NRHEG Sports (656)
The latest game results and prognostications for NRHEG.{jcomments on}
Wagner tops 1,000 points in Section 2AA opener
The NRHEG girls’ basketball team split with the WEM Buccaneers during the 2014-15 regular season.
The Bucs broke the tie last Thursday.
WEM ended the Panthers’ season 60-48 in the Section 2AA tournament at Mankato East High School. NRHEG finished the season with a record of 14-12. WEM improved to 18-8 and advanced to the Section 2AA South Sub-Section finals against top seed St. Peter.
The Panthers, seeded third in the sub-section, chased the second-seeded Bucs all night, falling behind 5-0 and 9-1 to start the game.
“We tried to run and push the ball down the floor, but it is hard to run when they make their shots,” said Panthers head coach Onika Peterson. “Offensively, we got off the shots that we wanted, but we couldn't make a basket.”
NRHEG boys advance to sub-section title game
By TROY THOMPSON
Sportswriter
The NRHEG boys’ basketball team stormed into Sub-Section 2AA play last week with a pair of impressive wins to help build momentum toward a showdown with Gopher Conference champion Maple River in the sub-section finals.
NRHEG 59, Waseca 50
Three-pointers proved to be a dangerous weapon for the Panthers in their 59-50 win over Waseca on Friday, Feb. 27, in the Sub-Section 2AA South semifinals. This time, however, NRHEG would need to deploy their long-range shots to help them rally in the late going after trailing for most of the game.
Much like their regular-season meeting in Waseca on Feb. 3, the atmosphere on the neutral court in Mankato was electric. In the prior matchup, NRHEG jumped out to a 13-5 lead and held off the Bluejays for the rest of the game en route to a 74-53 win.
This time around, it was the No. 3-seeded Bluejays who jumped out to a quick 9-2 lead and kept the Panthers at bay for most of the game.
NRHEG senior 3rd at state tourney
By JIM LUTGENS
Editor/Publisher
Three NRHEG High School wrestlers left with high hopes last week for the state tournament at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
Todd Erickson fulfilled them.
Erickson, a senior, finished third at 220 pounds in Class A for the bronze medal. Senior Dillon Kubiatowicz was one win away from a medal, while junior Cordell Peterson can set his sights on next year.
“I was extremely happy with the performances of our three guys this weekend,” said Panthers coach Shawn Larson.
Especially Erickson.
“Todd was impressive, and showed excellent composure in matches that were very close,” said Larson. “In the quarterfinals Todd won 3-2, in the semifinals he lost in four overtimes, and in the third-place match he won with a takedown right at the end. In each of these situations Todd showed his experience by remaining calm, looking to score points when the opportunity came and not trying to force points.”
The NRHEG girls’ basketball team ended the regular season against possibly the toughest team it could face in the postseason.
The Panthers hosted Section 2AA favorite St. Peter Monday, Feb. 23 and lost a 49-40 nonconference decision at New Richland. The Panthers, 9-3 in Gopher Valley Conference play, finished the regular season with a record of 13-11.
The Saints started the game strong, scoring their first eight points on transition baskets. They led 19-14 at halftime.
According to Panthers coach Onika Peterson, free-throw shooting was a key factor.
“They shot 18-for-30 from the line,” said Peterson. “We shot 5-for-18. We can’t shoot 27 percent from the free-throw line; they should be easy baskets.”
Kubiatowicz, Erickson, Peterson advance
By JIM LUTGENS
Editor/Publisher
The season continues for three NRHEG High School wrestlers.
Dillon Kubiatowicz, Todd Erickson and Cordell Peterson advanced to the state tournament out of Saturday’s Section 2A individual tournament at Blue Earth. Kubiatowicz and Erickson claimed the championship at 120 and 220 pounds, respectively, while Peterson was the runner-up at 126. Trey Hoppe missed state by one place, taking third at 160.
The Panthers had a strong tournament as a team, with 13 placewinners. Taking fourth were Palmer Peterson, 145; Jet Wayne, 152; Nick Bartness, 170; Keith Maxon, 182; and Matt Jensen, 195. Placing fifth were Cole Lenort, 113; Cole Staloch, 132; Alex Merritt, 138; and Zeke Erickson, 285.
According to Panthers coach Shawn Larson, NRHEG’s three state qualifiers did a good job preparing for the section tournament.
Panthers defeat KW, St. Clair
By TROY THOMPSON
Sportswriter
The NRHEG boys’ basketball team tuned up for the Section 2AA Tournament with a pair of non-conference wins last week.
With the victories, the Panthers finished the regular season with a 21-4 record and will take a No. 2 seed into Section 2AA South play beginning Tuesday, Feb. 24 with a home game against No. 7 seed Medford.
NRHEG 68, Kenyon-Wanamingo 40
The Panthers struggled early against a patient KW zone defense, but eventually pulled away for a 68-40 win on Tuesday, Feb. 17.
The NRHEG girls’ basketball team rebounded from a nonconference loss to Southland to defeat Faribault Bethlehem Academy 70-48 at New Richland last Friday. The Panthers improved to 13-10 for the season and 9-3 in the Gopher-Valley Conference.
The Panthers started slow after a tough, physical loss to Southland but managed a 32-24 advantage at halftime.
“We were able to go on a little run,” said coach Onika Peterson. “We came out in the second half a little stronger shooting and rebounding. We ended up being able to get everyone in tonight for one of our last regular-season games.”
