NRHEG Sports (656)
The latest game results and prognostications for NRHEG.{jcomments on}
By TROY THOMPSON
Sportswriter
The NRHEG boys’ basketball team’s nine-game winning streak came to an end Tuesday, Jan. 27 when the Panthers came up short, 85-74, against Gopher Conference nemesis Maple River.
A rebound win on Friday, Jan. 30, against Medford pushed the Panthers’ record to 16-3.
Maple River 85, NRHEG 74
Maple River senior guard Jonah Breiter led the Eagles past NRHEG with some key three-point shooting and clutch free-throws down the stretch.
With the Panthers clogging the paint, the Eagles utilized a patient perimeter offense and hit from the outside to jump out to an early lead. With a boisterous crowd in their favor, the Eagles rode the home-court energy to an 11-point halftime lead at 41-30.
By TROY THOMPSON
Sportswriter
The Lady Panthers improved their win streak to five games last week behind a balanced scoring attack and continued strong play from their sophomores.
NRHEG downed Gopher Conference foes Maple River and Medford to improve to 7-2 in conference play. With the victories, the Panthers improved to 10-7 overall on the season.
NRHEG 69, Maple River 53
Sophomores Marnie Wagner, Rachel Collins and Maddie Wagner combined for 54 points in a 69-53 home-court win against the Eagles on Tuesday, Jan. 27.
NRHEG boys win three, push win streak to nine
Written by Jim LutgensBy TROY THOMPSON
Sportswriter
The Panther boys’ basketball team continued their hot hand last week, winning all three contests en route to pushing their winning streak to nine games. NRHEG won a pair of tight non-conference matchups before closing out the week with a 68-36 win over Gopher Conference foe Faribault Bethlehem Academy.
The Panthers now sit at 15-2 on the season, 7-1 in the Gopher Conference.
NRHEG 65, Blue Earth Area 46
It took awhile for the Panthers to find their shooting stroke Tuesday, Jan. 20, against the Bucs on the road. NRHEG led by just six, 33-27 at the half.
“We settled for quick shots in the first half,” said Panther coach Pat Churchill. “I thought we did a decent job defensively, but we just couldn't get it going offensively.”
By TROY THOMPSON
Sportswriter
After a recent stretch of trophy success in dual meets, the NRHEG wrestlers had to settle for a sixth-place finish in Forest Lake against some tough competition on Saturday, Jan. 24.
The Panthers defeated Stillwater 37-18 during the meet, but suffered two hard-fought defeats, getting bested 32-25 by Elk River and 35-28 against Plainview-Elgin-Millville.
Even though the Panthers took sixth, NRHEG coach Shawn Larson still deemed the outing a success.
“This tournament is exactly what our wrestlers needed,” said Larson. “Of course we would like to have a better finish on the day, though it was a great experience to compete with teams of this caliber. We wrestled well three times even though we lost two of those three. When facing the teams like these, it is easier for the guys to think they are beaten and give up, and we did just the opposite. Our guys gave the best effort we could give and are proud of our results even if it was sixth place.”
By TROY THOMPSON
Sportswriter
The NRHEG girls’ basketball team rebounded from a pair of sluggish starts last week to continue riding a season-best three-game win-streak and push their record to 8-7 overall, 5-2 in the Gopher Conference.
NRHEG 45, Blue Earth Area 32
It took the Panthers a while to get going at home on Tuesday, Jan. 20 against Blue Earth Area (BEA) in a non-conference tilt. The Bucs nabbed a 4-1 lead a full seven-minutes into the game before Marnie Wagner tied the game with a three-pointer and put the Panthers ahead for good with a hard-fought bucket in the paint on the next possession.
The Panthers picked up steam and finished the first half with a 15-6 run to take a 24-12 lead into the break. The spurt was highlighted by Gretchen Ramaker’s nifty runner in the lane and three-point shots by Grace Johns and Maddie Wagner.
By TROY THOMPSON
Sportswriter
The NRHEG wrestling team continued a strong season on Friday, Jan. 16, claiming a championship title in a hotly-contested dual meet. The event featured head-to-head competitions against No. 6-ranked Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg (KMS) and No. 10-ranked West Central Area (WCA). NRHEG also squared off against Morris Area-Hancock Area-Chokio/Alberta (MAHACA).
The Panthers finished the meet in a three-way tie with the two ranked teams and earned the championship title based on the most cumulative team points for the event.
Dillon Kubiatowicz (120), Cordell Peterson (126), and Todd Erickson (285) all went undefeated in their matches for the day to help lead the Panthers to the championship trophy.
Kubiatowicz pinned WCA’s Hunter Hanson and MAHACA’s Ben Koehl while wrestling KMS’s Jonathon Tostenson to a 15-4 major decision.
Peterson tallied a pin against MAHACA’s Jared Rohloff while besting KMS’s Caleb Collins and WCA’s Levi Larkin 7-1 and 13-2 respectively.
By TROY THOMPSON
Sportswriter
The Lady Panthers basketball team’s up and down season continued last week with a 42-21 loss to Blooming Prairie followed by a 58-48 win against United South Central.
NRHEG finished the week with a 6-6 overall record, 3-3 in the Gopher Conference.
