much just know their way around.

The lake known as "North Pomme de Terre" looks bigger on the map than it really is. I have scouted out there and found no real redeeming qualities to the lake. It has the look and feel of a slough. I suspect it looks big on the map because it takes in vegetation ("bulrushes," cattails and the like) that don't equate with true lake surface.

It's actually hard getting a good look at North Pomme de Terre. The roads skirt the lake only partially and they aren't of high quality. Actually the dirt roads all around the Pomme de Terre Lake chain leave a lot to be desired. When wet they can seem foreboding. Plus you'll often encounter an annoying "washboard" effect.

I decided once not to even use my bike along the road that snakes out to the Pomme de Terre West neighborhood. I try to take good care of my bikes.

The road that goes to the north of Middle Pomme de Terre will eventually get you to Farwell, I believe. But keep a map handy.

The wide spot in the river at Pomme de Terre City Park has an interesting background. We have fallen back on the name "Pomme de Terre reservoir," even though this isn't really a name, it's a description.

I was fascinated to discover once this lake has had at least one real name. I was writing an article for the print media on the bike trail system. I was shown a map. I saw the name "Lake Crissey."

Lake Crissey! Sounds appealing. I had never heard it before. Was it official? Did someone name it after his girlfriend?

I wondered. Why did the name seem to die?

People began flocking to the lake for recreation after the dam was completed. "Lake Crissey" came into circulation. Contrary to being an offhand reference to someone's girlfriend, the Lake Crissey name was inspired by A.D. Crissey, state representative who had supported creation of the dam and park.

The park was first known as "Riverside" - a nice name. Odd how neither the name of the lake or park stuck.

Being proactive

I'd like to make a formal suggestion here and now: to bring back the names "Riverside Park" and "Lake Crissey."

Let's put up signs.

There was a Star Tribune article not long ago about a Minnesota artist doing logos for every Minnesota lake. Let's contact that person, offer her a little monetary sum and get a nice design for a "Lake Crissey" logo!

BTW I have referred to the Crissey name a couple times in my past writing but misspelled it "Crissy," going from memory. I'll have to go back and fix those.

How could we possibly allow the bland and sterile name "Pomme de Terre reservoir" to take over? Ugh.

The park was once a state park but didn't meet the true specifications for such an entity. The recreation area was limited and we didn't see the desired "wilderness" complexion in the truest sense. Still the park had its attractive attributes, but more as a county or city park.

"Pomme de Terre City Park" was born and it's a valued asset of the area. I'd just like to see a little tweaking of the cosmetics, by re-instituting the "Lake Crissey" and "Riverside Park" names.

"Riverside" would clearly differentiate the place from other places - too many - that have the "Pomme de Terre" name (like the lakes to the north).

"Pomme de Terre" is French and means "apple of the earth." The reference is taken to mean potatoes. Early French explorers gave us this name and were actually thinking of the "prairie turnip" which is potato-like. This was common fare for the Sioux Indians.

I remember the Morris Centennial in 1971 - a terrific celebration - and how the program (at the fairgrounds) began with a Native American character standing on top of a pole. Presumably there were safety safeguards. Was it Peter Kron who played that role?

A friend expressed consternation, saying this program followed an established script and wasn't tailored to Morris.

"There weren't any Indians in Morris," my friend sniffed.

I have the impression there were not established Indian settlements in this area, even though most certainly there was transient or sporadic activity. Travelers along the Wadsworth Trail had to watch out for hostiles.

I played in the "German band" for the Morris Centennial. John Woell threw that group together. We played in the Met Lounge which was the first time I'd ever been in a bar.

The WCROC Horticulture Garden overlook is a great place from which to appreciate our "Old Man River," the Pomme de Terre. Les Lindor was instrumental in making the overlook a reality. It's a terrific place and convenient for people appreciating the garden, but to be honest I think there's a slightly superior view afforded by a "lover's lane" type of place immediately to the north of Pomme de Terre Park, at the top of a hill of course. It's just a little flattened ground.

Maybe a little interpretive sign could be placed there someday.

