High school basketball forges ahead. What a long winter we would have, if such sports were not entertaining us. Is it really a basis for optimism? Or is it something we're doing with fingers crossed? I guess I'm implying the latter. Maybe it's even tentative. Who knows if the best-laid plans, as it were, will be carried out.
The hope is "yes" as long as we can be guardians of our health. Can we pretend, for the purpose of this sports update, there's no pandemic? Well I guess it's impossible. But let's feel good about the MACA boys' Tuesday success on the road. The Tigers made the trip to Redwood Valley. They gave us a thrill in the dead of winter with their 63-60 win. We're perfect with a 4-0 record.
Jackson Loge led the charge with 33 points. The game was hard-fought throughout. We managed a narrow edge in each half: 28-26 in the first, 35-34 in the second.
Loge was joined in double figures scoring by Toby Gonnerman with 12 points. Thomas Tiernan put in seven, then we see Durgin Decker with four, Cole Wente with three, and Brandon Jergenson and Sam Kleinwolterink each with two.
Three Tigers each made one '3': Wente, Tiernan and Loge. Loge with his 13 rebounds led there. Jergenson with his four assists was tops. Loge complemented his other stats with two steals and three blocked shots. Redwood Valley came out of Tuesday with a 2-1 record.
Girls: BOLD 71, Tigers 63 (OT)
The Tigers seemed so close to victory in the closing stages of Tuesday night's game. The BOLD Warriors were the challenge at the Olivia court. Five seconds were left with Morris Area Chokio Alberta up by three. Leslie Snow of the Warriors responded in the clutch with a three-pointer. So the stage was set for overtime.
And the OT story had an unlikely hero in that it was an eighth-grader. I can remember when Morris varsity teams were grades 11-12 as a matter of policy. Wow!
BOLD eighth-grader Lainey Braulick not only played with varsity poise, she did so with long-range shooting! Braulick made three 3-pointers of her game total four. So BOLD pulled away to a 71-63 win. You might suggest the game was closer than the score suggests. Three-pointers can change things in a hurry. Obviously you can sink or swim.
Braulick will likely remember this game for a long time.
The halftime score had BOLD on top 32-26. The numbers got reversed in the second half with the Tigers gaining the momentum. So it came down to OT and Braulick's spark for the home team.
Braulick's four 3's were complemented by Mari Ryberg with two and Lily Dean and Snow with one each. Braulick and Ryberg each scored 16 points but it was Leslie Snow leading the Warriors with 19. Abby Meyers put in eleven points. Continuing: Lily Dean 5, Lidia Plass 2 and Caylee Weber 2.
Ryberg and Meyers led in rebounds with ten and eight respectively. Dean and Braulick led in assists with four and three respectively. Braulick led in steals with three. Weber and Snow each blocked two shots.
Let's move on to stats for our MACA Tigers. Emma Bowman was at the fore with her 23 points scored. Maddy Grove and Sydney Dietz each put in 12. Meredith Carrington came through with nine and Shannon Dougherty with six. (The individual totals from the Willmar paper are one shy of the team total.)
Carrington, Grove and Bowman each made a 3-pointer. No other MACA stats were available on the West Central Tribune site. Let's fix that. (If you are paying to "subscribe," maybe you aren't getting your money's worth.) BTW I am proud to have my game reports so user-friendly. Really, you just click to read and there it is, no "minefield" of registration and subscription demands, none at all. No ads either. Hey, isn't this what you want?
BOLD coach Brian Kingery had a touch of understatement in a post-game comment about eighth grader Braulick: "She has a chance to be pretty good."
He added "it was a great basketball game."
Take at look at this photo!
Here's a cherished piece of Morris history. The photo from Del Sarlette shows the Pylin drive-in restaurant along East 7th Street, to the north of the old school.
I have suggested that if something like Prairie Pioneer Days ever gets resumed, it might be named "Pylin Days." The idea is for everyone to "pile in," of course. Pile in to Morris. And, remember the old "Pylin" that seemed right out of the movie "American Graffiti." Get some old-time rock 'n' roll music playing in your head. Elvis Presley!
And yes, the Pylin had "carhops." Del reminded me that Susie Dahl of my high school class ('73) was one. Bev Lucken was another. I believe Bev Lucken and Bob Dalager graduated together, mid-1960s.
The old school housed up through grade 12 until the late '60s. Imagine the old gym for varsity Tigers basketball! Oh yes, it was reality. I saw some games there.
The word "carhop" was derived from "bellhops" in hotels. By the mid-'60s, carhop service was being replaced with drive-throughs. But hey, we learn "Sonic" still uses carhops. Carhops are frequently on scene in film noirs and in 1950s 'B' pictures about delinquent youth in hot rods. Moi? Oh of course not.
If "Pylin Days" doesn't sell, well then let's get Prairie Pioneer Days up and going again. But who would do it? Do we have a Chamber of Commerce?
My podcast for Jan. 27
It's the time of year when we can get fixated on the Super Bowl. I do not sense that level of interest now. Just think of the trials and adjustments in our lives. I invite you to visit my "Morris Mojo" podcast. Thanks.
Addendum: Tomorrow (Thursday, Jan. 28) is my birthday, so it would warm my heart if you'd listen to the song "Funny How Time Slips Away" sung by Elvis Presley. You'll have to click through an ad.
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com
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