Madison Worke had 13 points and Taylor Hagen netted 10 as the No. 4-ranked Awesome Blossoms cruised to their 11th straight win on Tuesday, Jan. 13. Marnie Wagner led the Panthers with 8 points while pulling down 13 rebounds. Maddie Wagner also grabbed 13 boards to go with 5 points.
The Panthers had an easier go of it on Friday, Jan. 16 as they downed the USC Rebels 58-48. Maddie Wagner led the Panthers with 17 points while also pulling down 9 rebounds and dishing out 7 assists. Marnie Wagner claimed a double-double with 14 points and 12 boards. Kaylie Camerer added 7 points and Ryann Hagen netted 5 in the Panther win.
By TROY THOMPSON
Sportswriter
The NRHEG Panthers held serve in the Gopher Valley Conference last week while rolling to a six-game winning streak overall. The Panthers improved to 12-2 overall, 6-1 in the conference, and hold a slim lead over Maple River (13-2, 5-1) who dealt the Panthers their only conference loss to date.
The Panthers secured wins against a pesky Blooming Prairie squad on Tuesday, Jan. 13, and persevered in a thrilling squeaker against last year’s conference co-champion United South Central on Friday, Jan. 16. NRHEG swept the week after returning home for a Saturday victory against Columbia Heights on Jan. 17.
Three different players stepped up to lead the Panthers in scoring in each of their three wins during the week to flex their depth and build team momentum. The Panthers entered the week ranked No. 10 in the Minnesota Class AA polls before wins over Blooming Prairie, No. 7-ranked (Class A) USC, and the Class AAA Hylanders.
Tollefson nets 1,000-point milestone, drives Panthers to rivalry triumph
Written by Administrator
SPENCER goes up for 3 points on his way to 1,000. Star Eagle photo by Chris Schlaak
By TROY THOMPSON
Contributing Writer
Senior guard Spencer Tollefson became the first male Panther in 15 years to surpass 1,000 career points on the hardcourt as his game-high 27-point effort helped propel New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva to a 65-61 victory over rival Waterville-Elysian-Morristown on Friday, January 9th.
But it wasn’t just Tollefson’s offensive efforts that helped to take down the Bucs.
“Spencer Tollefson was amazing tonight,” said Panther coach Pat Churchill. “He guarded one of the best players in our league and did a very nice job on the defensive side.”
Panther Wrestlers place 12, take 2nd at first-ever Gopher-Valley Tourney
Written by Administrator
GREAT SHOWING AT NEW TOURNEY – Cole Lenort, a first place winner last weekend at Maple River, shows a burst of speed in his escape in the second round. Star Eagle photo by Chris Schlaak
By TROY THOMPSON
Contributing Writer
The NRHEG wrestling team turned in another strong performance on Saturday, Jan. 10, at the first Gopher-Valley Tournament in Mapleton. The Panthers grappled their way to a second-place team finish in the inaugural event which featured all 10 teams from the Gopher and Valley Conferences.
NRHEG bested all of their Gopher Conference foes and finished behind only Valley Conference power Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial Area (LCWMA) in the team standings.
More...
By TROY THOMPSON
Contributing Writer
The NRHEG Girls’ Basketball squad improved to 3-1 in the Gopher Conference with a 60-51 home win over Waterville-Elysian-Morristown on Friday, Jan. 9. The Panthers evened their season mark to 5-5 with the victory.
The Panthers were powered by a trio of sophomores. Maddie Wagner led the way with 25 points to go with three assists and four steals. Marnie Wagner added 13 points while also corralling 10 boards to go along with two assists and two steals. Kaylee Camerer also scored in double-figures, netting 12 points while pulling down four rebounds.
Panther wrestlers come back from weak start for 2-1 in quadrangular
DOWN – Cordell Peterson of NRHEG pinned Hunter Jennings of Triton in 3 minutes and 47 seconds. Star Eagle photo by Nikki Erickson
Blue Earth Area 36 -
NRHEG 35
The Panthers got off to a weak start in their hosted quadrangular last Friday, giving up 4 pins and winding up trailing BEA by one point.
“In the end it came down to them getting bonus points when they needed and us not being able to get them,” said coach Shawn Larson.
The Panthers will be looking forward to an opportunity to rematch.
Loss to Hayfield keeps Lady Panthers struggling for wins
Written by Administrator1-3 • HAYFIELD 47 - NRHEG 38
The Panther girls basketball team took a loss at Hayfield last Saturday, after an up-and-down performance at the St. Olaf Invitational.
Hayfield took the lead early and was ahead 23-16 at the half.
The Wagners led the scoring for the Panthers as usual, with 20 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals for Maddie and 9 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals for Marnie. Gretchen Ramaker also came up with 9 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals, but the lead stayed with Hayfield.
Other Panther scorers were R.Hagen 6pts, 5reb, 3assists; K.Camerer 2pts, 7reb, 1assist, 3 steals; G.Johns 2pts, 1reb, 1assist.
The Panther Jr. Varsity beat Hayfield 47-38.
Panthers make 1-point lead last in squeaker
The Panthers continued to play strong against Hayfield on Saturday, Jan. 3, turning around a narrow lead with 5 minutes left in the game.
NRHEG got their 54-48 victory after a long close battle.
“The word I would use to describe this game was grinder,” said coach Pat Churchill. “Hayfield tried to grind this game to a halt.”