Girls beat Montevideo to arrive at ten wins

Tigers 59, Montevideo 38
The Tigers visited Thunder Hawk country of Montevideo for Thursday (1/30) action. I remember visiting there a few times when I was with the Morris newspaper. I remember the exquisite mural that showed the silhouette of an Indian with headdress, symbolizing "Mohawks." That was the long-ago nickname. Intentions were surely good but times change, so eventually Montevideo opted away from the Native American symbol.
Shall I assume the mural is no longer there? It was nice artwork.
Today's Thunder Hawks of Monte came up short against our MACA Tigers Thursday. The outcome seemed settled at halftime when the score stood 37-21. Then in the second half, the orange and black took care of business with a 22-17 scoring advantage. We reached the ten-win plateau with this 59-38 victory.
Our record is 10-8 while Monte was left at 4-14.
Meredith Carrington made two 3-pointers to build her team-best point total of 18. Kendra Wevley posted double figures with 14. MacKenna Kehoe had nine points all of which came from her three 3-pointers. Kylie Swanson and Malory Anderson each scored six points and LaRae Kram had two. The individual point totals here add up to 55, not 59, sorry. The information is from the West Central Tribune.
Monte had two players standing out in scoring: Avery Koenen with 16 points and Jasmine Kronbeck with 12. Rose O'Malley put in four points, and Greta Rongstad and Tenley Epema each had three. Koenen sank two 3-point shots. Epema and Rongstad each made one long-ranger.

Is Hancock the bigger town?
The Morris newspaper either is not aware or does not care that a lot of people think the emphasis on Hancock is too great. I wonder if the Hancock Record would still exist if our county had not gone through its phase of Forum Communications newspaper ownership. A good bet would be "yes." If Hancock people really don't miss it, that's a worrisome sign for the newspaper business.
People can get by just fine without a local newspaper. I mean, other communications means have blossomed.
Let's see, "Hancock school donates 80 desks to Orphan Grain Grain." That's nice, another of those "nice" articles that I really don't think accomplishes much. We all know there are various local interests doing "nice" things all the time. Let's turn to page 2. Is this really the Morris paper? "Hancock one-act cast competes," and "Hancock school menu," and "Hancock public school addition update."
It's like the paper is outright rubbing it in with the Hancock emphasis. Don't those people hear any comments out and around? Do I really need to know the Hancock school menu?
If the Hancock paper still existed, Katie Erdman would be the editor. Now she's the editor of the Morris paper. Permanent? It's hard to know about that. She's a year older than me so she's on Medicare, which is really nice. I worked with her for a very long time. At the end of it all, the company felt I needed harassing. Well, all's fair.
Life is too short to deal with those tensions. Katie has been through an odyssey where she left the Morris paper, landed with the Anfinsons and has now made her triumphant return. Her last two columns puzzle me a little. She said she grew skeptical about blogging because it's so expensive. That's a head-scratcher. Back when I got a tip about starting a blog, I was told to simply go to the Google Blogger system and it'd be a breeze. It was. And it's totally free. And, I can't think of anything I cannot do on my two sites.
Katie writes in her column that apparently there is disagreement between the paper and city council on how the current water treatment issues are to be viewed. I wish Katie would elucidate more. She basically admitted there was discord but did not get into the details of any grievance or the paper's response. This begs for a follow-up column but I wouldn't expect one.
I ended up writing about six blog posts on the water treatment matter and I wish I had written zero. I got dragged into a thicket of total confusion even though I went directly to the city office to try to figure out what to do. If the city could have just explained to me what action to take, I would have done it. I seek to be a good citizen.
Instead it all turned out to be a mess. A city council member emailed me to say some people will find the new city water good enough for them, while others won't. Huh? I'm not even sure what category I'd be in. Would I accept slightly substandard water? I don't know. I have no basis to make a judgment.
I think Katie's problem was that there was a front page article attributing to the council that people with "old" softeners will end up in the slammer. OK I exaggerate, but such people were apparently going to be found "in violation of the law," which is not a place where you want to be. This came across as unreasonably harsh.
Since then, the city has extended the message that it won't be barging into people's home's - a man's home is his castle - to evaluate softeners. We won't need to hear the "Dragnet" theme song. I am actually very bitter about all my dealings on this.
Wait a minute, I'm not done reacting to the current Morris newspaper. Wow! There's a whopper of an inappropriate headline on the top of page 1B, the front sports page. It is laughably inappropriate. "Tiger swim and dive team tops Perham for first win in decade." Ahem. Kids in swimming and diving are in the activity for enrichment and health - I suspect that "winning" doesn't enter into the equation much, or shouldn't. There is only one basketball article on page 1B and it's about: Hancock.
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Another offensive burst: MACA boys win

Tigers 87, Sauk Centre 69
Tiger fans were in a buoyant mood Tuesday evening at the local gym. Their team hosted Sauk Centre and excelled in the 87-69 victory. We exploited the freethrow line for lots of points. But all-around the excellence was exhibited as we achieved win No. 9 against five losses. Sauk Centre came out of the night at 6-11.
Jackson Loge was back to prominence in the offensive stats. After being third-high in the scoring fest vs. ACGC, a night when he nevertheless scored 21, he burst forward with 35 on Tuesday. The sophomore was superb with his 13 field goals in 18 attempts for 72 percent.
Durgin Decker made noise for the sophomore class too: he supplied 15 points even though he had just two field goals (in three attempts). He made one three-pointer and was pinpoint from the freethrow line with his ten makes in 12 attempts. Jaden Maanum put in ten points on four of eight in field goals.
These three Tigers each scored six points: Thomas Tiernan,  Toby Gonnerman and Cade Fehr. Adding to the mix were Cameron Koebernick (four points), Dalton Koehler (3) and Brandon Jergenson (2).
As a team we were 28 of 51 in field goals, 55 percent. Maanum was two of four in three-point shooting. Decker, Koebernick and Koehler each made one '3'. The team numbers in 3's were five of 12 for 42 percent.
Decker's ten freethrows made him the top producer there, followed closely by Loge with his nine of ten stats. Fehr supplied four points at the stripe. We were 26 of 34 for 76 percent in this department. Loge attacked the boards for 13 rebounds, four offensive and nine defensive. That list also includes: Maanum (5), Fehr (4), Tiernan (3), Decker (2), Jergenson (2), Gonnerman (2) and Koebernick (1). The team rebounding stats were seven offensive, 25 defensive for 32 total.
Assist leaders were Loge with six and Jergenson with five. Four Tigers each had one steal: Maanum, Jergenson, Loge and Gonnerman. Loge had three blocked shots and Jergenson had one.

'Waska 80, Benson 48
Teams with similar won-lost records met at the Benson gym Tuesday evening. Those records are comfortably over .500. Which team would get the upper hand? The Lakers of Minnewaska Area or the Braves of Benson? It was the visitor.
Minnewaska spread the wealth with offense to steadily build its advantage over Benson. The balance was a strong suit in the 80-48 road victory. The Lakers sat at 11-5 at night's end. They led the Braves 36-22 at halftime. The second half story was a 44-26 advantage for the Lakers. Benson's record: 11-6.
Four Lakers scored in double figures led by Grant Jensen and his 14 points. Sam Hested connected for 12 points. Peyton Johnsrud scored eleven and Brady Hoffman ten. These other Lakers scored: Luke Barkeim (8), Drew Nelson (7), Aaron VerSteeg (6), Jaden Stewart (5), Mitchel Gruber (3), Connor Johnsrud (2) and Aiden Tank (2).
Balance certainly marked the Lakers' three-point shooting. Here it was Johnsrud with two makes followed by these teammates each with one: Gruber, Hested, Nelson, Stewart and Barkeim. Hested and Barkeim each collected seven rebounds followed by Jensen with six. Barkeim supplied six assists. Jensen stole the ball three times.
Ben Peterson held up Benson's scoring with 16 points. Will Enderson was second-high with ten. Then we see Abe Peterson with nine, Cole Hedman with eight, Brandonn Traut with three and Dylan Ascheman with two. Ben Peterson built his scoring total with four three-pointers while the other Peterson, Abe, made one. Hedman made two long-rangers and Traut made one.
Ben Peterson led in rebounds with five. Enderson was the top assist producer with five. Abe Peterson had three steals.

