Images from Sauk Centre's big win Friday night:

Streeters advance with 51-17 win over Osakis

D-E-F-E-N-S-E!

That was the mantra Thursday night in the Mainstreeter boys’ sub-section quarterfinal win over Osakis in Sauk Centre.

The Streeters (22-4) held the Silverstreaks to just two baskets in the first half on their way to a 51-17 victory. The win advances them to Saturday’s semi-final against No. 4 –seeded Pierz (14-13) who defeated Staples-Motley 77-58 in Pierz.

The Streeters scored the first 13 points before Osakis finally made a basket, and led 23-5 at the half. They were equally impressive in the second half by outscoring the Silverstreaks 28-12.

Austin Nelson closed out the first half with a steal at half court where he raced to the basket and made a reverse layup just before the buzzer sounded. Nelson led all scorers with 12 points. Shariff Silas chipped in nine points.

Cole Neubert and Tanner Schmiesing each had seven points and Neubert grabbed 10 rebounds.

Sauk outrebounded the Silverstreaks 36-15 on the night.

In other Section 6AA action last night No. 2 seeded Melrose defeated No. 7 Pierz 84-62. No. 3 seed Long Prairie-Grey Eagle beat Holdingford 59-35. Melrose and LPGE will meet this Saturday at St. John’s University following the Streeters game. On the east side of the sub-section, top-seeded Eden-Valley Watkins defeated Benson 75-42. No. 4 seeded New London-Spicer beat No. 5 seed Minnewaska 69-63. No. 3 seed Litchfield defeated St. John’s Prep 60-33. The upset came from No. 7 Paynesville who beat No. 2 seed Morris 74-71.

Eden Valley-Watkins will play New London-Spicer at 5 p.m. at St. John’s University Saturday. Litchfield will take on Paynesville in the nightcap at approximately 6:30 p.m.

The sub-section finals will be held Tuesday at St. John’s with the west teams playing at 6 p.m. and the east playing right after. The section final will be held at St. Cloud State University’s Halenbeck Hall on Friday, March 6.

Streeter boys roll over Thunder, win 12th straight

Matthew Moritz hit six three-pointers Friday night and finished with 24 points as the Mainstreeter boys’ basketball team won their 12th game in a row, beating section rival Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 65-42 in front of a packed gym.

Both teams traded baskets through much of the first half. Trailing 19-17 Moritz hit back to back threes on consecutive trips down the floor to give the Streeters much-needed momentum. Moritz capped off the Streeter scoring when he drew a foul and sank two free throws as Sauk escaped into the locker room with a 25-23 lead despite a semi-slow start.

Carter Kranz also had some key baskets for the Streeters in the first half as they tried to penetrate the Thunder’s patented 2-3 zone defense. Kranz made some good baseline plays to keep the ball alive and was strong to the hoop.

Early in the second half Kranz and Austin Nelson both hit key three-pointers early. After Moritz’s success in the first half from long range, there was no doubt the Thunder weren’t going to leave him open. After Tanner Schmiesing opened the second half with a basket the Thunder responded to make it 27-25. That’s when Nelson was left open at the top of the key where he swished his first hoop of the night. Sauk took a 32-27 lead on a basket by Cole Neubert and then Kranz nailed a three from the wing for a 35-27 lead. It was Kranz’s basket that swung the pendulum heavily in Sauk’s favor. Nelson scored on the next trip down and then after a Thunder basket Sauk rallied off 14 unanswered points. Nelson, Neubert and Schmiesing all scored and then Moritz got back into the mix with consecutive three-pointers. Shariff Silas capped off the 14-0 run with a pair of free throws.

Sauk’s balanced attack was too much, even for the stingy Thunder zone defense.

Sauk coasted the rest of the way, doing the job on both ends of the floor.

Neubert and Kranz finished with 10 points each and Nelson had seven.

The win gives teh Streeters a 19-4 overall record and a 9-2 mark against section opponents. Curently their QRF, a formula used to rank section teams, trails Melrose for the No. 1 seed in the sub-section. Their remaining games could play a big role in how the sub-section seedings end up. Sauk Centre will play Staples-Motley next Tuesday in Staples and then host Holdingford in their season finale on Feb. 20. Melrose will finish up with Osakis, Albany and ACGC. Sub-section playoffs begin Feb. 26 for the Mainstreeters.

Streeter girls win 18th in a row: Mauren Thiesen earns 1,000th point

The Sauk Centre girls stayed on the winning track with big win over Staples-Motley on Friday night in Sauk Centre. Sauk beat the Cardinals, a section rival and a team they will likely face again in the playoffs, 61-49.
Once again Madi Greenwaldt had the hot hand, scoring 15 points and hitting two big three-pointers. Freshman guard Maesyn Thiesen led the team with 17 points. Big sister Mauren Thiesen reached a career milestone with a baseline jumper early in the first half for her 1,000th point. You can read about her accomplishment in next week's Herald.
The Streeters are now 20-1 and have won 18 games in a row.
They will host Minnewaska next Thursday.