Basketball teams win

At Paynesville, the Sauk Centre boys' basketball team beat the Bulldogs 74-63 to climb over .500 at 4-3. Their next game is at home on Monday against Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa (2-4 overall, 1-3 Central Minnesota Conference).

At home, the Sauk Centre girls' basketball team clobbered Paynesville Area 71-38 to improve to 6-1 overall. Their next game is in the opener of the Pierz tournament on Dec. 29 against Crosby-Ironton.

Weekend roundup

Friday action:
The Mainstreeters boys' basketball team downed visiting Minnewaska Area 80-69 to improve to 3-1 on the season. The Sauk Centre-Melrose wrestling team placed seventh at the 10-team Willmar invitational. The Prairie Centre Area boys' hockey team lost 6-0 at Detroit Lakes

Saturday action:
The North Stars hockey team fell to 0-5 on the season with a 7-0 loss to Willmar at Long Prairie.

Read more on all the action in this week's Sauk Centre Herald.

Boys' basketball is 2-0, hockey tagged with first loss

Cole Neubert leaps above two Tigers to haul down a rebound in Tuesday's win at Morris. PHOTO BY BROOKE KERN, MORRIS SUN-TRIBUNE.

In a tough road game at Morris on Tuesday, the Mainstreeters boys' basketball team defeated Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 57-49 in the West Central North Conference opener. As was the case in the season opener at Upsala, Sauk Centre's defense shined against the Tigers while building a 25-14 halftime lead. Leading scorers were Matthew Moritz (21) and Cole Neubert (14). Up next: a sub-section game and border battle at Long Prairie-Grey Eagle next Tuesday. After that is the home opener against their neighbors to the west, Minnewaska Area, on Friday, Dec. 5.

Prairie Centre Area fell to 1-1 on the season by a 4-3 score to host River Lakes at Paynesville on Tuesday. The North Stars were out shot 53-15 but still held a 3-2 lead after two periods, thanks in large part to 49 saves by goalie Mitch Bauer. Up next: the North Stars host Park Rapids Area/Menahga/Nevis/Walker-Hackensack-Akeley next Tuesday in Long Prairie. (Yes, that's a boys' hockey coop.)

The girls' basketball season opener is next Tuesday, Dec. 2 at home against Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta. The Melrose-Sauk Centre Fusion boys' swimming and diving team opens their season in Melrose on Thursday, Dec. 11 against Litchfield/Dassel-Cokato.

Season-opening win

For the second year in a row, the Sauk Centre boys' basketball team defeated Upsala in the season opener. Last night at Upsala, the Mainstreeters beat the Cardinals 59-54. Matthew Moritz led Sauk Centre with 11 points, while Austin Nelson was also in double figures with 10 points.

Up next is a trip to Morris next Tuesday (Nov. 25) to face the Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta Tigers in the West Central North Conference opener.

The Mainstreeters return a solid nucleus of talent from last year's 18-8, sub-section runner-up squad.

Boys' basketball scrimmage

A 14-team boys' basketball scrimmage is today at Sauk Centre high school and their extra gymnasiums. Action begins at 10 a.m. Teams included are Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa, Benson, Holdingford, Kimball Area, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle, Melrose Area, New London Spicer, Osakis, Paynesville, Royalton, Saint John's, West Central Area and Brandon-Evansville.

The Mainstreeters boys' basketball team faces Kimball Area in the first scrimmage at 10 a.m.

Streeter boys earn top seed

The Sauk Centre Boys' basketball team earned the top seed in the 6AA-North sub-section. They will host Osakis in the first round of playoffs on Feb. 27. They host Long Prairie-Grey Eagle this Friday in their final regular season game.

Mainstreeters edge Melrose in defensive battle

The Sauk Centre Mainstreeters boys' basketball team all but sealed the number one seed in Sub-Section 6AA-North with a 52-42 win over visiting Melrose Area tonight. The win keeps them on pace with Montevideo in the West Central North Conference, with the Thunderhawks in first place at 9-2 and the Mainstreeters a half game out at 9-3.

Montevideo (12-7) hosted Dawson-Boyd (19-0) tonight in a non-conference game.

Now 15-6 overall, the Mainstreeters travel to Minnewaska Area on Thursday for a second straight West Central North Conference game. The Lakers are 9-12 overall and 5-8 in the league.