Girls: Minnewaska 59, Montevideo 56
A hard-fought game ended with Minnewaska Area having the winning hand in GBB. The combatants were the Lakers and the host Thunder Hawks of Montevideo on Friday, Jan. 24. The Lakers carved out their ninth win to climb above .500. The T-Hawks are having a sub-.500 campaign.
The Lakers worked to a 29-26 halftime advantage. The second half was a 30-all standoff. So the final horn sounded with the Lakers up 59-56.
It was Hannah Hoffman who led the Lakers in scoring. Her 15 points along with Emma Thorfinnson's 12 were fuel in the winning push. The Lakers overcame the talent of T-Hawk Avery Koenen who treated her home fans to 25 points. The Lakers got eight points each from Michele Stai and Avery Hoeper. Five points each came from Elizabeth Murken and Abby Randt. Isabella Ortendahl scored four and Makena Panitzke two.
Hoffman succeeded four times from three-point range. Stai made two long-rangers while Randt, Thorfinnson and Murken each made one.
Koenen with her 25 points for Monte was followed by Greta Rongstad with ten. Other T-Hawks to score were Rose O'Malley (6), Jasmine Kronback (5), Livia Gades (5), Tenley Epema (3) and Kori Douglas (2). Gades and Epema each made a '3'.
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Minnewaska wrestlers chalk up three wins

Lakers 60, BOLD 16
They have dropped from third to fourth, state ranking-wise (Class 'A'), but the Laker wrestlers are a formidable unit. Indeed, they took care of business nicely in their dual vs. BOLD at Olivia. It was on Thursday when the juggernaut Lakers downed the Warriors 60-16.
Lots of highlights. Bonus points came frequently. The little guy at 106 pounds, Nick Ankeny, pinned Brady Kiecker in 1:15. Mason Schiffler at 113 pounds took care of business vs. Gavin Hammerschmidt: a fall in :27. Then it was BOLD Warrior Austin Kiecker pinning Nathan Dell in :34. Jacob Blair at 126 won for the Lakers over Ryan Gass: a technical fall, 16-1 in 4:57. Laker Easton McCrory pinned Stevie McMath in 2:34.
David Lilienthal at 138 handled Neil Young of the Warriors: a fall in 4:27. 'Waska momentum rolled forward as Chase Boelke pinned Tanner Weidauer in :38. Mason Blair won by technical fall over Hunter Ridler in 3:56. Then it was Max Reichmann at 160 posting a 9-1 major decision over Jordan Amberg. BOLD got a win at 170 pounds where Anthony Maher won by a 16-8 major decision over Ryan VanLuik.
Laker Tyson Meyer at 182 pounds pinned Blake Flann in 2:45. Tyler VanLuik at 195 pinned Gavin Moudry in 1:03.
The most anticipated bout of the evening was 220 pounds. The big guys here both had fine credentials. How would it go between Dylan Jergenson and Tim Peppel? It was Peppel's night to shine as he treated the fans at his home gym to a 3:37 fall over 'Waska's Jergenson.
On to 285 pounds. The burly guys here were Isaiah Miller of 'Waska and Sheldon Enriquez of BOLD. Miller put a final flourish on 'Waska's evening of success with a 10-0 major decision.

Lakers 34, Minot ND 24
The Lakers had little time to refresh after the BOLD match. For on Friday, the Lakers had a full plate in the West Fargo Bouts. The initial foe: Minot, North Dakota. It was no routine win but the Lakers prevailed, score of 34-24. Fans gathered at West Fargo High School.
Nick Ankeny found the going rough at 106 pounds where he lost by fall to Gabe Mortensen, time of 4:37. Mason Schiffler got his arm raised in victory at 113 pounds: 14-7 decision over Zachary Imler. Jacob Blair took care of business for the Lakers at 120 pounds, decisioning Stephen Schulze 5-3.
Then at 126 pounds it was Easton McCrory carving out a 6-2 triumph vs. Victor Garcia. Minot's Kelby Armstrong overcame Caden Koziol in a 16-1 technical fall. Minot's David Schulze won by major decision 13-3 over Chase Boelke. Minot gained more steam when Trevon McClaanahan won 7-1 over Mason Blair.
Max Reichmann put up a roadblock to Minot when he decisioned Carter Peterson 10-5. But Minot showed it still had spunk as their Chase Burke won 6-1 over Ryan VanLuik. 'Waska's Adam Larson won by an 11-2 major decision over Xylis Holter. Tyson Meyer came on strong at 182 pounds as he pinned Isaac Fernandez (1:18). Jacob Carmichael of Minot worked to an 11-6 decision over Nathan Rankin.
The "big guys" phase included Tyler VanLuik pinning Preston Jones in 5:02. Then at 285 pounds it was 'Waska's Dylan Jergenson putting an exclamation point on the evening with his fall win over Asher Woods (2:32).

Lakers 60, West Fargo Sheyanne 22
Still more action was presented in this two-day test of resilience. 'Waska lived up to its elite ranked status with a 60-22 win over West Fargo Sheyenne. My inclination is to type "Sheyenne" as "Cheyenne." West Fargo is where the Fargo Fair is held, an event I first visited in 1973 - great time.
The Lakers had a 2-0 day and finished off a 3-0 stretch over the two days - lots of highlights for fans to be sure. As usual the heaviest weights seemed like the surest thing for the Lakers, but the quality is distributed throughout. But Hunter Johnson of the Lakers was humbled at 106 pounds, as he lost by fall in 3:02 to Carter Zink.
The Sheyenne boys picked up points at the lightest weights but they needed a forfeit at 113 pounds. Connor Manske of Sheyenne won there. Then at 120 pounds, Marcus Johnson of Sheyenne pinned Jacob Blair in 4:59. Easton McCrory of the Lakers fought to a pin in 1:30 over Alexander Spray.
David Lilienthal moved down to 132 pounds and impressed with his fall in 1:16 over Kellen Hoomaert. Sheyenne stormed back with Mekhi Dennis' major decision win over Chase Boelke, 10-1.
The next stage of this match gave a glimpse of something I dislike about the sport: forfeits. Unfortunately there was a succession of four of these. Let's record the Minnewaska forfeit winners: Mason Blair at 145 pounds, Max Reichmann at 152, Ryan VanLuik at 160 and Adam Larson at 170. Let's have some more action: Minnewaska did not disappoint as Tyson Meyer pinned Ryder Weigel in 1:09.
Tyler VanLuik pinned Shane Kennedy in 2:57. Dylan Jergenson was another forfeit winner. But the 285-pounders were showcased and here it was Isaiah Miller pinning Nick Vetter in 1:43.
A little rest would be timely now for the Lakers and fans. We'll be anticipating the post-season soon. March is a uniquely exciting time for wrestling!

Not that it's important, but. . .
Today is Tuesday, Jan. 28, and it's my 65th birthday, my Medicare birthday. It's a little anticlimactic because I went on Medicare on the first day of the month. Happy new year!
And so now I can present myself as a bona fide senior citizen, 65 being the traditional standard. People of that age hardly fashion themselves as being "old." That especially applies to my generation, the boomers. "OK boomer," you might be thinking. We ought to feel for the millennials coming of age in a time when their material position in life is apparently not generous. I feel for them. Maybe a little re-distribution would be apt. This will sort itself out with politics as time goes by.
I still enjoy writing about the sport of wrestling. Never will I tire of writing about student athletes. March should be a very exciting month for the Minnewaska Area Laker wrestlers. Get ready for the "Madness."
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Your blog host at the time of his fourth birthday, in St. Paul. Mom had a terrific cake recipe!

Scoring goes back and forth, boys beat ACGC

Tigers 110, ACGC 101
Your eyes might bug out seeing the score of the Friday game in which our MACA boys beat ACGC. My, 100-plus points by both teams! Not seen very often to be sure. A case of an on-fire offense or sub-par defenses? Well certainly our shooting eye seemed reliable. Fans at the Tigers' gym enjoyed greatly as this WCC action ended with a 110-101 score and the Tigers winning.
The Falcons' Dawson Miller had to feel a little exasperated at night's end, as his sensational 40 points would normally be part of a winning night. And Josh Kinzler scored regularly en route to his final output of 27. But it was the Tigers' night to really be in the offensive groove. Here's a toast to the offense! It carved out our eighth win of the season against five losses. The ACGC numbers: 7-9.
The offensive complexion of the evening was clearly established by halftime: a score of 53-42 with the orange and black up. The second half was basically a stalemate with points coming at a frenzied pace. Would fans like to see every game like this? Good question.
Plenty of offensive stats to report. Let's roll up our sleeves. We had incredible 3-point shooting and here it was Thomas Tiernan at the top of the list with eight makes in 14 attempts. Keeping pace with Thomas was Durgin Decker who connected for seven 3-pointers in ten tries. Tiernan and Decker are sophomores. Senior Jaden Maanum was two of six in shooting from beyond the 3-point stripe. Brandon Jergenson and Cade Fehr each made one '3'.
Our team numbers in long-rangers were 19-for-38, dead-on at 50 percent. Quite the exhibition, and an important factor in defeating the similarly high-scoring Falcons.
Did ACGC have a deliberate approach of trying to contain Jackson Loge? Loge is often at the fore of the MACA offense. On this night he was productive to be sure with 21 points. But he was outdone by two of his mates: the team-leading Tiernan with 30 points and Decker with 27. Fehr came through with ten points. The list also includes Toby Gonnerman (8), Maanum (6), Jergenson (6) and Cameron Koebernick (2).
Tiernan was ten of 16 in total field goals and Decker nine of 13. The team stats in total field goals were 34 of 57, 60 percent. We made 23 of 30 shots from the freethrow line for 77 percent. Loge put up nine of eleven numbers here.
ACGC's efforts vs. Loge didn't seem to limit him much in rebounding. He had the team-best ten boards with four coming offensively and six defensive. Gonnerman and Fehr each grabbed four rebounds. Also contributing: Decker (3), Tiernan (3), Jergenson (2), Maanum (1) and Koebernick (1). We had 28 total rebounds: eight offensive, 20 defensive. Loge blocked two shots while Jergenson swatted aside one.
Miller and Kinzler were followed on the ACGC scoring list by Steven Lawver (19), Shelby Shoen (13) and Ethan Lilleberg (2). Five players only scoring for ACGC, to amass the 101 total! Miller connected four times from 3-point range. Lawver and Kinzler each had three long-range makes and Shoen had two. Miller and Lawver led in rebounds with eight and seven respectively. Miller and Lawver each had two steals.
If these two teams play again, maybe a handkerchief should be dropped to start the game!
Here's a shout-out to our radio station for the outstanding coverage on its website these days. And they really hit the nail on the head calling the Friday game "a shootout for the ages." The newspaper appears to have basically put aside its website.
 