We take the Pomme de Terre River for granted, perhaps, maybe because it's such a constant. It has graced the area "from time immemorial," as Delmar Holdgrafer would note.

A river has the power of God behind it. Only an earthquake, which also reflects our maker's power, can supersede, as it did with the New Madrid earthquake which changed the course of the Mississippi River in places.

The Pomme de Terrre River isn't a famous river but it's our river. This tributary of the Minnesota River has given our area character since we took root out here.

I'm reminded of the lead character in the movie "Swamp Thing" who said "much beauty in swamp - all you have to do is look." Same with the prairie.

Wildflowers flourish amid the foliage. Butterflies flutter about. Deer race in bounds. The raccoons slink around.

From time immemorial.

We're just renting the area for a while. The Pomme de Terre is an essential backdrop for our lifestyle. It helps give us character and definition. Take a stroll along the bike trail this spring and appreciate it.

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

A night to shine for MACA hoops teams

Girls hoops: Tigers 59, Ortonville 42

Morris Area Chokio Alberta showed a rejuvenated offense on the court Tuesday night.

Point totals were unacceptably low in some recent games. The Tigers worked to put that drought behind them Tuesday (2/21). Led by Beth Holland's 22 points, the Tigers defeated the Ortonville Trojans 59-42. It was the second-to-last game of the regular season.

The Tigers will play at Minnewaska Area tomorrow (Thursday, 2/23). Fans are hoping for that rejuvenated offense to be the norm now, going into the post-season.

The Tuesday success was in front of an appreciative home crowd. It was the Tigers' seventh win of the season but their loss total is 16 - not the kind of numbers that promise a good seeding position. Ortonville has a 10-13 record.

The home fans cheered with zest in the first half when MACA built a lead of 37-22. The Tigers cruised in the second half, outscoring the Trojans 22-20.

Note from your site host: I have a girls basketball photo album assembled on Flickr. You may view the album by clicking on the link below. The album is also linked from a thumbnail photo in the right-hand column on this site. When the Flickr page comes up, you might want to try the "slideshow" feature. It's neat!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/wcminn/sets/72157629425369093/with/6773158796/

Holland stood out on the scoring list with her 22 points. Katie Holzheimer made her presence felt in scoring along with other categories. Her point total was a modest ten but she collected seven rebounds and also provided eight assists, three steals and three shot blocks.

The rejuvenated offense happened in spite of lackluster long-range shooting. There was just one successful three-point shot, in eight tries, and it was made by MaKenzie Smith. Smith had a point total of ten.

Holzheimer with her seven rebounds led in that department followed by Tracey Meichsner with five.

Holzheimer's eight assists was the team-best figure, and Holland followed that up with four. Holland with her four steals edged four teammates each of whom had three: Meichsner, Holzheimer, Smith and Holly Amundson.

In total field goals the Tigers were 26 of 56. In freethrows: six of ten.

Here's the complete scoring list: Holland 22, Smith 10, Holzheimer 10, Amundson 9, Nicole Strobel 6 and Meichsner 2.
The top Ortonville scorer was Morgan Messner with 19 points. Ortonville made three of nine three-point shot tries.

Boys basketball: Tigers 71, Yellow Medicine East 42

The Tigers were dead on at 50 percent in their field goal shooting Tuesday night on the road. Coach Mark Torgerson's crew was in action in Sting country of YME.

The Tigers made 30 field goals in 60 attempts as they pulled away on the scoreboard. They clearly took care of business in the first half, outscoring the stunned Sting 38-18. They finished things off by outscoring the Sting 33-24 in the second half.
At the final horn the scoreboard bulge was nearly 30, at 71-42.

Coach Torgerson had his squad abstain from the three-point shot. There were only two such attempts by the Tigers. Neither found the mark.

Instead the Tigers played good old conventional basketball by working for the closer-in shots (or getting layups). The scoring load was spread around.

Austin Dierks with his team-leading eleven points was one of 12 Tigers who scored. Riley Arndt and Logan Manska each put in ten.

