Sauk boys' season comes to a halt

Terrence Ellis bolts in front of an LP-GE player while grabbing one of his two steals in the game. 

PHOTO BY HERMAN LENSING

The Sauk Centre boys' basketball team shot just 3-of-23 form three-point range Saturday in a loss to top-seeded Long Prairie-Grey Eagle. In comparison, the Thunder drained over 53 percent of their field goals overall in a 61-46 win.

The Streeters got behind early, but eventually closed the gap to four in the second half. But the Thunder shot well, made several key baskets to win handily 61-46.

Nick Adams led Sauk with 16 points, and the Mainstreeters finished the season 16-9 overall.

The Streeters graduate several solid seniors form this year's squad. Michael Knoblauch, Travis Rieland, Sam Fischer and Terrence Ellis all played their final high school game Saturday.

Despite losing those four quality guys, Sauk will bring back a solid group of underclassmen and should compete for a conference title in 2012-13.

It was a great run for this year's Streeter boys!

LP-GE (24-2) will play the winner of Melrose and Pierz, who are playing now. Update: Pierz won an epic playoff battle with Melrose by an 82-76 margin in overtime. The Dutchmen trailed 77-76 in the final two minutes before the Pioneers pulled away at the free throw line.

It's a three-peat! Sauk Centre is state-bound in girls' basketball yet again

The Mainstreeters line up tonight during the National Anthem.

The final score from Halenbeck Hall: Sauk Centre 49, Litchfield 35. The Mainstreeters (25-4) open up the Class AA state tournament at 8 p.m. at the Target Center on Wednesday, Mar. 14. They will face the winner of the Section 3AA championship, Worthington. The Trojans have won 8 games in a row and stand at 20-7 overall. They went 10-2 in the Southwest Conference, finishing in second place alone behind conference-unbeaten Marshall (21-7).

Here's a clip from 11 minutes left or so in the first half...

...when it was still a close game.

A note on DTV20 coverage...it was mistakenly reported on this blog that you can view the playoff games on DTV20...you can do that, but not live. Arvig does not have the live streaming license, which would be quite cost-prohibitive, but they are able to record the games and resell DVDs of them at the low price of $5 each.

Future basketball stars for the Mainstreeters enjoyed cheering with plenty of enthusiasm throughout the entire game tonight, especially watching the team accept the medals and team trophy.

Don't miss an article recapping the game at the Sauk Centre Herald website: http://www.saukherald.com/main.asp?SectionID=8&SubSectionID=358&ArticleID=13895

Halftime at SCSU - Streeters have an 8-point lead!

At halftime, Sauk Centre has a 30-22 lead over Litchfield in the Section 6AA girls' basketball championship game at St. Cloud State University.

And with 16 minutes left in the game, Kali Peschel knocked down a three-pointer for Sauk Centre's second bucket of the second half. That bucket made it 35-24 in favor of the Maroon.

Shelby Walsh hit a three for the Dragons with 15:10 left.

Jena Klaphake answered for the Mainstreeters to make it 37-27.

With 11 minutes left in the game, the Mainstreeters widened their lead to 43-28.

The starters are introduced for the game...

The Sauk Centre defense is wreaking havoc on the Dragons, leading to multiple steals and ensuing fast break points. Going 9 deep on the bench isn't hurting either!

(Video) Rieland delivers for Sauk Centre boys' basketball

Action in the final three minutes of the 2nd half in regulation play...


...and a post-game interview with Coach Ellens...

What a second half for the Streeter boys!

Travis Rieland had a great second-half for the Streeters as they came back from down 15 to beat Albany 65-62.

After taking a 9-2 lead, Albany went on a 25-3 run in the first half Friday and it looked like Sauk's chances of advancing in the sub-section playoffs were nil.

But a great second-half effort led to a 65-62 overtime win.

Terrence Ellis took over early in the second half, finishing with 27 points, and Nick Adams made several key free throws down the stretch as Sauk was able to pull away from the Huskies.