Girls: Tigers 63, Osakis 34
The MACA girls buried visiting Osakis 63-34 at the home court Thursday. The orange and black jumped out front 36-21 at halftime. The win elevated our won-lost to over .500 at 9-8. Osakis came away at 6-8.
Malory Anderson came to the fore offensively with 26 points. Meredith Carrington buried a 3-pointer and finished with eleven points. Emma Bowman came through with eight. Kendra Wevley had six followed by Shannon Dougherty (4), MacKenna Kehoe (3), Kaylie Raths (3) and Kylie Swanson (2). Kehoe had our other 3-pointer.
Anderson with her 15 rebounds led there. Bowman dished out five assists. Carrington stole the ball seven times. Anderson and Wevley each blocked a shot.
Let's review the Silver Streaks of Osakis - love that nickname - and here the scoring list shows Alexis Johanson leading with 13 points. Mara VanNyhuis put in ten points. Hayleigh Niehoff scored three while Alexa Lien, Madison Johanson, Haylee Jern and Abigail Randall each scored two. VanNyhuis and Alexis Johanson each made two 3-pointers.
We streaked past the Silver Streaks 27-13 in the second half.
 
Boys hockey: Storm 7, Mayport 4
MBA hockey traveled into the remote reaches of the Dakotas Friday night. The mission was to skate against a familiar opponent: Mayport. The previous meeting was here in Morris. On Friday our MBA Storm boys worked to a 7-4 win at Mayville ND. Our W/L record improved to 14-3. Mayport is having a .500 season on the ice.
We assumed a 2-1 lead in the first period. It was the Mayport goal coming first: Noah Mehus scored with assists from Carter Garrett and Sammy Satrom. Zach Bruns got the MBA scoring going with a goal that had assists from Sam Thompson and Brady DeHaan. Then we went up 2-1 as Brady Goff got the puck in the net, assisted by Reece Keseske.
It was Mayport with the 2-1 advantage in the second period. Their Mitchell Coleman struck with assists from Sawyer Satrom and Jake Verwest. Will Breuer got the puck in the net at 8:35 for the Storm. Bruns and Jack Riley assisted. Sammy Satrom kept things even for the host as he scored at 13:42 with a Sawyer Satrom assist.
On to the third period: here it was MBA momentum rolling forward en route to victory. First Ryan Tolifson scored with assists from Brady Loge and Matthew Tolifson. Then Bruns did the job with a goal at 11:18 with an assist from Hunter Blume. Sammy Satrom answered for Mayport at 13:05 with a Mehus assist. MBA's Riley scored at 14:22 with assists from Thompson and Bruns. Keseske got the night's final goal, assisted by Breuer and DeHaan.
Chase Engebretson worked in goal and he had 15 saves in 19 attempts. Mayport's Kade Susie had 35/42 numbers.
 
Wrestling: Marshall 54, Tigers 21
MAHACA came out on the short end against Marshall in the Marshall Triangular. Marshall is having a banner campaign and is ranked sixth in Class AA. Our dual vs. them kicked off the triangular in a place where "Tigers" is the nickname just like here. We were outdone in the 54-21 final.
The following review will have the Tigers reported first. Tyce Anderson lost by fall in 3:09 to Brett Regnier. Dallas Walton, our 113-pounder, was bested in a 9-3 decision by Dylan Louwagie. Ethan Lebrija pinned Lance Her in 1:29. Then at 126 pounds it was Davin Rose working to a 15-10 decision over Hsa Law.
Dylan Rose lost by fall in 3:01 to Tate Condezo. Dain Schroeder lost by fall in 5:50 to Connor Roth. The 145-pound slot was a forfeit to Marshall's Noah Jensen. Toby Messner at 152 pounds was bested in a fall outcome by Tucker Fein (3:32). Josh Rohloff at 160 pounds was pinned by Grant Louwagie in :34.
Colten Wohlers came on strong at 170 pounds to win by fall over Kaiden Otto, time of 3:52. Dalton Rose was on the short end of a 5-4 decision against Spencer Wambeke. Tristian Raths at 195 pounds lost by fall to Cole Falcyn in 1:44. Dillon Nelson pinned Ethan Van Hauweart in a time of 4:30. Maddix Erickson at 285 pounds was bested in a fall outcome by Jackson Vierstraete (1:38).
  
Girls hockey: Crookston 10, Storm 1
Taryn Picht scored the only goal for MBA in a loss to Crookston Friday. Karlie Bruns and Kortney Sanasack supplied assists. We remained winless as we were dealt a 10-1 loss by Crookston. Crookston sits at 7-12-1. They scored two goals in the first period, five in the second and three in the third.
The goalies were Leah Thompson for the Storm and Kailee Magsam for Crookston. The Picht goal came in the third period.
We're in the midst of a most pleasant reprieve from the typically cold mid-winter weather. Nice time to take a brisk walk outside. Look out for falling iguanas. Just kidding.
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

MACA boys pass test at Minnewaska Area

Tigers 67, 'Waska 60
The MACA boys made the trip to Minnewaska Tuesday for a renewal of a WCC rivalry. How would the Tigers fare this time around? Quite favorably, as they wore the road warrior mantle well in a 67-60 triumph. We jumped out front 31-21 by halftime.
The win upped our W/L mark to 7-5 while 'Waska was left at 9-4. Nothing can be taken for granted in future contests vs. the Lakers, to be sure. Maybe in post-season? That's still a ways off.
We held on in the second half, a half that saw the Lakers with a 39-36 advantage. Our scoring was spurred by Jackson Loge and Toby Gonnerman: 17 and 16 points respectively. Durgin Decker and Brandon Jergenson each put in ten. Three other Tigers appeared in the scoring column: Thomas Tiernan (8), Jaden Maanum (4) and Cade Fehr (2). Decker and Tiernan each made a 3-pointer. Loge with his eleven rebounds led there. Decker chalked up five assists. Maanum had two steals and Loge had two blocked shots.
The 'Waska scoring leader was Aaron VerSteeg with 18 points. (I'm never sure if "VerSteeg" should have the two syllables separated by a space.) Peyton Johnsrud and Sam Hested fueled 'Waska's attack, each with 13 points. Grant Jensen added nine points to the mix while Luke Barkeim had five and Brady Hoffman two.
These three Lakers each made a 3-pointer: Hested, VerSteeg and Barkeim. VerSteeg corralled six rebounds. Hested dished out two assists, VerSteeg had three steals and Barkeim blocked a shot.

Girls: Sauk Centre 59, Tigers 47
The task was daunting for the MACA girls Tuesday as they hosted the top-ranked Class AA team in the state: Sauk Centre. The Streeters kept their sheen as they worked to a 59-47 win over the orange and black. They improved to 15-1. The Tigers sat at .500 with 8-8 numbers at night's end.
It was not a blow-out for the elite visitor. The scoreboard showed a difference of seven points at halftime, 27-20, and then we played closer the rest of the way, getting outscored by just five in the second half.
Tori Peschel topped Sauk Centre's scoring with 12 points. Michaela Dammann broke into double figures with her ten. Then we see Maddie Nelson with nine points followed by Julia Dammann and Megan Klaphake each with seven. McKenna Westby put in six points, and Kayle Trisko and Audrey Zenzen four each. Nelson stood out in 3's with her three makes while these Streeters each made one: Westby, Klaphake and Julia Dammann.
The Tigers had three score in double figures: Kendra Wevley (13), Malory Anderson (11) and Meredith Carrington (10). Also scoring were MacKenna Kehoe (5), Emma Bowman (3), LaRae Kram (3) and Kylie Swanson (2). We did fine in three-point shooting where Carrington had two makes followed by Bowman, Kehoe, Kram and Anderson each with one. Wevley attacked the boards for eleven rebounds. Anderson picked up five assists. Kram stole the ball twice and blocked a shot.
I am pleased to have this blog update on Tiger basketball posted Thursday morning. With the newspaper's website having been effectively phased out, fans can no longer use that resource. The radio station is doing great with timely updates. Here's a toast to them. And at the same time, hopefully my writing is adding a dash of spice.
 
Can't we all just get along?
My post of Sunday was about the poor Cottage Grove church that is now attracting an avalanche of attention. Just in the last 24 hours, the media scrutiny has accelerated, like even with the Washington Post. Wow!
My post was rather strongly worded based on my reaction to the original reporting which I believe was in the St. Paul Pioneer Press. I saw "Bob Shaw" in the byline. If this is the same Bob Shaw with whom I've been familiar for a long time, for sure he got his story right. And what a story it was, about a Methodist church in Cottage Grove that now appears much like a bear with boxing gloves.

