Mainstreeter girls' basketball beats Paynesville Area, Fusion swimming and diving wins Western Regional Championship

The Melrose-Sauk Centre Fusion boys' swimming and diving team hosted the Western Regional Championships tonight in the Sauk Centre pool. They had a narrow lead over Montevideo with seven of the 12 events completed. The 200 freestyle relay team reset the old pool record they had broken earlier this season; that record is now 1:34.83. Felipe Barreto also broke the pool record in the 200 freestyle (1:52.18). Read more about the Fusion team's performance in the Feb. 15 issue of the Sauk Centre Herald.

The Fusion team coaches rally the troops tonight before the start of the final seven events.

Ethan Ross accepting his first-place medal in the 100 freestyle race, an event he won with a time of 51.77 seconds; he also won the 50 freestyle race as well.

Keenan Pearson leaping into the pool to start the Western Regional Championship 100 butterfly race, an event that he took first place in with a time of 57.79 seconds.

The final heat of the 100 butterfly...


Final Western Regional Championships standings in boys' swimming and diving:
1st) Melrose-Sauk Centre 256
2nd) Montevideo 218
3rd) Morris Area 38

Final score in West Central North Conference girls' basketball action: Sauk Centre 49, Paynesville Area 34. Macy Weller poured in 27 points to lead the Mainstreeters to their 19th win of the season against one loss. The Bulldogs (11-8, 7-4 WCCN) kept things close in the first half, trailing 18-14 with 5:30 left, before the Mainstreeters got out to a 28-20 halftime lead thanks to a three-point play by Weller with 62 seconds left for the eight-point margin. Sparked by two early three-pointers, including one by Jena Klaphake with 15:30 left in the game, the Mainstreeters quickly built a double-digit lead and maintained it the rest of the way to the convincing win.


The Prairie Centre Area North Stars lost 9-4 at Morris/Benson Area (14-8) on the Benson ice tonight. The North Stars trailed 3-2 after one period and 6-3 heading into the third period. Clay Deters, goalie for PCA, had 33 saves in the loss.