Panthers fall 41-34 to JCC in finals
RUNNERS-UP — The 2014-15 NRHEG wrestling team finished the dual-meet season with a 16-9 record, second in Section 2A and one win away from state. Front from left: statistician Makenzi Rhoades, statistician Jade Hill, Brett Kubiatowicz, Cole Lenort, Dillon Kubiatowicz, Cordell Peterson, Cole Staloch, Alex Merritt, Ross Lenort, statistician Nikita Peterson. Middle: Nate Jensen, Zeke Erickson, Palmer Peterson, Trai Wicks, Trey Hoppe, Karter Sletten, Jet Wayne, Bryce Okland, Ethan Strenge, Shawn Larson. Back: Josh Dalbec, Keith Maxon, Matt Jensen, Jon Weller, Todd Erickson, Wyatt Fitterer, Nick Bartness, Jamie Harshman, Tim Bartness. (Star Eagle photo by Chris Schlaak)
By JIM LUTGENS
Editor/Publisher
According to NRHEG wrestling coach Shawn Larson, it is the goal of every team to compete at your best at tournament time.
That’s exactly what the Panthers did.
NRHEG rolled past Hayfield Thursday in the opening round of the Section 2A team tournament and, after avenging an earlier loss to Blue Earth Area in the semifinals, gave powerhouse Jackson County Central a battle before falling 41-34 in the finals Saturday at Wells. The Panthers, seeded third in the section, finish their dual-meet season with a record of 16-9. Top-seeded JCC will take a 21-7 mark to state.
The Panthers’ season is not finished, however. They’ll travel to Blue Earth this Saturday for the individual section tournament. The top two finishers at each weight advance to state Feb. 26-28.
The Panthers opened Section 2A action Thursday, Feb. 12 at home against Hayfield, posting a 66-12 victory.
NRHEG boys rally for overtime win against USC
Written by Jim LutgensBy TROY THOMPSON
Sportswriter
The NRHEG boys’ basketball team will roll into Section 2AA play next week with what should be a top-four seed after surviving Gopher Conference foe United South Central in overtime on Thursday, Feb. 12. The Panthers secured a second-place finish in the Gopher-Valley Conference with the nail-biting 73-66 win over last year’s co-champion.
The overtime battle against USC followed a 64-49 non-conference win against St. Peter on Tuesday, Feb. 10. With the pair of victories, the Panthers stand at 19-4 on the season, 9-3 in the conference. Maple River, who swept the Panthers in two games this year, will take the Gopher Conference crown with a 10-2 record.
Maddie Wagner had a big game and so did her twin sister, Marnie.
It added up to victory for the NRHEG girls’ basketball team.
Maddie scored 16 points and added eight rebounds, five assists, four steals and two blocked shots as the Panthers picked up a 55-39 Gopher Valley Conference victory at United South Central Friday, Feb. 13. Marnie scored 12 points to go along with eight rebounds, three assists, seven steals and one block.
The Panthers, 12-9 overall and 8-3 in conference play, led 31-26 at halftime and pulled away in the second half while holding the Rebels to 13 points.
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Win at BP leaves Panthers 5-0
By JIM LUTGENS
Editor/Publisher
Thursday night’s Gopher Conference dual wrestling meet between NRHEG and Blooming Prairie started out decidedly in favor of the Blossoms.
After that it was all Panthers. Literally. And now they’re alone at the top of the standings.
After dropping the first match by fall, the Panthers won every bout for the evening while rolling to a 44-6 victory at Blooming Prairie, giving them the outright conference championship with a 5-0 dual-meet record. Maple River won it last year.
“Winning the conference is a goal that we had for the season, and I am proud that our wrestlers have been putting in the work to reach one of their goals,” said NRHEG coach Shawn Larson. “I am hoping that they are not going to be content with the conference title alone. I hope that these guys are ready to make a solid run at a section title.”
By TROY THOMPSON
Sportswriter
The NRHEG boys’ basketball team faced a hostile environment and formidable foe on Tuesday, Feb. 3 when they traveled to Waseca for a game against the Section 2AA-leading Bluejays. The Panthers seemed to thrive off the electricity and came away with a dominating 74-53 victory.
Facing a capacity crowd and boisterous fans, the Panthers seemed unfazed as they quickly jumped out to a 13-5 lead thanks to some early hot shooting by Oakley Baker and Trevor Tracy. The Panthers used the early confidence to quiet the crowd and build a 20-point lead en route to a 37-25 advantage at the half.
“I have not been to a regular season game where there were more people,” said NRHEG coach Pat Churchill. “The atmosphere was awesome. We shot the ball really well to start and I think that was the key to the game for us.We got our confidence going early on the offensive end.”
By TROY THOMPSON
Sportswriter
It’s been more than a decade since Waterville-Elysian-Morristown came out on top against NRHEG in girls’ basketball. The visiting Bucs ended that drought on Friday, Feb. 6, with a 64-53 victory that also snapped NRHEG’s six-game winning streak. The win was the first for the Bucs over the Panthers since the 2001-02 season.
The Panthers led 10-9 before WEM went on a run to open up a 28-19 lead at the half. The Panthers battled back to regain the lead 38-37 in the second half with a Kayley Camerer layup, but she left the game after the go-ahead basket with an ankle injury and wouldn’t return.
The Bucs took advantage of Camerer’s absence by feeding the ball inside to their post players en route to a 7-0 run that would give them the lead for good.
Panthers 4-0 after topping USC
By TROY THOMPSON
Sportswriter
The NRHEG wrestlers had their stamina tested last week as they faced six squads in three days. The Panthers split the stretch, going 3-3 as a team overall.
The Panthers dominated Maple River 43-16 on Thursday, Jan. 30 in what NRHEG coach Shawn Larson called their best match of the year.
“Of all of the matches this year, I feel like our team was on their best tonight,” said Larson. “Even in the matches we lost tonight, we were mixing it up well. I would have liked to have had a chance for them to have their best lineup tonight, but because of injuries they were a few weight classes short. We can feel good of how we performed and try to build on that as the tournaments are closing in on us quickly.”