Grove United Methodist (CBN image)

We cannot believe a church would intentionally try to discourage any demographic from attending. But Shaw's article sure suggested that this Cottage Grove Methodist church wanted older people to just mosey on. The idea is to get the younger and more "hip" demographic more enthused about coming on board. I suppose the cliche would be "young families are the future of the church."
Sure sounds nice. Thing is, we all get old. I use the word "hip" here which is a clue as to my generation. My formative years were the '60s and early '70s. Even then, we heard that the young were drifting away some from organized or mainstream religion. And I do believe the term is "mainstream" and not "mainline," the latter which I consider a drug-use term. However, "mainline" has caught on. Similarly I wonder about the terms "imply" and "infer." Might there be confusion there too?
Kamala Harris asked Bill Barr if President Trump might have "inferred" something, when I think the intended word was "implied," because Trump was speaking and Barr was listening. Adventures in the English language. Edwin Newman wrote books about this. Mentioning Edwin's name is another indicator of my generation.
Yes, I'm in the generation that appears to be the whipping boy now of churches that feel they need the pews filled with those young families, people of more vitality I guess. Well, how can I not be offended by that? I went on Medicare on the first of the month. I need to try to use that program some before the Trump-led Republicans phase it out. Social Security too. I'm glad I started taking mine at age 62.
All this stuff is endangered with Republicans in charge. We may all wake up too late for that.
The media seem to be sniffing around for stories about the decline of religion. Our Star Tribune has had an "un-churching" theme with a series of articles. The more strident denominations of Christians have given us Donald Trump. They have made their bed and now we all have to sleep in it. I write this as impeachment efforts are at their apex. I am scared that the forces for good are not going to win this one.
Chief Justice Roberts, he of the always-pursed lips that must mean something, scolds the two sides on toxic rhetoric or something like that, but then the next morning Trump calls Adam Schiff a "sleazebag." Will Justice Roberts scold Trump too? Warning: Republicans are going to burn the whole house down if you give them a chance. Mark my word.
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Cottage Grove church should heed Luke 15:4

Sometimes a news report is "stranger than fiction." Sometimes you almost have to be suspicious that a certain item might be parody.
So, we all know church membership is aging and there is existential concern among churches. Maybe there are legitimate reasons why so much of the young i.e. "millennial" population does not feel the love. Let's apply an inquisitive eye toward the younger crowd, get into their head. Maybe they'll tell you some things you don't want to hear. Topping that list, I'll suggest, is the political tone surrounding so much of USA Christianity. It's a tone from the political right wing.
Listening to young people might mean having to take a fresh look at political ideas that are not right wing. Young people believe in over-arching inclusion. Their attitude ought to be seen as wholly consistent with Christianity. In fact, it should be the clarion call keeping Christianity relevant. We saw a shot fired across the bow of the right wing crowd by the "Christianity Today" publication. It should not have been a big deal. It was wholly reasoned opinion. The fact it was treated as a "bombshell" says something.
Why should we be surprised by such an essay? Perhaps the media get excited because they really think the right wing, Trump-oriented stuff is embedded in USA Christianity, when in fact it might just be the loudest element. We hear of polls saying that a large percentage of the USA population wants the president not only impeached, but removed from office. This fact is reported but it doesn't seem to sink in with much of the media whose denizens are maybe gleeful that they have so much conflict to report about.
You would think that the skeptics re. Trump are on the outside looking in, asserting themselves in vain and in a defensive posture. "What's the use?" Well, it certainly doesn't help that the president and his associates including the attorney general are not having to defer to the law.
So, young people see all this and they associate high-profile Christianity with ideas which in their mind are clearly regressive. Why should they go to church?
I have tried hard keeping the faith as my late mother would want me to. I guess I'm like the Jimmy Stewart character in "Shenandoah," basically a crotchety guy who pledged to his wife before her death that he'd be loyal to church. He rounded up the family on Sundays and arrived late, opening the door on the rear end of an usher on one amusing occasion. He kept his word and once inside, tried to have his heart in it.
So up until now, yours truly has likewise tried to stay supportive. This afternoon, however, I have received an email from a friend with a link to a highly disturbing article from the Willmar newspaper. I scanned the first part of the article and almost had to wonder if it was a parody type of thing, really. I was astonished. It is well-known that churches are getting older and grayer. As churches strive for a broader age spectrum, what exactly is the answer? In Cottage Grove MN we are seeing bizarre behavior regarding this.
Warning: reading about this might make you want to reject church forever. I'm of a mind that way. I'm not even conscious of how I should be perceived age-wise. I'm a boomer and we never consider ourselves "old." But hey, I went on Medicare on the first day of this month and my birthday is on the 28th, same date as when the Space Shuttle Challenger blew up. As a full-fledged Medicare person I could well be designated "old."
So the question arises: Am I part of the problem? Would more young people and those coveted "young families" come to church if the older people would just mosey on, disappear? That sounds so absurd, it's hard to even weigh seriously. But this is what's happening as a small Methodist church in Cottage Grove strives to stay in existence.
If you're going to ban anyone, why not ban all the Trump supporters? But at Grove United Methodist Church, Cottage Grove, "united" is just a word. It's a slogan like how advertisers use slogans. We're united but not united enough to welcome "old people." At least not for a while. It's so disgusting, I'm discouraged having to write about it.
The church with its dwindling and gray-haired membership plans to close temporarily in June. Then it plans to reopen in November. I'll have to quote the paper article because it's hard for me to type these words otherwise: "The church wants to attract more young families. The present members, most of them over 60 years old, will be invited to worship somewhere else. A memo recommends that they stay away for two years, then consult the pastor about re-applying."
 
Not from The Onion
I was going to type "chutzpah" but that's too mild a word. What I'd really like to say is "f--k you Grove United Methodist Church in Cottage Grove."
The Rev. Dan Wetterstrom points out that Cottage Grove is "under-served by churches." He explained that the benchmark is one church for every 1000 residents, so 37,000-population Cottage Grove might be expected to "have 37 churches. In fact, it has only 13." Such a cold and sterile analysis by someone who might be weighing demographics for a TV ad campaign.
Do you think Jesus Christ would want any part of this? It's bad enough that Christianity is the reason why we have the foul-mouthed and ignorant Donald Trump as president.
If Cottage Grove has seemed lax about "faith," I'd be inclined to compliment them, to cite them as a progressive example.
Rev. Wetterstrom said "Jesus said we are called to reach new people."
So, it's up to me of all people to straighten out his thinking? Sheesh. Maybe people who make their living in religion can't see the forest for the trees. The truth, Rev. Wetterstrom, is this: Let's look to Luke 15:4 which posits: "Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn't he leave the 99 in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home."
 
I'm sure Cottage Grove is a fundamentally welcoming place. The mayor should put out a statement.
 
Addendum: It is hard to put this issue aside. Maybe there's a broader cultural phenomenon involved here. You might say it's about objectifying everything. We don't just admire a baseball player for his beautiful swing, we use "analytics." It's an outgrowth of marketing in our Darwinian business world. The stock market swoops up, never mind that much of this is deceiving as a reflection of what the Federal Reserve does. We think we can study our "markets" and scientifically devise solutions or strategies for maximizing quantifiable results. Jesus Christ was not interested in "quantifying" things this way. He promoted unconditional love.
 
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Emma Bowman scores 20 in win over WHN

Tigers 74, WHN 51
MACA showed many strong points on the basketball court Thursday night. The action was at WHN on the eve of an expected winter storm. The wind is whipping up as I write this Friday morning. Not much snow yet. Snow would change things markedly. Ah, winter in Minnesota.
The Tigers surged out in front of the Warriors 37-22 at halftime. We outscored the foe 37-29 in the second half. So the game's final score was 74-51. We crept over .500 to 8-7. The Wheaton-Herman-Norcross record: 5-6.
Emma Bowman was at the fore of our scoring with 20 points. Malory Anderson had impact in all stat categories and in scoring her total was 12. We learn that she narrowly missed a "quadruple double." MacKenna Kehoe continued to impress in her long-range shooting. She made three 3-pointers and scored eleven points. Bowman made a '3' as did Meredith Carrington and LaRae Kram.
Carrington's point total was eleven. Kram contributed ten points, then we have Kylie Swanson with six and Kendra Wevley and Sydney Dietz each with two. Anderson was team-high in rebounds (9), assists (9) and steals (9). Swanson blocked two shots.
 
Wrestling: Tigers 48, BOLD 21
How many fans remember Hancock Owl wrestling? Quite the treasure trove of memories. Hancock was like "the little engine that could" in prep wrestling for a very long time. They had a quite colorful coach for a long time. He might not have been an administrator's dream but he got the team to reach impressive heights. Shall we say that high-achieving coaches can sometimes be volatile?
These memories are prompted by reporting on the Thursday dual meet at the Hancock gym. Former Morris coach George Graff once talked about how he sensed the "ghosts of the old Owl wrestlers up in the rafters." The descriptive Graff would say those ghosts would be approving of the then-new Hancock-Morris partnership in the sport. Graff's successor was Paul Court who told me he did not see those "ghosts." You have to believe! Court was a former UMM student-athlete. He left here for Cold Spring.
Thursday night saw the Tigers of MAHACA entertain fans at the Hancock gym. The ghosts were approving along with the MAHACA fans as the team defeated BOLD 48-21. It was a West Central Conference match.
Our little guy, Tyce Anderson, won 6-0 over Brady Kiecker. At 113 pounds we had Dallas Walton and I'm wondering if this young man is connected to the old Hancock wrestling Waltons. I remember the colorful Hancock wrestling coach saying of Danny Walton one night that he had a "Cheshire cat grin" about something. Us writers love that kind of material. Dallas Walton won by fall over BOLD Warrior Gavin Hammerschmidt (:23).
Then at 120 pounds we had the high-achieving Ethan Lebrija winning by an 8-3 decision over Austin Kiecker. Davis Rose pinned Rylan Gass in :30. Everything was coming up roses as Dylan Rose had his arm raised via forfeit. Our surging grew as Dain Schroeder pinned Tanner Weidauer in 2:35. Then it was Toby Messner at 145 pounds taking care of business vs. Neil Young: a 10-6 decision.
Noah Amundson at 152 pounds won by a 15-8 decision over Hunter Ridler. BOLD picked up wins at 160 and 170 pounds. Jordan Amberg won by fall over Josh Rohloff in 3:41. Anthony Maher pinned Jacob Boots in 3:11. The roses bloomed again at 182 pounds where Dalton Rose pinned Blake Flann in 1:15.
Our Tristian Raths pinned Gavin Moudry at 195 pounds, time of 1:55. Then at 220 it was BOLD Warrior Tim Peppel winning by decision over Dillon Nelson, 10-5. Big guy Brady Ridler of BOLD had his arm raised by forfeit. Surely the old Owl ghosts were well-pleased by night's end!

Newspaper update
It's fine to feel good about the new Morris newspaper ownership. However, the whole industry is feeling headwinds that render as mostly irrelevant how "good" we all feel about the paper's owners and employees. It is just a fact of life. The challenges are bound to become greater.
So maybe I should not have been surprised seeing the blatant front page "free ad" the paper granted to an important local business in the current issue. The paper needs to bend over backward and really curry favor with the advertisers who are still out there. I remember when the paper had three major car dealer clients each week: Heartland, Valu Ford and Morris Auto Plaza. In terms of real advertising activity, it seems we're just down to Heartland now.
And certainly the paper is showing appreciation for that in a substantial way. I was frankly taken aback when I saw the new Morris paper edition at the library on Wednesday. So taken aback, I had to confirm what I was seeing right in front of me. So taken aback, I hesitated saying anything to a library employee and friend standing near me.
I sort of did a double-take: Is this some sort of paid ad? I mean for Heartland Motors. Sometimes a sponsor will have a "wrap-around" with the front page. Remember how Denny Hecker used to do those with the Star/Tribune? Denny seems to have fallen into ignominy. How did he climb to such a prominent place in the Twin Cities car sales industry?
Well, the current Morris paper did not have a wrap-around for Heartland - no, it was a dominating "fluff" article on the car dealer, put right at the top of page 1.
I examined it a little, wondering if the paper might be presenting this as a historical retrospective on the dealership. I seem to recall writing two such articles on that dealership in my Morris paper tenure. While the current article has some historical content, it is focused on the sale way too much, making the whole thing jump out at you as a "free ad." This is the depths to which the print media will go now, I guess, to try to keep revenue flowing in from the legacy advertisers. Problem is, I don't think it will help. Car dealers are nothing if not astute about money and business matters. A paper acting like a "good friend," along with ten cents will get you a cup of coffee. (The price would be higher at Caribou Coffee at Willie's.)
I shake my head about the current Morris paper. Seems like the new owners have really brought nothing more than intangibles - the belief that we now have more local ownership - well, anything would be more local than the Forum of Fargo.
I am proud to have posted Wednesday on the MACA girls basketball win over ACGC along with two MBA hockey games. As a bonus you'll see my commentary on the threat incident at the school. All that is on my "Morris of Course" companion blog - please visit and spend some time.
Interesting, because in light of how the Morris paper has allowed its website to essentially "die," I will have beaten the paper by a full week in reporting on the ACGC game. I am proud of that. Would Mike Martin be impressed?  It is a delight to stay connected to MACA activities.
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Still more hoops: we sweep Lac qui Parle

So, Jackson Loge is a sophomore? Years ago we might have said "just a sophomore." There was a time in our school's history when this young man most likely would not have played varsity until a junior. This "policy" seemed evident but lest there be any doubt, the coach articulated it for me with these words: "We don't do that here" (promote sophomores).
Policies all have their reasons I'm sure. We hire school administrators to show wisdom, just like there's a zero tolerance thing about any sort of threat. Safety is surely essential. Yet I wonder if back in my day of being in school, something disturbing scribbled on a chalkboard (whiteboard today) might just be erased. I guess as of today (Monday), we still don't know of a resolution of the recent major incident, an incident calling for some pretty substantial action to be taken.
In the meantime, basketball continues! That's an understatement: our boys and girls teams played doubleheaders on Friday and Saturday. The Tigers won throughout. And in the Saturday boys phase, sophomore Jackson Loge thrilled by reaching his 1000th point career milestone. Just a sophomore! That's really incredible.
We congratulate the talented young man who comes from elite basketball lineage. I'm not quite old enough to have seen his grandfather play but I sure remember father Kevin. Today Jackson Loge is a cog with the MACA Tigers who are bound to be a team to watch for the climactic March phase.
Jackson scored 32 points Saturday in his team's 75-74 win over the Lac qui Parle Eagles at Lac qui Parle. He vaulted over the 1000-point mark. Back when the "we don't do that here" quote was uttered, the player who was intriguing me was Paul Libbon. I merely asked if we might see that young man get a varsity opportunity. The retort was "we don't do that here."
I'm sure coaches had to worry about parents wondering why players so young were getting out there to play, forcing older players to spend more bench time. That wouldn't surprise me. But it appears to have been a losing plea in the long run. Is that good? I'm inclined to say yes. One argument I heard against the old system was that it made the older players feel too comfortable. Those guys might then get a little lethargic, to lack motivation. I remember some of my fan friends talking this way after a disappointing loss.
Today's Tigers are on a run with three straight wins. And we're over .500 to 6-5. We overcame a superb LQPV player in Austin Bonn. Bonn was rather spectacular Saturday as he scored 36 points. His team tasted defeat for just the second time this season. LQPV sits at 8-2.
Loge made 12 of his 20 field goal attempts. He was joined in double figures by two of his mates: Thomas Tiernan (eleven points, four of six in shooting) and Cade Fehr (ten points, four of five). Tiernan is a sophomore and Fehr a senior. Jaden Maanum and Brandon Jergenson each scored eight points, and Toby Gonnerman put in six. Jergenson and Gonnerman are sophomores and Maanum a senior.

Jackson Loge (image from "hudl")

The Tigers made eight of 15 in 3-pointers for 53 percent. Four individuals each had two makes: Maanum, Jergenson, Tiernan and Fehr. Fehr made both of his attempts.
Our freethrow numbers were 15-for-26 for 58 percent. Loge made eight of his 14 attempts and Gonnerman was six of eight. Of course Loge was a factor in rebounds where he set the pace with 15. Five of his boards were offensive and ten defensive. Cameron Koebernick led in assists with five and Loge had four. Jergenson and Loge each had a blocked shot.
We led the Eagles at halftime 39-37 and held our own through the second half. LQPV had a 37-36 edge in the second half.
 
Girls: Tigers 86, Lac qui Parle 55
There was no suspense in this game, in contrast to the boys affair. Surely we took charge. We used three-pointers in a big way: eleven of these bombs in our 86-55 triumph over the host Eagles. The orange and black shot 52 percent from the field.
Emma Bowman hit five 3-pointers as did MacKenna Kehoe, so surely it was a fun night for Janet Kehoe to cheer again! She's an old co-worker and friend. It was Bowman with the team-best scoring total of 23. Kehoe was up there too with 19. Malory Anderson had impact within the offense with 13 points, plus she collected six rebounds. Meredith Carrington and LaRae Kram achieved double figures with matching totals of ten points. Tom Carrington cracked a smile I'm sure.
The Tigers came out of this demanding phase of the schedule with a 6-7 record. LQPV's numbers: 8-5.
Final note: I remember back in the early '80s, I was so impressed with how our boys 'B' team looked, their athleticism and potential. And, I got that impression because some of these kids obviously were suited to be varsity candidates. A problem with the system then, was that these players' development was held up. You might say they atrophied some by being held at below varsity.
I tried to be optimistic and shared a remark with a fan, a parent who happened also to be a UMM teacher: "It'll be fun seeing these guys in two years." His immediate retort, rendered with some bitterness: "I don't want to see them."
Not the most upbeat of times. By the end of the 1980s, some issues had to be taken care of in Morris extracurricular.
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Doubleheader night of hoops success here

A doubleheader night of winning basketball was nice for a school district that is maybe stressed due to the recent incident involving the threat. The MAHS gym was alive Friday night for the display of winning hoops. The boys and girls squared off against Benson. Benson probably had a fair number of fans here too.
The MACA teams gave the most reason to cheer.
 
Boys: Tigers 83, Benson 64
Our fans not only felt delighted with the nearly 20-point margin of victory, but also the .500 mark we sported at night's end: 5-5. A little ascendance is the goal now. Prospects look good as we see some individuals putting up pretty impressive stats.
Our fortunes took off in the second half as we pulled away from the mere two-point lead we had at halftime, 37-35. We outscored the Braves 46-29 in the second half. So the final was 83-64. Beating Benson was a plum because the Braves have been comfortably over .500 this season.
Benson normally impresses from beyond the three-point stripe. On Friday their long-rangers weren't falling quite so much. Still they had eight makes. We had enough weapons to overcome.
Jackson Loge is bound to start getting more scouting attention from other teams. How do we contain this guy? The sophomore's stats are revealing him to be quite the impact player. Surely he's following in his father's footsteps. Against Benson, Jackson scored 31 points on ten of 18 in field goal shooting.
Thomas Tiernan treated the fans to sharp three-point shooting, and he posted 15 total points. In fact, all of this Tiger's field goal shooting was from three-point range. He had a harvest of five 3's in the eleven attempts. The third Tiger to score in double figures was Jaden Maanum: 12 points on four of eleven in shooting. Jaden is a senior and he connected for two 3-pointers.
Cameron Koebernick scored nine points on three of seven in field goals. All three of his FGs were from 3-point distance. Here's the rest of the MACA scoring list: Brandon Jergenson (5), Durgin Decker (4), Cade Fehr (3), Toby Gonnerman (2) and Bradley Rohloff (2). As a team we shot 26 of 68 for 38 percent, and in 3's our numbers were 12 of 38. Durgin Decker and Cade Fehr each made a '3'.
Loge went to the freethrow line for 15 shots and he made 11. The team freethrow numbers were 19-for-25 (76 percent). Loge muscled his way for 23 rebounds, the dominant stat. Maanum had four boards and these Tigers also contributed: Decker, Jergenson, Tiernan, Koebernick, Gonnerman and Fehr. The assist list was topped by Maanum with five. Jergenson and Tiernan each had four assists while Loge, Koebernick and Fehr each had one.
Maanum stole the ball twice. These Tigers each had one steal: Decker, Jergenson, Tiernan, Loge and Fehr. We're not surprised to see Loge tops in blocked shots: four. Maanum and Jergenson each had one block.
Benson had five players score led by Will Enderson with 17 points. Abe Peterson and Cole Hedman each produced 15 points. Ben Peterson had eleven and Sam Lenarz six. Lenarz, Hedman and Enderson kept Benson's three-point attack viable, each making two, while the Peterson boys, Abe and Ben, each made one.
Ben Peterson and Enderson each pulled down seven rebounds. Abe led in assists with three and in steals with four. Enderson blocked a shot.
The Tigers can't take anything for granted against Benson in the future - the Braves had 9-4 W/L numbers entering the weekend. They can get hot in 3's anytime.
 
