Panthers’ season ends in Mankato: Stork scores 28 in final game
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LAST GAME — Senior Sophie Stork and NRHEG Head Coach Onika Peterson. Right, activities director Dan Stork hugs his daughter, Sophie, after awarding the team medals. Below, Stork goes to the basket against LCWM at the Taylor Center in the Panther's 70-64 loss, Monday, March 7, 2022.
By ELI LUTGENS
Publisher/Editor
Nothing gold can stay. The NRHEG girls’ basketball season came to an end Monday night in Mankato, falling to Lake Crystal-Wellcome-Memorial, 70-64.
If LCWM didn’t start seven-for-seven from the three-point line. If Senior Sophie Stork had made two more threes. If the Panthers had rebounded better. If any of these things had happened, the story from Monday night might have been different.
The Knights scored the first nine points of the game before Stork ended the run with a layup in traffic.
Stork scored 10 of her team's first 16 points, but got in foul trouble early, picking up three first half fouls. The Panthers only had six first half fouls, but they were all on Stork and Junior Erin Jacobson. Foul trouble played a big part as Stork sat for the last minutes of the first half and had to play safe the rest of the way.
It wasn’t until the 3:19 mark in the second half before a Panther other than Stork or Jacobson picked up a foul. Jacobson eventually fouled out and Stork finished the game with four fouls.
After the hot start by the Knights, which saw them lead by as much as 15, the Panthers clawed back to go into halftime down 40-30.
In other games this season, the Panthers have come out flat in the first half and turned it on halftime.
Monday night, the girls really didn’t come out flat in the first half. The Knights, arguably, played a near perfect first half.
The second half start by the Panthers showed why they deserved to be in this game.
An eye-opening event: More than 1,000 flock to Waseca’s Clear Lake
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SIGHT TO BEHOLD — A dozen or more large-scale kites, some measuring up to 140 feet long, flew over Clear Lake in Waseca Sunday as part of the city's annual Sleigh and Cutter Event. Star Eagle photo by Deb Bently
By DEB BENTLY
Staff Writer
For nearly everyone involved, Sunday’s kite festival over Clear Lake in Waseca was an “eye-opening” event.
Most significantly, there were over 1,000 spectators, most of whom were experiencing giant kites for the first time. Somewhere around 15 gigantic kites, the largest of which measured about 140 feet long, were rotated in and out of the skies during the five-hour show. Shaped like whales, tigers, dogs, horses, octopuses and more, the kites created a colorful spectacle visible from all around the lake.
“It was amazing,” says Waseca Sleigh and Cutter planning committee member Molly Kopischke, who coordinated the show. “The kites were so beautiful and so fun. It was great to see the expressions on people’s faces as they watched everything going on.
“We had such a positive response, we’re already making plans for next year.”
For Sean Beaver, owner/operator of Great American Kites and Events out of Kansas City, the Clear Lake showing was a new experience on many levels. “Two weeks ago, I hadn’t even heard of Waseca,” he says. “Now I know it’s a warm community with real heart and filled with a lot of people dedicated to making good things happen.”
Lady Panthers defeat Medford 67-50 in first round action
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Don't let the final score of 67-50 fool you, the NRHEG girls basketball team did not simply walk through Medford Tuesday night in the opening round of the Subsection 2 playoffs.
A sloppy game, with more than 30 fouls between the two teams, saw momentum swing to the Panthers early after they opened up an early 12-0 lead.
On one particular sequence, Faith Nielsen was fouled on three consecutive possessions resulting in free throws each time.
The Panthers led 30-19 after a controversial foul call resulted in 3 free throws attempts from the Tiger’s with 0:00s showing on the clock.
In the second half, the Tigers clawed their way back to within five points.
However, a Sophie Stork three-pointer ended the Tiger run four minutes into the second half. The rest of the way the Panthers outscored the Tigers by a margin of roughly 3-2.
“Tonight was a great game,” NRHEG head coach Onika Peterson said. “We had an awesome home court advantage with such a fun student section. Medford is a good team with a couple of heavy hitters.”
As for the performance of her players, Peterson said she was happy with the overall communication and defense. “We’re still looking to work the ball on offense and have a little more patience.”
In her final home game of her career, Senior Sophie Stork led the Panthers in scoring with 19 points, followed by Faith Nielsen and Erin Jacobson each with 14.
Also scoring for the Panthers were: Preslie Nielsen, 9; Sidney Schultz 8, Hallie Schultz 2, and Quinn VanMaldeghem 1.
The Panthers play Waterville Thursday night at Mankato East Highschool at approximately 7:45 p.m.
Lady Panthers defeat WEM 52-51 in the second round, earning trip to MSU Mankato Monday night
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CELEBRATION - The NRHEG Girls Basketball team celebrates after defeating WEM 52-51 during the second round of the 2022 Sub-Section 2 playoffs.
DOMINANT - The Panthers Sidney Schultz scores a basket against WEM Thursday night, March 3 at Mankato East high school. She finished as the second leading scorer with 21 points.
LAST GAME? - Senior Sophie Stork played like it might be her last game, leading the Panthers in scoring with 23 points in the one point victory over WEM.
By ELI LUTGENS
Publisher/Editor
For the first time in a long time, the NRHEG Girls Basketball team is returning to play at MSU Mankato Monday night at 7:45 p.m. against Lake Crystal Wellcome Memorial after an incredible 52-51 victory over Waterville-Elysian-Morristown, Thursday night at Mankato East high school.
It’s always tough when the girls play WEM. Thursday night's game was no different.
With five seconds to go, down by two points, the Buccaneers appeared to have a wide open layup attempt when Senior Sophie Stork came from behind to stop the attempt, fouling out in the process.
After sinking the first free throw, the Buccaneers, as they did all night, recovered the offensive rebound and forcing a jump ball, with the possession arrow allowing them to retain possession.
With four seconds left, and the entire crowd on its feet, Faith Nielsen made the game clinching “tip”, sending the ball down the court as the final seconds ticked off the clock.
How did the Panthers get here?
It’s hard to beat anybody twice. The Buccaneers defeated the shorthanded Panthers the first time they played, but lost handily to them in a division clinching game a week ago Friday.
At no point in the first half did it appear like any team was going to run away with it.
The Panthers led by as much as seven points, but were answered by nine Buccaneer points midway through the first half, making the score 18-16 in favor of WEM.
Playing as if it might be her last game, Stork ended the Buccaneer run, driving the length of court to tie the game.
The Bucs scored five points on their next three possessions which included six offensive rebounds.
Stork answered again, cutting the lead to three after another tough drive to the basket.
A three pointer from Preslie Nielsen with 55 seconds left sent the game to halftime tied 23-23.
Echoes from the 22nd Annual Ag Summit
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By AL BATT
Contributing writer
How do you get a farmer to a meeting?
The same way you get nonfarmers to a meeting. Attendees seek wisdom, useful information, good company, food and door prizes.
The 22nd Annual Ag Summit, presented by Americana Insurance Group and Commerce Bank, held at Wedgewood Cove in Albert Lea (because all roads don’t lead to Rome) on February 1, provided all those necessary things. Sponsors were AgriSompo North America, Nationwide and Farmers Mutual Insurance Company (in suburban Manchester).
Farming isn’t rocket science. It’s more complicated than that. Every enthusiastic speaker deserved my attention and got it.
Tom Sorenson, Agency Director of Americana Insurance Group, gave a compilation of 2021 statistics, trends and averages for Americana Insurance Group because without numbers, things don’t add up.
The presenters were kind enough to draft their thoughts and takeaways to make my job easier.