Here's the remainder of the scoring list: Chandler Erickson 7, Tom Holland 6, Brody Bahr 6, Lincoln Berget 6, Sam Mattson 5, Jake Torgerson 4, Nic Vipond 2, Daniel Nelson 2 and John Tiernan 2.

Arndt was tops in rebounds with five.
It has been a while, but the Willmar newspaper is back to spelling this name "Ahrndt." This is the Benson spelling. Also in Wednesday's paper, Brody Bahr's name was spelled "Brady." I know because I used reading glasses. I still have to get ink on my fingers to do this research.

Erickson led in assists with four and in steals with six.

The Tigers made 15 of 27 freethrow attempts. They came out of Tuesday with a W/L mark of 14-8, helping reverse some recent disappointing fortunes.

The top YME scorer was Adam Savariego with 12 points.
Next for the Tigers: a challenging home game on Friday, 2/24, against Montevideo, the #9 ranked team in Minnesota AA.

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

Girls fall to Sting, record-setting Baker

The starting five get announced for Morris Area Chokio Alberta. (Photos by B.W.)
Nicole Strobel has the ball for MACA in the game vs. YME.
Cassey Hickman maneuvers in a crowd.

Yellow Medicine East 46, Tigers 27
The color pink prevailed at the MAHS gym, home of the Tigers, Friday. Orange and black had to give way to this special cause-related color.

The Tigers took the court hoping to turn back the Sting of Yellow Medicine East.

The Tigers have been a bit offense-deprived lately. They could use a hot streak in 3's. There was no such good fortune for the orange and black crew Friday.

The Tigers succumbed to YME and their premier rebounder, Emily Baker. Baker is a Sting senior who vacuums the boards. She broke the YME school record for rebounds Friday at the expense of our Tigers.

Baker blended in with an efficient YME attack. Her contributions on this night included eleven points and 13 rebounds. With those rebounds this student-athlete of distinction passed Jenny Kuehn's career mark of 716 boards. Baker came out of Friday with 723.

Kylie Jans put in ten points for the Sting, who crafted their 14th win of the season against nine losses. The Sting came out of Friday with a sparkling 8-4 conference mark.

The Sting's Courtney Hinz put in nine points and collected nine rebounds.

The Tigers' offensive woes with the anemic point total of 27 was a carryover from the Sauk Centre game. Against Sauk Centre on Tuesday, the offensive output was 33 points - suggesting room for improvement. Sauk Centre scored 67.

Coach Dale Henrich is striving to get the fortunes reversed with the post-season getting near.

The Tigers fell to the Sting in the 46-27 scoreboard final Friday. The game wasn't out of reach at halftime as MACA trailed by five, 19-14.

Katie Holzheimer scored eleven points to top that list. Courtney Gades scored seven, MaKenzie Smith six, Cassey Hickman two and Nicole Strobel one.

The offense needs a jump start.

Click on the link below to reach the MACA girls basketball page on Maxpreps:

http://www.maxpreps.com/high-schools/morris-area-chokio-alberta-tigers-(chokio,mn)/girls-basketball/home.htm

Click on the link below to reach the MACA girls basketball schedule page on Pheasant Country Sports:

http://www.pheasantcountrysports.com/teamschedule.php?yid=1112&tid=1159&sid=1230274

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

MACA boys hit dry spell, dropping three of four

Minnewaska Area 57, Tigers 43

The MACA boys have fallen into a bit of a slump and aim to make the adjustments to rebound.

It's hard to find the winning formula when you're up against the likes of an "in the zone" Austin Giese. Giese and his Minnewaska Area mates treated their fans in Laker country to a win Thursday at the expense of our Tigers.

Giese poured in 18 points in the first half. The MACA point total in the first half was 19.
Giese would finish the night with 29 points, the high for both teams.

The Tigers trailed 35-19 at halftime and ended up losing 57-43. They entered the weekend still comfortably over .500 at 13-8. But they dropped three of their last four games. Let's hope it's out of their system.

Minnewaska Area has hardly been a world-beater this season. But when someone like Giese gets hot, well. . .

The Lakers owned 7-13 W/L numbers coming out of the night.

