Watch those Lakers! Next game is Thursday

Minnewaska fans are getting ready for lots more excitement this post-season. The boys basketball team has displayed very high quality through the course of the 2019-20 winter. They are now one game into the post-season. They have under their belt a win over Montevideo.
Consider that game a tune-up. No one expected Monte to put up much of a challenge. Such is the nature of No. 1 seed versus No. 8, the scoreboard margin can bulge. That's exactly what fans saw on February 29. Monte came close to being winless for the season - they got a late win over Yellow Medicine East.
And the Thunder Hawks despite some flickers of quality did not mount much of a challenge against top-seeded Minnewaska. We're talking Section 3AA-North. The Lakers took care of business with an 86-49 win.
Better days will come for the T-Hawks. Regular season play had seen 'Waska beat Monte by margins of 13 and 22 points. Monte actually began the February 29 game on a somewhat upbeat note. A 3-pointer by the T-Hawks cut their deficit to a mere two points, with 12:20 left in the first half.
But the Lakers promptly punched the accelerator. They went on a run that reflected their top-seeded status. How confident can the Lakers be? Well, the highlight of the regular season was the win over BOLD who was then ranked No. 1 in state.
Peyton Johnsrud supplied spark with a standard three-point play. Then Grant Jensen made a shot. Monte managed a bucket but then Luke Barkeim and Aaron VerSteeg each sent the ball through the twine. The Lakers were on their way. Fans at the home court cheered lustily.
Johnsrud scored again to make the score 22-11. A Grant Jensen basket with ten seconds 'til halftime made the score 36-23.
Monte was probably playing better than a No. 8 might. But 'Waska just had too many weapons. Peyton Johnsrud had eleven first half points. Those weapons were never more in evidence as the second half got underway. The Lakers had their fans most satisfied with a 13-2 run.
Johnsrud was on fire. He finished the night with the game-high 20 points. The coach had the luxury of letting reserves filter into the action. Nice for the parents of course. A total of 12 Lakers scored in the second half, in which 'Waska put in a bushel-full of points: 50!
The final stats show Aaron VerSteeg and Luke Barkeim each with 14 points. Grant Jensen's total was ten, and Jaden Stewart was 2/2 in 3's. Yes, a night to file away with lots of highlights.
The road could get tougher now. On tap is the next 3AA-North game where the opposing team will be those green-clad Bulldogs of Paynesville. The Bulldogs are coming off a win over Benson at Benson. So the Lakers will now vie vs. those Bulldogs at 6 p.m. Thursday in Willmar. This game will be followed by MACA, the Tigers, versus Redwood Valley who are the second and third seeds. Lots of fans will be headed to Willmar.
They call it "March Madness!"
 
Wrestling excellence
The Minnewaska Area wrestling team has been through a highly successful campaign marked by impact at the state level. Certainly the "Madness" is felt there. Kudos to coach Chip Rankin and his associates. Five Lakers wrestled their way to the prestigious state tournament. Three of them earned state medals.
Tyson Meyer wrestled all the way to the top of his weight class, 170, yes state champion! Dylan Jergenson, 220 pounds, climbed to runner-up status. And Tyler VanLuik at 195 was a third place achiever. State action was at Xcel Energy Center.
Easton McCrory, 126 pounds, was the first Laker to plunge into state action. Junior Jakob Swalla in the "big guys" division (285) started out with a fall win but came up shy of placing.
The student-athletes help make the winter shorter!
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

This contributed photo to the Pope County Tribune shows Laker Tyson Meyer getting his arm raised for state champion honors. He has won back-to-back gold medals.