Mainstreeters fall to state-ranked B-B-E

The Mainstreeters boys' basketball team lost 78-53 at state-ranked (number one in Class 1A) Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa in a Saturday matinee game today. Their five-game winning streak ended in the loss, and they look to regroup with a second straight border battle on Tuesday when Melrose Area comes to SCHS for a West Central North Conference game. The Dutchmen have won four games in a row to sit at 12-7 overall and 7-2 in the WCC-N.

Basketball teams split

The boys' basketball team beat Montevideo 44-33, while the girls' basketball team lost at state-ranked Albany 58-46 in their first loss of the year. Read more in this week's Sauk Centre Herald.

Streeter boys snap losing skid

The Sauk Centre Mainstreeters boys' basketball team got back in the winning column with a 54-37 win at sub-section rival Holdingford tonight. They take an 8-4 overall record into Tuesday night's home game against Staples-Motley in another key contest against a sub-section opponent. The Cardinals are 7-6 overall and 2-2 in the Mid-State Conference.

With the loss, Holdingford falls to 3-10 overall.

Streeters downed by Melrose, North Stars and SCM win

In the hostile environment of the Melrose Area high school gymnasium, the Sauk Centre Mainstreeters could not overcome a 24-point performance by Dutchmen senior Seth Noll in a 71-64 boys' basketball loss tonight.

The Mainstreeters fall to 7-4 overall and 3-2 in the West Central North Conference, while the Dutchmen improve to 6-4 overall and 3-1 in the WCCN.

Sauk Centre, anxious to snap a three-game slide, might have just what the doctor ordered on the horizon when they travel to Holdingford (3-9) next Monday. It's a must-win situation if they want to hold onto a chance at gaining the top seed in Sub-Section 6AA-North.

At Breckenridge tonight in boys' hockey action, the Prairie Centre Area North Stars improved to 10-5 overall with a 7-2 win over the Breckenridge/Wahpeton Blades. The North Stars return to Mid-State Conference action with a game in Walker against Park Rapids/Menagha/Nevis/Walker-Hackensack-Akeley next Tuesday. The Panthers are 9-3-1 overall and 4-0 in the conference. The North Stars are 1-1 in league play and are still within reach of winning a conference title.

In Melrose tonight, the Sauk Centre-Melrose wrestling team beat Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 47-27 after trailing 27-17 and then posting 20 unanswered points to get their fourth win of the season. SC-M next competes at the BOLD triangular next Tuesday.

Read more about this week's sports action in the next issue of the Sauk Centre Herald.

SCM wrestling faces LPGE tonight

The Sauk Centre-Melrose wrestlers host Long Prairie-Grey Eagle tonight in Melrose in a dual meet; JV action begins at 6 p.m.

Also in Melrose tonight is what should be a terrific border battle between the Dutchmen boys' basketball team and our Sauk Centre Mainstreeters.

The Fusion swimming and diving team is at Bemidji for an invitational starting at 5 p.m.

Mainstreeter boys lose shootout in overtime

The Mainstreeters boys' basketball team lost a shoot out against Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City by a 91-89 final score in overtime on Friday night. Sauk Centre trailed by as many as 15 points in the second half before storming back to force overtime with the score tied 80-80 after regulation play ended.

The Mainstreeters shot just under 50 percent by launching 74 field goals and hitting 35 of them. They were 9-of-23 on the three-point line and 10-of-15 at the free throw line. Josh Buschette's 23 points and five three-pointers led Sauk Centre, who fell to 7-2 overall.

It was their first West Central Conference loss after a 3-0 start in the league.

Mixed bag for varsity sports teams

The good news first.

In non-conference boys' hockey action tonight, Prairie Centre Area defeated Redwood Valley/BOLD 8-2 in Redwood County. The North Stars improve to 5-3 overall and travel to Benson this Thursday to face Morris/Benson Area (0-7) in a Section 6A match up.

The Mainstreeters girls' basketball team pounded on Paynesville Area in an 82-40 win.

The Melrose-Sauk Centre Fusion boys' swimming and diving team defeated visiting Alexandria 99-87 in an exciting home dual win.

The Sauk Centre-Melrose wrestling team (2-5 overall) dropped two West Central Conference duals in a home triangular. They lost 45-25 to Quad County and 39-31 to Paynesville Area. In the other dual, Quad County topped Paynesville 39-33.

At St. Cloud, the Mainstreeters boys' basketball team suffered their first loss of the year by a 63-58 final score to St. Cloud Cathedral. The Crusaders are 6-2 overall, while the Mainstreeters are 6-1. Up next is a home game against Minnewaska Area in a key West Central North Conference meeting this Thursday night.

Read more on all the action in this week's Sauk Centre Herald.