Girls: Tigers 67, Benson 61
The girls portion of the doubleheader presented ample reason to cheer among the orange and black partisans. Coach Dale Henrich's Tiger squad beat the Braves of Benson 67-61. The orange and black trailed by four at halftime, 34-30, but the second half was a quite different story: we outscored the Braves 37-27.
It was a night for Tiger Emma Bowman to shine. Emma poured in 19 points to lead the charge. She made a three-pointer and had our only blocked shot. Malory Anderson came through with 12 points and Meredith Carrington with eleven. Here's the rest of the list: LaRae Kram (9), Kylie Swanson (6), Kendra Wevley (5), MacKenna Kehoe (3) and Shannon Dougherty (2). Swanson connected twice from three-point land.
Anderson with her 13 rebounds led there. Carrington and Bowman each had three assists, and Anderson led in steals with five. The Tigers entered the weekend at 5-7. And Benson's mark: 4-7.
Kaitlyn Berreau was Benson's top scorer with 22 points. Claire Ricard was another force for the visitor with 12. Hannah Andrews scored nine, followed by Beth Cain (8), Abby Lundebrek (7), Marissa Connelly (2) and Kimmy Pagel (1). Berreau had quite the sharp shooting eye with five 3-pointers. Andrews made three long-rangers and Ricard one. Lundebrek had the team-best eleven rebounds. She and Andrews each had four assists. Abby also contributed four blocked shots.
Success Saturday too: Enough basketball lately? Two doubleheaders in two days? The kids could use a break! Wait, the fans too. But hey, it helps shorten the winter. The MACA girls and boys played at Lac qui Parle Valley Saturday. Just like on Friday, we won both ends. The girls beat LQPV 86-55. The boys story was closer but a win: 75-74.
 

Boys hockey: Breckenridge-Wahpeton 4, Storm 2
A down second period opened the door for Breckenridge-Wahpeton to defeat the Storm boys hockey team Thursday. The 4-2 score had the Storm on the short end. Three of the winner's goals came in the second period.
The first period ended with the Storm leading 1-0. Jack Riley got our goal with assists from Will Breuer and Zach Bruns, so the Lee Center crowd had a fair share of optimism. Unfortunately we put up a zero in the second period puck action.
B-W got going with a Tanner Barth unassisted goal at 10:16. Then it was Brayden Wahl putting the puck in the net for the visitor - James Finkral and Thomas Withuski supplied assists at 14:25.
B-W went up 3-1 with a Jesse Kruse goal that had Jase Jensen assisting (at 15:20). Barth gave B-W a little cushion with a third period goal that had Kruse with the assist.
Bruns got the Storm's second goal at 16:39 of the period, assisted by Breuer and Hunter Blume. Chase Engebretson saved 21 of 25 shots as our goalie. The B-W goalie was Jared Aamold (24-26). The loss was just our second of our sterling 2019-2020 campaign. Our win total is 12.
 
Girls hockey: Luverne 9, Storm 0
The MBA girls struggled in a 9-0 loss at the hands of Luverne. Action was Thursday on the Luverne ice. Alas, victory has eluded our MBA Storm girls this winter, but we have a tie.
Luverne struck for three goals in each of the periods. Let's compliment their quality play. Indeed, they owned a 15-3-1 record at night's end. Their first goal was by Reghan Bork with an assist by Roz Oye. Kamryn Van Batavia got the second goal with assists by Rylee Gee and Claire Baustian. Then it was Anika Boll scoring with Regan Felt's assist.
Bork scored in unassisted fashion in the second period. Brynn Thier kept the "mo" going with an unassisted goal. Then it was Shelby Kracht getting the puck in the net unassisted. Bork scored with an unassisted flourish in the third period. Baustian used assists from Gee and Van Batavia to strike with a goal. Then it was Bork scoring Luverne's last goal, assisted by Oye.
The goalies were Leah Thompson for MBA and Mallory Vontersch for Luverne. Vontersch stopped 14 of 14 shots.
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Troubling tension as result of school incident

(KXRA image)

Does the recent incident at the Morris school make you feel uncomfortable about the place, in a basic way? Here's a building full of kids who can act in all sorts of foolish ways. Isn't that a given with kids?
Kids can be emotionally abused not only by their peers but by adults. It's an environment that can beat down a kid's self-esteem. It can breed fear and cynicism. Aren't these the factors leading to a whole lot of home-schooling? Home-schooling got established as a bastion for religious zealots. Hasn't it evolved to be more broad-based now? It has become ever more practical, as the boon of the worldwide web is realized.
Our culture can be slow in catching up with all the digital-inspired changes.
I sought an update this weekend on the school threat investigation. Where did I go first to seek any new tidbits? Where would you go? I am sure it would be the radio station website. The new owners of the Morris newspaper have essentially abandoned their website, and I frankly think that's a big deal. People really do want to use these media-affiliated sites.
As much as people groused about Fargo ownership of the Morris paper, you'd have to acknowledge that the website was worth the trouble to visit. That's a restrained compliment - it was probably better than that. And so what if some of the linked material came from other Forum properties? Sports from the West Central Tribune? That seems small potatoes now in terms of complaining about.
Forget about getting timely sports news from the paper's website now. The site hearkens back to the early days of the Internet, frankly, when a site was a rather fixed "billboard." These sites impressed because the whole concept was so new. Any website looked impressive then. It was a whole new frontier.
I smile as I observe what the Morris radio station is doing now: sports updates that are more than two or three sentences (or just the score). And not only that, I've seen some decent updates about Minnewaska sports even with photos. Weekend sports posted before the end of the weekend. Neat! All of this raises the radio station's stature while diminishing the newspaper.
I see no more reason to look at the paper now than before the transfer of ownership. Maybe less. Why hasn't the paper done anything to explore the controversy or dispute involving the water treatment plant? The city and the water treatment companies are in conflict. I'd be fascinated reading a nice investigative article. Jim Morrison would certainly have seen that this was pursued. But not now. The radio station has made a limited effort.
 
Hear the "Dragnet" theme. . .
So, we see on the radio station site Saturday that the Morris police chief has been working diligently to get to the bottom of the school incident. Should this make us feel comfortable? Here again I'll show that if I were an attorney, I'd be a defense attorney. I'd be scared, very scared really, about certain innocent kids being put on the spot. Going to school is compulsory. No one deserves suspicion outside of the one guilty party.
And, even when (or if) the guilty party gets identified, I think we should all hope the kid isn't "crucified." The family of that child should not be ruined, in effect.
Should we even take the risk of having kids? Don't we as a society want to cut some slack for kids? Look at the photo of the Morris police chief: Is this a guy you'd feel comfortable seeing on the other side of the table for an interrogation? He looks like a hot shot all right.
Police Chief Reggie Welle said the department has done about 30 interviews? Would you want your child to even take part in such a thing? As a price paid for simply going to school? When you as a parent don't even have a choice about this? Think of the kids who were hurt in the infamous Hancock school van accident. All for the sake of compulsory attendance at this big brick building called a "school?"
Welle said his department has gone through hours of surveillance video. Is the omnipresent video an intimidating presence at the school? Could it catch kids doing harmless but inappropriate things? Worst of all, the department has taken handwriting samples "from a number of students for analysis with a Stillwater firm." Nothing like out-of-town experts, I guess. I remember in high school here, I experienced a first day of school one year where we were taken on a wild goose chase on our orange bus north of town into the country. We learned later that the new routes were drawn up by "an expert from Hutchinson." CW: out of town people must be smarter.
Handwriting samples? What if you're innocent and asked to do such a thing? Might a lawyer advise a kid to simply not do it? To not say anything? Well, I guess I'm programmed like a defense attorney.
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Minnewaska boys & girls win Thurs. games

Thursday was a night of hoops success for Minnewaska Area. The boys story showed a 20-point margin of victory as the Lakers took care of business vs. Sauk Centre.
The Lakers looked comfortable at the Sauk Centre court as they built a 20-point halftime bulge. The score at that time: 35-15. The margin stayed the same as each team scored 35 points in the second half. So the score at the final horn was 70-50. It was victory No. 6 for Minnewaska Area compared to three losses. Sauk Centre's record: 5-5.
Scoring balance was a Minnewaska strong suit. We can list ten players in the scoring column. The list is topped by Sam Hested and his 16 points. Peyton Johnsrud and Grant Jensen each dropped in 12 points, and Aaron VerSteeg joined the double figures list with his ten. Mitchel Gruber and Brady Hoffman each scored five, and Luke Barkeim had four. The other three Lakers with points were Drew Nelson (3), Mason Stewart (2) and Connor Johnsrud (1).
Balance certainly describes the Lakers' 3-point shooting effort: five individuals each with a make! These five were Peyton Johnsrud, Gruber, Jensen, Hested and Nelson.
Rebound leaders were Peyton Johnsrud with eight and VerSteeg with seven. Peyton set the pace in assists with four. He and Hoffman each had two steals.
Sauk Centre got down on the scoreboard despite having really good three-point shooting. Here we see Jay Neubert and Macoy Thiesen each with two makes followed by Riley Gritz, Logan Suelflow, Nolan Ziemer, Austin Schuster and Isaiah Hornick each with one.
Despite the long-range success, only one Streeter scored in double figures: Neubert with 12 points. Hornick scored nine and Thiesen eight. Then we see Suelflow (7), Gritz (5), Ziemer (3), Schuster (3) and Marcus Schmiesing (1).
Sorry, but the individual totals for Sauk Centre add up to 48 points not 50, and the discrepancy is from the West Central Tribune of Willmar.

Girls: Lakers 57, Litchfield 48
The Lakers of girls hoops turned on the jets in second half play vs. Litchfield. They decisively left behind the stalemated score at halftime, of 22-all. So they surged to their seventh win against five losses by a final score of 57-48. Litch's W/L numbers: 4-7.
The 'Waska second half advantage was by 35 to 14. The coach must have cooked up some special second half strategy. Two Lakers shared team-high in scoring, each with 13 points: Emma Thorfinnson and Avery Hoeper. Maddie Thorfinnson and Alexis Piekarski each put in seven points. Hannah Hoffmann had six followed by Michele Stai with three, and Addy Randt and Isabella Ortendahl each with two.
Sorry, but the individual totals which I obtained from the West Central Tribune add up to 53 points, not 57. It's too bad these discrepancies happen.
Three-point shooting saw Hoffman and Emma Thorfinnson each make two while Maddie Thorfinnson and Stai each connected once from beyond the stripe. The rebound leaders were Thorfinnson (first name N/A) and Hoeper each with five. It was Maddie Thorfinnson getting credited with an assist. She led in steals with three followed by Piekarski with one. Maddie blocked a shot.
Let's take a look at Litchfield and here we see Sydney McCann as top scorer with ten. Kamri Driver scored nine points and these three Dragons each had six: Janessa Olson, Lily Osterberg and Neriah Lara. Morgan Kaping and Katelyn Cruze each had four points and Izzy Pennertz added to the mix with three.
Driver was the Dragons' main driver in 3's with three. Olson, Osterberg and Lara each made one. Three Dragons each had four rebounds: McCann, Greta Hansen and Lara. Driver and Lara each had a steal.

Erratum
A subhead in the Friday West Central Tribune had ACGC beating Minnewaska 51-1 in wrestling! Obviously a screw-up by the paper. It happens to all of us. Minnewaska actually has the third-ranked team in the state.
The subhead pertained to the MAHACA Triangular, I guess. The article was just three paragraphs. I guess ACGC beat MAHACA 51-15. MAHACA went on to beat Benson 50-30.
I always found the wrestling triangulars and quads to be confusing and boring, frankly, because it was hard to figure out what was going on at any time. It seemed rather like mass confusion. You hear a crescendo of cheers from one part of the gym and wonder what the heck just happened. Buzzers would be confusing so you'd see little kids dash out to the refs and tap them to indicate a period was done.
Such an event was not my cup of tea, hardly, for appreciating high school sports. You'd have to be a parent, I guess, to feel real enthusiasm, and they would not appreciate me saying that.
Wrestling is a disturbing sport IMHO: Kids feel too much pressure to lose weight, the losers end up looking overly humiliated, and the forfeits really take luster from the entertainment. I have heard parents refer to an allegedly weak wrestler as a "fish." I say kudos to the kids who stick it out when they might have attracted this moniker. That's more than I could do. All I ever was, was a writer. No risk of concussion.
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Brandon Jergenson makes five 3's in win

Tigers 65, Paynesville 61
The Tigers got back in the groove following the unfortunate break in their schedule, caused by the incident at the school. The boys helped put the unpleasant thoughts aside by defeating Paynesville. "Unpleasant" certainly describes how normal life and routine at the school had to be interrupted.
Most pleasant was how coach Mark Torgerson's squad made ten 3-point shots in Tuesday's 65-61 win over Paynesville, a sub-section rival. (I still vividly remember when Paynesville came here as giant-killer, the No. 8 seed, and prevailed. Ouch.)
The Tigers weren't to be denied in the Tuesday play. Brandon Jergenson in particular wasn't going to let anything get in his way. My, Brandon's shooting eye was sharp. He made half of our 3's, yes five of them, so kudos. I wanted to list the other Tigers making 3's but this info is strangely absent from the Willmar paper's coverage.
No surprise to see Jergenson atop our scoring list with 17 points. Jackson Loge took somewhat of a back seat this time, scoring 12, and 12 was also the total for Thomas Tiernan. Toby Gonnerman added eight points to the mix. Durgin Decker put in five followed by Cade Fehr and Jaden Maanum each with four. Cameron Koebernick's output was three.
Loge was in the front seat for rebounding with his nine, and he was followed by Decker with eight. It was Decker leading in assists with seven while Loge had five. Loge was the front seat Tiger in blocked shots with four.
We built up a 31-23 lead by halftime. The success put us within a game of .500 at 4-5. Paynesville is similarly situated at 5-5. Paynesville picked up steam in the second half with a 38-34 advantage.
The Bulldogs needed a little more balance in their scoring. Two of the green guys really stood out: Corbin Froelich with 25 points and Grady Fuchs with 22. After that it's rather negligible: Rendan Uhlenkamp (4), Carter Wessel (3), Chase Bayer (3), Caden Spanier (2) and Levi Bast (2). Froelich topped the rebounds list with seven. He was also team-best in steals with four.
 
Girls: Melrose 32, Tigers 29
The trip back including I-94 must have seemed long for the MACA girls basketball team Tuesday. Offense was scant from our squad in the road contest. The Melrose gym was most inhospitable. Where's the offense? Or perhaps we should compliment the Melrose defense. We scored a mere eight points in the last 18 minutes of play.
We held a 21-20 lead at halftime but that faded steadily as action continued. Eight points in the second half? That was a formula for futility as the orange and black was dealt a 32-29 defeat at the hands of the Dutchmen. Melrose is impressing thus far in 2019-20: a record of 8-3.
Yes, Melrose wasn't burning the nets either and a look at their individual scoring shows no one in double figures. So we see Makiya Luetmer with nine points to top the list. Ashley Rademacher and Kyja Birch each scored seven points, while Kinsey Wensmann and Audrey Welle each scored four. Maddie Rosenberger concludes the list with one.
Rademacher and Luetmer each made a three-pointer. Birch was team-best in rebounds with eight. Rademacher stole the ball four times.
Our individual scoring list isn't bound to impress much but Malory Anderson held things up with her 12 points. She recently reached a significant individual scoring milestone. So Anderson was rather a bright spot and we can also feel heartened seeing three Tigers each make a three-pointer: Meredith Carrington, Emma Bowman and MacKenna Kehoe.
A lot of the stats aren't available in the Wednesday West Central Tribune. Anderson was followed in scoring by: Carrington (5), Kylie Swanson (4), Kehoe (3), Bowman (3) and LaRae Kram (2). This was a West Central Conference game.
I have warm memories of traveling along I-94 as I attended St. Cloud State in the '70s. Melrose had superstar Mark Olberding in uniform when I was in high school. He was awesome and went on to a pro career.
 
The incident at the school
Well, that was most concerning: the reported threat of some kind that caused everyone to just scatter on Friday. Very sad naturally, but people my age are engaged in some head-scratching, as we wonder if the reaction would have been so substantial back in our day. Seriously. Oh yes, times were different, as could be reflected upon in a variety of ways.
Those were pre-political correctness times. Not that maximum safety hasn't always been a good thing. But I don't know, we just saw things in a less frenetic way then. Frankly I think a threat scribbled on a blackboard - it would have been a blackboard then, not a whiteboard - would not have shut everything down. Honestly, here's what I think the reaction would be: the first person to see it would think it's "some silly kid" engaged in the kind of mischief that can be the stock-in-trade of silly kids everywhere. So the remedy might merely be to apply the eraser!
It's hard to believe, but back then we didn't get all excited over unclean jokes with a sexist bent. We didn't like them but I guess it was like water off a duck's back. We knew bullying was bad but we figured the victims just needed to pick themselves up, dust themselves off, try to fare better on another day. Learn from it. Learn from the hard knocks.
Oh, we stood idly by while the objectification of women was rampant. Down deep we all thought, I'm sure, that such judgments were quite unpleasant and inappropriate. We chalked it up to the patriarchy, most likely.
We must wonder if the perfect is the enemy of the good today. So we wonder if the Friday threat at the school required such an awesome response: dogs brought here from the Twin Cities etc. Neat to see the dogs being such a skilled resource.
We hear threats that the responsible party for the prank or whatever should shell out what probably will be a king's ransom. I don't know about that. A good defense attorney might be able to sink his teeth into that. In our society we are supposed to cut slack for kids and the silly mistakes they can make. Yes, even mistakes that can end up costing money. One of my age peers who works downtown agreed with me, on how maybe the application of a simple eraser could have ended the whole thing.
Risks? Ricks are omnipresent. Could I have an anvil land on me as I walk through town? Robert Stack as "Rex Kramer" in "Airplane" would say "forget it, Striker, that never happens."
Of course, we hope and pray nothing bad ever happens. Would I have been scared in high school hearing of a notorious "note" of some kind? I think not. But look out for the girls smoking in the bathroom.
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Win No. 11 for MBA Storm boys, 6-2

