We crept above .500 in boys hoops play Friday night (2/17). It was a dramatic night of hoops action as we bounced back from a halftime deficit. The foe was rival Benson. Benson is having a season quite below .500. But those Braves looked very competitive in the first half. They shot past our Tigers to lead by five at halftime, 30-25. Eventually the team with the better record woke up. We outscored the Braves 31-23 in the second half to win by three, 56-53.
It was satisfying to win but still a little worrisome, as you could argue we should have handled those losing Braves a little more routinely. Benson came out of the night with a 5-16 record. When I was a kid, Brad Svea was the big star for Benson. He went on to be a UMM Cougar.
Layton Connelly was largely responsible for Benson's strong upset bid. This very talented Brave poured in 29 points. Zack Sonnabend scored nine for the Braves. Ty Hedman put in seven points, Max Peterson six and Justin Goossen two.
Connelly was a force with his three-point shooting touch, making five long-rangers. Hedman sank one '3'. Sonnabend had six rebounds. Peterson contributed three assists. Hedman, Peterson and Sonnabend each had one steal.
OK let's move on to the Tiger data: Jacob Zosel topped the scoring list with his 13 points. Tim Travis and Tate Nelson each put in ten points. Camden Arndt and Jaret Johnson each contributed eight, and Connor Koebernick added seven to the mix. Johnson made two 3-pointers while Koebernick and Nelson each made one. Arndt led in rebounds with eleven. Zosel was tops in assists with eight. Travis and Zosel each had two steals.
Hi y'all
I was talking to a nurse last night who I noticed had a southern accent. It's amazing how these inflections vary according to particular parts of the country. I made note of her cultural clue, to which she responded, without missing a beat, about how she didn't have an accent, rather I "had a northern accent." She told me she's a "travel nurse." Charming woman.
Little was made of our so-called northern accent until the movie "Fargo" came out. The movie "North Country" did the same thing. In these movies we learn that northern people may seem so innocent and gentle in their outward behavior, even naive, but they can be as mean as anyone. We sometimes stereotype east coast people - you know, the black-haired southern European types - as being rude and impatient. I once heard a commentator note that despite that trait, those easterners "will be the first to help you if they see you're in trouble."
There is an exhibit that shows the difference between Midwesterners and Easterners. It's the four-way stop. In the Midwest, when four vehicles arrive at a four-way stop at the same time, everyone waits for everyone else to go first. In New York City? Don't bet on it, pal. I once had a friend in the Chicago area who noted a trait of his city: when you're entering a very short gap in traffic, everyone understands how they need to accommodate you.
All over the U.S. we see more left turn lanes than used to be the case. It's about time. I remember an intersection in St. Cloud in the 1970s that was nightmarish because of the lack of a left turn lane. In 2006 I re-visited the city and found all that was solved. And let's not even talk about the drastically outdated bridge across the Mississippi River toward the St. Cloud State campus in the 1970s. It certainly has been replaced since.
I'm talking about nurses because we're still at SCMC. An old high school classmate has shown up on the second floor, his mother having some issues just like mine. No one wants to spend time at the hospital but it's a great place if you need it. SCMC gets a high grade. I'm typing this post on a lounge computer at SCMC.
I'll advise that the MACA boys basketball team had better up their caliber before the post-season, or the post-season might not last long. I'd prefer not writing another post about how it's time for a coaching change. Fans have never seemed to put much pressure on the coach - they've been like zombies.
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com
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