The Tigers made five of 22 tries from three-point range. Chandler Erickson and Logan Manska each made two of the long-rangers, and Jacob Torgerson had the other. In total field goals the Tigers were 14 of 50. In freethrows: 10 of 15.

Erickson collected the most rebounds: 7. Manska and Brody Bahr were the assist leaders with four and three respectively. Riley Arndt and Austin Dierks each had three steals.

Dierks was the top scoring Tiger with 14 points and none of his mates cracked double figures. Manska scored nine. Continuing with the list we have Erickson (8), Torgerson (5), Bahr (4) and Arndt (3).

Minnewaska's Giese made four 3-pointers in building his impressive point total. Yes, "in the zone. . ."

Andrew Ostrander and Jaydeen Beecher each made a "3" also for the Lakers.

Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City 52, Tigers 48

The Tigers' recent funk included a 52-48 loss to the ACGC Falcons on Friday, Feb. 10.

ACGC is a quality unit with a record comfortably above .500, and the Falcons had the home court on their side.

Coach Mark Torgerson's Tigers with their still-fine record couldn't keep pace with the Falcons and Dylan Hoerchler. Hoerchler scored 18 points to help lead ACGC to its 12th win of the season.

Hoerchler connected three times from three-point range. He also added four assists to the winning mix.

Falcon Jacob Belgum scored 16 points and stole the ball four times.

The Tigers entered the night second in the WCC-South. But their first half offense was not what you'd expect of a team with that credential.

Was it a case of the ACGC defense being especially resolved? Whatever the explanation, the Tigers' anemic first half offense produced just 14 points. The Falcons scored 25 in the first half.

The Tigers revved up their engines for the second half and outscored ACGC 34-27. But the first half hole was too deep.

MACA faltered in three-point shooting, posting three of 18 numbers here. Logan Manska had two of the makes and Riley Arndt had the other.

Austin Dierks snared ten rebounds and Arndt had five. Brody Bahr dished out three assists. The steal leaders were Bahr and Chandler Erickson each with three.

Let's roll up our sleeves for the scoring list: Arndt 14, Dierks 11, Manska 10, Bahr 4, Erickson 4, Jacob Torgerson 2, Lincoln Berget 2 and Tyler Henrichs 1.

Tigers 60, Breckenridge 51

The bright spot in the Tigers' recent play was the February 14 game against the Cowboys of Breckenridge.

When I was a kid, the Cowboys were a dynasty at the old "district" level. We learned to dislike the color green. Breckenridge could be a nemesis for our orange and black crew. That was a long time ago.

On February 14 the Cowboys looked quite normal - you could joke their 6-shooters were empty, heh heh - as they succumbed to the Tigers in the 60-51 final.

The Tigers charged out to a 27-20 lead at halftime. The Tigers in fact led the whole way. They're striving to re-discover that formula now.

Austin Dierks was a cog in that formula as he achieved a double-double. This rangy Tiger put in 22 points and grabbed eleven rebounds.

Logan Manska was a cog as this Tiger made all three of the team's 3-pointers. But the team numbers in 3's were three of 14. In total field goals the squad made 21 of 49 attempts. The Tigers made 15 of 28 freethrow tries.

Chandler Erickson and Jacob Torgerson led in assists, each with four. Brody Bahr stole the ball three times.

Here's the scoring list from the Tigers' 13th win of the season: Dierks 22, Manska 15, Riley Arndt 6, Bahr 6, Erickson 4, Lincoln Berget 4, Torgerson 2 and Tom Holland 1.

Nate Lorenz scored 13 points for Breckenridge which came out of the night at 8-11.
Morris Area Chokio Alberta boys basketball will visit YME on Tuesday, 2/21. Then comes a home assignment vs. Montevideo, ranked #9 in MN 2AA, on Friday, 2/24.

Wrestling: home invite memorable

I have coverage on my companion website ("Morris of course") of the Tigers' performance in their home wrestling invitational. The Tigers placed third among eight teams. They had four individual champions.
I invite you to read the review by clicking on the permalink below:

http://www.morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2012/02/wrestling-tigers-third-among-8-in-home.html

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