Storm 6, Windom 2
The MBA Storm boys are showing command on the ice. Ushering in the new year, the winning Storm (11-1) burst out to a 5-0 lead and finished up business with a 6-2 triumph over Windom. The puck action was on Friday, Jan. 3, at Windom.
We inched out to a 1-0 lead in the first period as Brady DeHaan scored with a Reece Kuseske assist (10:35).
The second period was when we really took charge as the puck went in the net four times. Will Breuer scored the first of these, assisted by Zach Bruns and Jack Riley, at 1:50. It was a power play job. DeHaan took advantage of a Kuseske assist to score at 2:13. Then it was Bruns showing some scoring magic at 4:44, assisted by Kaleb Breuer and Riley. Bruns was at it again at 11:02, this time with an assist from Kaleb Breuer. Windom got on the scoreboard at 13:00: Kyle Espenson scored with a Wyatt Haugen assist.
The third period was a 1-1 standoff. Windom's Simon Pell got the puck in the net at 1:29 with a Kaleb LaCanne assist. The night's final goal was by our Riley at 16:01, unassisted.
Our goalie Chase Engebretson saved 14 of 16 shots. He opposed Dan Stubbe whose numbers were 24/30.
 
Girls hockey: Windom 5, Storm 1
Girls hockey action in the new year had our Storm going up against Windom on January 3. The skaters glided over the Windom ice. When the three periods were done, MBA had a lone goal which was by Libby Pendill in the third period. Windom was the 5-1 winner.
Neither team scored in the opening period, then the second period belonged to host Windom. Windom seized the lead at 3-0 and then outscored the Storm 2-1 in the third. We came out of the day still in search of win No. 1. Windom's record: 4-11.
Elly Bang scored Windom's first goal with an assist from Madelyn Schumacher. Marissa Becker put Windom up 2-0 with an unassisted goal. Then it was Becker putting the lead at 3-0 as she scored with a Meakin Bang assist. The score became 4-0 in the third when Miranda Cory did the job unassisted. Then came the MBA goal by Pendill, unassisted. Abby Ignaszewski scored the day's final goal for Windom with an assist from Elly Bang.
Our goalie was Leah Thompson who saved 37 of 42 shots. Windom's goalie: Kaylie Baerg (23 of 24).

Minnewaska wrestling: 54-19 win
The Minnewaska Area wrestling juggernaut continues to impress. The Lakers are among the cream of the state's crop now. Up there at No. 3 in Class 'A'. The upper weights in particular have firepower. They're quite the attraction in Laker country, and a recent exhibit of their prowess was the 54-19 win over New London-Spicer.
Fans can really count on the upper weights. So when the Lakers got down 19-9, it wasn't much cause for skepticism. Indeed the squad rolled before the night was over. The last eight bouts had a Laker's arm raised at the end. The lighter wrestlers are working to try to match those standards. Give them time.
The success vs. NL-Spicer was in the Eden Valley-Watkins Triangular in Eden Valley. At 106 pounds it was Nick Ankeny taking to the mat for the Lakers, and he won by a 3-2 decision over Isaiah Nelson. Mason Schiffler was on the short end of a major decision outcome at 113 pounds. Luke Knudsen won that bout 11-2.
Then at 120 pounds, Cole Baker of the Lakers lost by fall in 1:38 to Ty Bisek. Jacob Blair chalked up a 'Waska win at 126 pounds: a pin of Jase Neal in 2:50. Caden Koziol was bested by Luke Ruter of the Wildcats in a 5-2 decision. David Lilienthal lost by fall in 2:32 to Blake Vagle. Chase Boelke was a fall winner over Brody Lien in 3:59.
Mason Blair fueled momentum with a fall win over Grant Hubbard in 1:09. The "mo" grew with Max Reichmann's 5-3 decision over Tim Thein. Ryan VanLuik won by fall in :57 over Lucas Tuchtenhagen. Forfeit wins were awarded to Lakers Tyson Meyer and Tyler VanLuik at 189 and 195 pounds, respectively.
Dylan Jergenson manned the 220-pound slot and he too was unchallenged. So was Jakob Swalla, the Lakers' big guy at 285 pounds. Yours truly gets annoyed when there are lots of forfeits in wrestling. It's just no fun.
 
 'Waska boys hoops: Lakers 71, Canby 36
Minnewaska Area put up 71 points in a boys hoops win over Canby in the Marshall Fastbreak Club Tournament. Grant Jensen scored 16 of those points in the Lakers' 71-36 win. The outcome was sealed at halftime as the Lakers owned a 42-17 lead. They cruised in the second half with a 29-19 advantage.
Peyton Johnsrud contributed ten points for the winner. This was the Lakers' sixth win of the season against one loss. Sam Hested came through with nine points while Drew Nelson and Aaron VerSteeg each scored eight. Then we see Jaden Stewart and Brady Hoffman each contribute seven, followed by Luke Barkeim (5) and Cole Harste (1). Nelson and Stewart each found the range to make two 3-pointers.
Hested was the rebound leader with seven. VerSteeg set the pace in assists with seven. VerSteeg led in steals with six followed by Jensen with four.
Canby had just one double figures scorer: Dylan Bruns with ten points. Joey Hiedman scored eight. Zach Waldrum made two 3-pointers and Will Varcoe made one.
Minnewaska Area takes a .500-plus level of confidence into the new year!

BOLD 64, Minnewaska 51
The Minnewaska boys got a tough test in facing BOLD recently. The two teams are considered top-notch in the WCC. Fans anticipated this contest with relish at the 'Waska gym. Unfortunately for the Laker backers, BOLD was up to this test in winning fashion. The BOLD Warriors were bold and precise in a 64-51 win over the Lakers.
BOLD got en route to its ninth win with a 38-23 halftime advantage. BOLD's loss total: zero. 'Waska came out of the day at 6-2. BOLD had just five players score led by Drew Sagedahl with 28 points and the team-best three 3-pointers. The other Sagedahl in BOLD's arsenal, Jordan, had 17 points and made one '3'.
Gavin Vosika also scored 17 points, Trenton Ziesmer scored four and Matt Moorse two. The individual totals appear to add up to 68, not 64. The individual totals were gleaned from the January 4 West Central Tribune. BOLD is impressive enough without stats having to be inflated! But congrats to them. I hate to nag the Tribune but I always add up the individual points.
The BOLD rebound leaders were Vosika and Drew Sagedahl with eleven and nine, respectively. Vosika executed seven assists. He and Drew each had six steals, and Drew blocked two shots.
It was quite the "iron man" night as 'Waska also had only five players score. The list was topped by Grant Jensen whose output was 17. Peyton Johnsrud scored 14 points. Aaron VerSteeg came through with eleven, Sam Hested with five and Brady Hoffman with four. Johnsrud connected for three 3-pointers while Jensen, Hested and VerSteeg each had one.
Hested with his eleven rebounds led there. Jensen with his four assists was tops. VerSteeg stole the ball twice, and Hoffman swatted aside two shots.
The Warriors are looking like the class of Minnesota Class 'A'.
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Kylie Swanson has only '3' in home loss

Breckenridge 58, Tigers 53
The MACA girls had a chance to get to .500 Thursday. Instead they were dealt a 58-53 defeat by the Cowgirls of Breckenridge. So we came out of the day at 4-6. Many conquests lie ahead for coach Dale Henrich's crew. We're past the holidays now. Everyone was thrown into a funk by what happened at our school on Friday, geez.
On Thursday our hoops action was non-conference. Let's usher in 2020! The Cowgirls picked up their sixth win against five losses. Breckenridge was the prime district-level rival of the Tigers when I was in high school. Those were historic times really as we were just getting started in girls athletics.
Things looked encouraging halfway through the Thursday affair. Coach Henrich had to feel encouraged by the 25-22 score that had his squad up. The orange and black faded after that as we were outdone 36-28.
We had scoring balance as an attribute. Malory Anderson and MacKenna Kehoe each scored 12 points and Meredith Carrington put in ten. But it was Kylie Swanson who had our only three-point make. Normally we do better in that department. Swanson had five points for her night's work. Emma Bowman contributed eight points and Kendra Wevley six.
Anderson was tops in rebounds with 12. Anderson performed four assists, and she and Carrington each had four steals. Wevley blocked a shot.
 
Boys: Tigers 64, Breckenridge 53
Ah, so many memories of Tigers vs. Cowboys games in past District 21 tournaments. They're still the Cowboys and Tigers. Green vs. orange and black. There's no "district" anymore but the teams do renew the rivalry on a non-conference basis.
So on Thursday the teams took to our MACA court where it was the orange and black prevailing. Yes, in a 64-53 final. We got our third win as Jackson Loge scored 18 points and gathered in 18 rebounds. Plus he swatted aside three Breck shots. Our record at night's end: 3-5. Breck's mark: 4-5.
Jaden Maanum scored 14 points and led our three-point shooting with two makes. Brandon Jergenson and Thomas Tiernan each made one '3'. Durgin Decker was a double figures scorer with his ten. Tiernan and Jergenson used their 3's to post totals of seven and five, respectively. Cameron Koebernick and Cade Fehr each scored four points, and Toby Gonnerman had two.
Maanum was the top assist producer with six. Tiernan had two steals.
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com