With the score tied 54-54, Travis Rieland, who played outstanding in the second-half,put up a desperation attempt at the buzzer, but it bounced off the rim, sending the game into the extra 4-minute frame.

Both sides of the gym were packed with fans. Sauk fans were wearing white shirts, courtesy of Minnesota National Bank and Gerards Sports bar and Knobby Sports. Albany fans were dressed in all black.

It made for great theatre, but nobody could out perform the boys on the court.

Patrick Knoblauch drives the lane. Knoblauch hit two key baskets to help the Streeters get back in Thursday's game.

Sauk trailed 30-21 at the half, but were down by as many as 15 after Albany's run. Things didn't look too promising.

During halftime, head coach Mike Ellens questioned the team's effort. Quite simply, they were getting beat in all facets of the game, most importantly in rebounding. Albany had several offensive rebounds that led to easy baskets.

But the second half was a different story. Ellis got things going out of the gates with a three-pointer and then came up with a teal on Albany's next possession. Adams converted on the other end to close the gap to 31-25. The Huskies scored the next four to increase the lead to 10, but Ellis answered with a bucket and Patrick Knoblauch scored on a nice baseline runner. An Albany turnover led to another Ellis three, perhaps the biggest bucket of the night at that point.

But Albany wouldn't relinquish the lead. As Sauk stormed back, Albany always had an answer. It wasn't until Adams dropped a 10-footer with four minutes left before Sauk had their first lead in the second half. A Travis Rieland bucket gave Sauk a 52-49 lead, but Albany tied it on a 3-pointer. Rieland scored again, but Scott Litchy answered to tie it at 54-54. Neither team scored in the final two minutes, sending the game into overtime.

Once again it was Ellis who got things rolling. The senior guard knocked down a bucket for a 56-54 lead. Albany failed to make their free throws in overtime and Sauk did make theirs, giving them the advantage. Rieland hit two straight followed by Albany missing two. Knoblauch scored a big bucket for a 59-55 lead, but Litchy answered with two free throws to make it a one possession game with 20 seconds to play.

Adams was sent tot he line where he drained two, but Albany answered again with a bucket. Trailing by two, the Huskies had to continue fouling, putting the game in Adams' hands.
But the junior, who is averaging 16 points and 10 rebounds a game, answered the call, hitting four more free throws in the final 17 seconds to secure the win.

Nick Adams was 6-for-6 from the line in overtime to give the Streeters the victory.

A desperation shot by the Huskies at the buzzer fell by the wayside, giving Sauk the incredible come-from-behind win.

The Streeters will travel to St. Johns' Saturday for a 5:30 p.m. tip against top-seeded Long prairie-Grey Eagle. Sauk defeated the Thunder in their last meeting 59-57.

Terrence Ellis was lights out Thursday, scoring a season-high 26 points as Sauk defeated Albany to advance to the sub-section semifinals Saturday against Long Prairie at St. John's University. Tip off is 5:30 p.m.

What a finish!!! Streeter boys' basketball moves on in the playoffs

Final score after overtime: Sauk Centre 65, Albany 62!

With 10 minutes left in the 2nd half, Albany led 40-37. The score at the end of regulation play was 54-54.

The Mainstreeters next play at St. John's University with a 5:30 p.m. tip off on Saturday, Mar. 10 against #1-seeded Long Prairie-Grey Eagle. The Thunder beat #8-seed Holdingford 71-41 tonight.

Tip-off is at 7 p.m. tonight for the boys' basketball game

The playoff opener for Sauk Centre and Albany on the Sauk Centre court will be at 7 p.m. tonight in the Sub-Section 6AA-North quarterfinals.

More scenes from the Staples-Motley win last night

Macy Weller won the tip off for Sauk Centre, sending the ball down to Kali Peschel (#25).

Jena Klaphake drives to the hoop. Her defensive prowess shined all night against a very physical Staples-Motley team.

Macy Weller interview with Bryan Zollman after the win and trophy ceremony...

Free T-Shirts to first 200 fans at Thursday's boys' playoff opener

The first 200 fans Thursday will receive free t-shirts courtesy of Knobby Sports.

Get there early as this has the makings of a classic match-up! The No. 4 seeded Mainstreeters (16-8) will take on the No. 5 seeded Albany Huskies (12-12) in the Sub-Section 6AA-North quarterfinals. Both teams have defeated each other on the other's court this season.

Sauk is coming off a thrilling 59-57 win over Long Prairie-Grey Eagle last Friday.

Thursday's game is at 7 p.m. in Sauk Centre. The winner advances to play Saturday at St. John's University in the semifinal round.

Celebrating a sub-section title

Coach Bergman high fives Rebecca Moe following the Mainstreeters' 58-48 win over Staples-Motley last night.

...and two clips from the 1st half...Jordan Gamradt hitting on the arc and then Macy Weller from the paint on a rebound putback...

Sauk Centre girls' basketball leads through entire first half...goes on to win third straight sub-section title!

Senior Krista Primus knocked down two buckets straight out of the gates tonight against Staples-Motley to get the Mainstreeters going. The hot start was key to holding a lead through the entire first half.

Sauk Centre has a 14-9 lead after Jordan Gamradt drained a three-pointer with 12 minutes left in the first half. Four reserves are playing right now along with starter Macy Weller.

With 8 minutes left, two free throws by Kali Peschel put Sauk Centre up 20-13.

A 7-0 run then put Sauk Centre ahead 27-18 with 3 minutes left before halftime.

Halftime score at St. John's University: Sauk Centre 30, Staples-Motley 25. Senior Ashley Gruber is leading the Mainstreeters in scoring. Both teams have drained five three-point shots. Noteworthy: Staples-Motley returns four starters from last year's Section 6AA runner-up squad.

Early in the second half, two three-point shots by Staples-Motley put the Cardinals up 31-30. The Cardinals went up 38-34 later in the half.

Senior Lexie Berscheit came off the bench to drain a crucial three-pointer that countered a 38-34 Staples-Motley lead with under 10 minutes to go in the game. Fellow reserve Brianna VonWalde then scored on a backdoor cut to put the Maroon up 39-38 with 9:10 left. They never trailed from there.

What a tense second half! With under 6 minutes to go, Sauk Centre has a 43-39 lead after Ashley Gruber knocked down a rebound shot.

With 84 seconds left, two bonus free throws by Weller put the Mainstreeters up 50-41!

Final score: Sauk Centre 58, Staples-Motley 48! The Mainstreeters (24-4) shot 12-for-12 at the free throw line in the second half to earn the hard-fought win.

Following the win, Coach Bergman commented on BOB FM, "Basketball is a team sport. It takes the whole team to pull off a win like this. We had a lot of girls make some clutch shots tonight. We'll have to be more physical on Friday night, though. Litchfield will be tough."

Up next: the third straight trip to the Section 6AA championship game...coming this Friday with a 6:30 p.m. tip off at St. Cloud State University's Halenbeck Hall. The opponent will be Litchfield, who hails out of the very tough Wright County Conference and has a 20-8 overall record. The WCC consists mostly of Class 3A schools. The Dragons went 10-6 along with Dassel-Cokato in the WCC in a two-way tie for third place. Hutchinson (24-3) and Waconia (20-8), both 3A schools, tied for the conference crown with 15-1 league records. Litchfield averages 56 points a game on offense while giving up 47.6 points a game on defense. They were 9-17 in 2010-2011 and last had a winning record in 2008-2009 when they finished 18-10.

This also marks Litchfield's deepest playoff run since 2003, when they lost to eventual state entrant NL-S 41-34 in the Sub-Section 5AA-20 championship. From 2004 through last season, they were either 0-1 or 1-1 in the postseason. From 2004 to 2006, the Dragons competed in Class 3A for playoffs.

Don't miss out on further coverage of the girls' basketball team's playoff run in this week's March 8 issue of the Sauk Centre Herald.

South sub-section title girls' basketball game goes to overtime at St. John's

An update from St. John's University...the NL-S Wildcats are mounting a comeback against Litchfield in the Sub-Section 6AA-South championship.

The Wildcats endured a very difficult first half, giving up a major scoring run to the Dragons that erased an early 10-6 NL-S lead. Taylor Thunstedt of NL-S picked up her second personal foul with 10:10 left, and the resulting free throw made it 18-10 in favor of Litchfield.

The Litchfield surge lasted 16 points, resulting in a 23-10 lead for the Dragons after Jordan Peterson knocked in a three with 8 minutes left.

Olivia Setterberg ended the 16-0 run with a free throw, and her fastbreak bucket with 6 minutes left then made it a 23-13 deficit. She hit inside a minute later to make it 25-15.

Shelbie Walsh hit a three to keep Litchfield in the driver's seat, up 28-15, and then Thunstedt hit a runner with 2:20 left to make it 32-17.

Amanda Radel gave her Wildcats team a lift with a three-pointer to make it 34-20, but Litchfield scored the final five points before halftime to make it 39-20 at the break. Fun fact: in the earlier meeting between these two teams, Litchfield led 34-14 at halftime before going on to lose in regulation play.

**Update at 6:55pm...the Wildcats have cut the deficit down to 46-35 in the 2nd half!

**And now it's tied at 48-48!

NL-S ultimately took a brief 51-50 lead in the final two minutes, but Walsh hit a three to put the Dragons back on top 53-51 with 1:00 left.

At the end of regulation, NL-S and Litchfield were tied at 53-53. With 14 seconds left in the second half, Taylor Thunstedt drove in for a layup to force the overtime period. Adding to the drama, with .5 seconds left, a traveling call was applied to Litchfield that essentially ended regulation play.

Final score: Litchfield 60, NL-S 53 in overtime. Thunstedt finished with 31 points. The Wildcats, whose starting five of Jessica Johnson, Lydia Kieft, Amanda Radel, Olivia Setterberg and Amanda Radel all began the four-minute overtime, were stifled in the difficult extra period.

Litchfield takes a 20-8 record into the Section 6AA final, while NL-S ended another fine season of basketball with a 19-9 record. The Wildcats finished 6-4 (second) in the very tough West Central North Conference. They've had winning records in conference play every year as members of the West Central Conference dating back to 1982.

Who's excited for playoff basketball? Things heat up considerably for local hoops teams this week

Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

A total of four nights this week have the potential to bring a considerable amount of excitement to the Sauk Centre community, as the girls' and boys' basketball teams battle for playoff success.

It starts tonight, when the Mainstreeter girls' basketball team takes on 8th-ranked Staples-Motley in the Sub-Section 6AA-North championship game. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:45 p.m. at St. John's University. Both teams hold a 23-4 record.

(Below) A glimpse of the Sauk Centre win over Albany on Saturday night...courtesy of Herman Lensing of the Melrose Beacon.


The Mainstreeter boys' basketball team hosts I-94 and conference rival Albany at 7 p.m. this Thursday night in the Sub-Section 6AA-North quarterfinal round.

**If you can't make it to St. John's tonight, one great option for Sauk Centre-area fans is to catch the action on your local DTV 20 station, courtesy of Arvig. They will broadcast all Sauk Centre girls' basketball playoff games, with the hope like we all have that the team will make another deep run as they have the past two seasons!

Stay tuned for more coverage of our Sauk Centre basketball teams throughout the week both here and in this week's March 8 issue of the Sauk Centre Herald.

Coach Bergman talks about Sauk Centre playoff basketball

Bryan Zollman interview with Sauk Centre girls' basketball coach Scott Bergman on Monday morning...

Tip-off for Tuesday night's game at St. John's University is at 7:45 p.m. The first game of the night pits New London-Spicer against Litchfield for the Sub-Section 6AA-South championship game.