Streeter boys beat Staples-Motley, advance to sub-section finals

The Sauk Centre boys’ basketball team won a hard-fought sub-section playoff game Saturday afternoon to advance to Tuesday’s sub-section final.

The top-seeded Streeters defeated No. 4 seed Staples-Motley 61-48.

Sauk led throughout, but the Cardinals kept it close until the Streeters were able to make some key baskets and free throws down the stretch.

The Streeters led 30-24 at the half and led by as much as 11 early in the second half at 42-31. But the Cardinals went on a 7-0 run to close the gap to four.

Then buckets by Adam Jensen and Cole Neubert put Sauk back up by nine and they never looked back. Matthew Moritz and Seth Otte both made key free throws in the final minutes to help seal the win.

Josh Buschette led the squad with 17 points. Otte added 13 and Moritz 12.

The Streeters will face the winner of the Melrose/Long Prairie-Grey Eagle match up on Tuesday at St. John’s University.

(Video) Will Funk begins state opener at Xcel Energy Center

Here's the start of Funk's 132-pound match on Friday morning:

Melrose-Sauk Centre Fusion geared up for state

Here's M-SC senior Brent Blommel talking about the state meet, which begins at 12 p.m on Friday, Feb. 28 at the U of M Aquatic Center in Minneapolis:

Mainstreeter girls seeded for sub-section playoffs

The five-time defending West Central Conference North Sauk Centre Mainstreeters girls' basketball team earned a home playoff opener for the eighth straight season under the direction of head coach Scott Bergman for the upcoming Sub-Section 6AA-North playoffs. The Mainstreeters, seeded number three, will host sixth-seeded Pierz in the quarterfinals. The Pioneers are 8-16 overall and went 2-8 against Section 6AA competition and hold a 5-8 record (fifth-place tie with Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa) in the Central Minnesota Conference.

Here's how the playoff map looks for the Mainstreeters: first round home game on Thursday, March 6 at 7 p.m. against Pierz; a win there gets them to St. John's University for the semifinals with a 6 p.m. tip-off against the winner of the Osakis-vs.-Pillager game.

The sub-section championship is at St. John's University on Tuesday, March 11 at 7:45 p.m. Good luck, Mainstreeters!

2014 Sub-Section 6AA-North girls' basketball seedings:
1st Staples-Motley
2nd Osakis
3rd Sauk Centre
4th Holdingford
5th Melrose Area
6th Pierz
7th Pillager
8th Long Prairie-Grey Eagle