Mainstreeter boys' basketball is 6-0

A hard-fought 64-61 win was the outcome of the Sauk Centre vs. Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta boys' basketball game tonight in Morris. The West Central North Conference win improves the Mainstreeters' overall record to 6-0 and 2-0 in the league.

With just under a minute to go, two MA/CA free throws gave the host Tigers a 61-59 lead. Matthew Moritz then drained the go-ahead score with 29 seconds on the clock with a three-pointer to put Sauk Centre on top for good. The Mainstreeters led 37-31 at halftime and built their lead as large as 16 points in the second half over the winless Tigers (0-5, 0-4 WCCN).

Josh Buschette was the leading scorer with 21 points, four assists and three steals. For the game, Sauk Centre shot 25-of-57 from the floor.

Up next: a tough road trip to the St. Cloud Metro Area, where they'll square off with St. Cloud Cathedral. The Crusaders, members of Section 5AA, are 5-2 overall and one of just two unbeaten teams left in the Granite Ridge Conference. They also have a potent offense with a 72 points-per-game average. Sauk Centre is no slouch either, of course, as they have a 73.5 points-per-game average so far.

Two Sauk Centre teams are in action at home Friday night in Sauk Centre: Prairie Centre Area boys' hockey and the Mainstreeters girls' basketball team. The SC-M wrestling team also has a home event, a quadrangular down in Melrose that starts at 5 p.m.

Mainstreeter boys, girls basketball teams win

Bethany Ellis bolts down court on the fast break at Minnewaska Area in the big season-opening win. Ellis had eight points in a very balanced Sauk Centre attack. PHOTO BY MARK BEASLEY, Pope County Tribune

The Sauk Centre Mainstreeters girls' basketball team drubbed Minnewaska Area 65-39 to start the 2013-14 regular and conference season. The Lakers, playing in their third game of the season, trailed 29-22 at halftime. Sauk Centre's next game is at home next Tuesday against Montevideo.

In a home game tonight, the Sauk Centre boys' basketball team lit up Osakis in a non-conference border battle by a final score of 71-31. They are now 5-0 on the season with the next game coming on Thursday, Dec. 12 at Morris against Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta in a West Central Conference North game.

No word yet on how Prairie Centre Area fared in their boys' hockey Mid-State Conference match up with Detroit Lakes in Long Prairie tonight. The North Stars have little time for rest as they travel to Princeton tomorrow (Saturday) to face Becker/Big Lake at 1:15 p.m.

Streeters improve to 4-0

The Sauk Centre boys' basketball team improved to 4-0 with an 84-66 win over Paynesville (2-2) Thursday night.
The Streeters trailed by three at the half but went on a second half run and outscored Paynesville 47-25.
Four players finished in double digits with junior guard Matt Moritz leading the way with 19 points. Moritz, who has been hampered by injuries early on, made 12 of 13 free throws and also sank a three-pointer. Austin Landkammer had 15, Josh Buschette had 13 points and senior point guard Seth Otte finished with 12. It was yet another balanced scoring attack which again proved the Streeters' depth.
Sauk shot 53 percent from the floor, 35 percent from beyond the arc and 81 percent from the charity stripe. They play again at home Friday against Osakis. Tip off is 7:30.

Streeters throttle Wadena 74-50

Eleven different players scored Tuesday night as the Sauk Centre boys' basketball team coasted to a 74-50 win over Wadena-Deer Creek. Austin Nelson led the Streeters with 17 points and Austin Landkammer added 10. Nelson drained four three-pointers in six attempts. Landkammer and Andrew Primus each added two three-pointers and Jay Friedrichs and Seth Otte each added one as the Streeters shot 38 percent (10-for-26) from beyond the arc. Primus finished with eight points and Otte and Josh Buschette each had seven. As a team the Streeters shot 41 percent from the floor. The win improves them to 2-0 on the season. They will travel to Long Prairie Dec. 3 to take on the Thunder, who defeated Melrose tonight 63-56. For photos and video from Tuesday's game, check back to the sports blog on Wednesday.

Streeter boys rack up 91 in opener

The Sauk Centre boys' basketball team got off to a great start with a thrilling 91-88 win over the Upsala Cardinals Friday in Sauk Centre. Josh Buschette scored 24 points and Austin Nelson added 22 to help lead the offensive charge.

Check out next week's Herald for more on the opening night win. The Streeters will play at home Tuesday against Wadena-Deer Creek. Varsity tip off is 7:30 p.m..

(Video) Boys' basketball scrimmage

Here's some action from the scrimmage vs. West Central Area: