History-making music group for UMM - morris mn

History-making music group for UMM - morris mn
The UMM men's chorus opened the Minnesota Day program at the 1962 Seattle World's Fair (Century 21 Exposition).

Saturday, February 21, 2015

MACA girls defeat Montevideo, 'Waska & Paynesville

Tigers 53, Montevideo 36
The Morris Area gym was the place to be Friday night (2/20) as the MACA girls hosted Montevideo. Fans were treated to West Central Conference basketball. The game was close at halftime but not so close at the end. That was good news for the Tiger backers who exuded enthusiasm at the home gym.
MACA defeated the Thunder Hawks 53-36. Halftime had MACA inching away with a 24-21 lead. Coach Dale Henrich had his squad punch the accelerator down in the second half. Our advantage was by 29-15. The success upped our won-lost mark to 14-10 and to 10-3 in the conference.
Three-pointers were a prominent part of the Friday success. The Tigers were quite on the mark from beyond the arc. Becca Holland sank three 3-pointers. Correy Hickman had two long-range makes. Piper Gibson and Lauren Reimers each sank a shot from beyond the arc. 
Lacee Maanum topped the rebound list with nine. Tracy Meichsner snared six rebounds. Hickman and Meichsner each had four assists. Reimers had four steals followed by Hickman with three.
The MACA field goal shooting numbers were 20 of 54. In freethrows the stats were six of 15. Holland's long-range shooting helped put her on top of the scoring list, with 14 points. Reimers scored nine points, Maanum had seven and Hickman six. Moira McNally and Kayla Pring each put in four points. Gibson added three points to the mix, and these Tigers each scored two: Courtney Storck, Meichsner and Ashley Solvie.
Montevideo is having a sub-.500 season. They made just 12 of 48 field goal tries. Alexis Schmitz topped their scoring list with the modest total of ten. The list continues with Abby Olson (9), Morgan Reidinger (6), Erin Balken (4), Natalie Feldhake (3), Nikki Erickson (2) and Ashley McKee (2). Olson and Reidinger each made a three-pointer. Feldhake was the top Thunder Hawk rebounder with seven. Schmitz had four steals.
 
Tigers 63, Minnewaska Area 53
The Tigers pulled away from a stalemated halftime score to defeat Minnewaska Area on Tuesday, Feb. 17. That halftime stalemate was with 27-27 numbers. Coach Dale Henrich coaxed his determined Tigers to a 36-26 advantage in the second half. So, the final horn sounded at the Minnewaska gym with the score 63-53, MACA on top with its 13th win of the season.
It was an encouraging win when you consider Minnewaska's credentials. Even with the loss they sported a quite fine 14-9 record.
The Tigers had 68 field goal attempts compared to 43 by the Lakers. We made 22. In freethrows we were sharp with 16 of 23 numbers. The win was the Tigers' ninth straight in conference action.
Becca Holland made two 3-point shots. Lauren Reimers made one from long range. Reimers was the top MACA scorer with 13 points. Holland posted eleven points and Correy Hickman ten. Tracy Meichsner and Lacee Maanum each scored nine points. Kayla Pring contributed six points and Moira McNally five.
Reimers and Hickman each had three assists. Holland and Meichsner each had six steals.
Carley Stewart was 'Waska's stop scorer with 17 points. Bayley Pooler made three 3-pointers and finished with 15 points. She also had three assists and three steals. Ashlyn Guggisberg had nine points and Taylor Amundson eight. Makenzia Zemke and Emma Middendorf each had two points. Guggisberg, Stewart and Middendorf each had five rebounds.
 
Tigers 61, Paynesville 23
It was no contest as the Morris Area Chokio Alberta girls took charge against Paynesville. Eleven total Tigers scored points as MACA won 61-23. Our advantage was by 33-12 in the first half, 28-11 in the second.
The orange and black was a perfect eleven-for-eleven in freethrows. In field goals we made 23 of 54 attempts. Lacee Maanum and Tracy Meichsner each had five rebounds. Becca Holland sank a couple shots from three-point range.
Holland had the team-best 16 points on the night. Maanum scored seven points followed by three Tigers each with six: Lauren Reimers, Correy Hickman and Meichsner. These four Tigers each added four points to the winning mix: Piper Gibson, Moira McNally, Kayla Pring and Nicole Solvie. Liz Tiernan and Ashley Solvie each scored two points.
Paynesville made just nine field goals. Rebecca Jimenez made a three-pointer for the green. Kayla Schaefer put in ten points for the green. Katelyn Spanier finished with seven. Jimenez had those three points while Rian Lee had two and Taylor Burg one. Lee and Spanier each had seven rebounds.
The post-season must be getting close! Viva Morris Area Chokio Alberta boys and girls basketball, 2015!
- Brian Williams - morris mn Minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

"The Gods Must Be Crazy" a cinematic gem from 1980

They don't make movies like "The Gods Must be Crazy" anymore. It is such a gentle and understated movie. Yet it can make you laugh out loud.
You can't imagine a roomful of Hollywood entertainment people crafting this movie to get maximum opening weekend box office. As a viewer you do not feel manipulated. You imagine a group of people, what we used to call hippie types, trying to make a statement about our modern world. This is done through juxtaposing so-called modernity with the primitive life. The narrator at movie's start describes both. He does so with no assumption that we actually prefer the more advanced lifestyle.
Perhaps I should say "so-called" more advanced. The bustling city is seen as a curious place, worthy of detached analysis just like a primitive tribe. The audience becomes sociologists or anthropologists.
"The Gods Must Be Crazy" was made in 1980. That was a turning point time in America as we tilted conservative with Ronald Reagan. Only haltingly did we step aside from the New Deal model that had seemed so unassailable. Hollywood produced some strange stuff during those last throes of unfettered liberalism. Many of our movies were an absolute drag. We got such swill as "Looking for Mr. Goodbar" and "The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With the Sea." Anti-intellectualism triumphed with the "Smokey and the Bandit" movies. Jerry Reed was the free-spirited trucker, like a cowboy transplanted from the Old West. Today a truck driver is merely an employee of a behemoth company. There is no cultural symbolism.
 
Cinema from South Africa
"The Gods Must Be Crazy" was conceived and filmed a long way from the USA. Jamie Uys directed this South African comedy film.
The narrator introduces us to "Xi," a Sho of the Kalahari Desert. The role is played by a genuine Namibian San farmer. He belongs to a tribe of bush people who have no knowledge of the world beyond. These people are fully content. They feel the gods have provided for all their needs.
Outside culture finally intrudes. An airplane pilot nonchalantly tosses out an empty soft drink bottle. The bush people are intrigued by this alien object. They find it useful for some tasks. But it is a scarce commodity. Thus it brings jealousy and conflict. Xi decides the object is evil. He carries it off toward the "edge of the earth," there to dispose of it. At movie's end we see that place, a ledge overlooking low-hanging clouds.
The movie becomes a little like Homer's "the Odyssey." What curious phenomena and people this innocent man comes across. It's a meeting of the primitive and modern. Are the modern people really so much more insightful?
We meet biologist Andrew Steyn. Steyn gives us the slapstick comedy which is a distinguishing feature of this movie. It's interesting that unadulterated slapstick would stand out so much in a movie that developed an "art house" reputation. Much of the humor comes from Steyn's inhibitions around women. The character admits that "nubile" or attractive women have a disabling effect on him. Many men can probably relate to this. Has this handicap ever been presented better than in "The Gods Must be Crazy?"
 
"That's me" on the screen
I must confess I have had the problem myself. I may have it as bad as anyone. Women who I find attractive might just as well be some curious or exotic creatures from a foreboding place. What happens? It's a Kryptonite-like effect. We trip over our own shoelaces. Our memory is erased. We fail to construct a simple sentence.
Our rational side might well ask, "What are you scared of?" The problem is, we fail to be rational. Something hormonal must take over. The problem trumps all our efforts to stabilize ourselves. It becomes the perfect platform for slapstick comedy in "The Gods Must Be Crazy."
We meet Kate Thomson, a "refugee" from the harried big city life who has decided to become a schoolteacher in a remote place. Kate has those "nubile" qualities. Andrew does the oddest things around her.
The movie introduces us to Sam Boga and his band of insurgent guerrillas. This band is being pursued by government troops after an unsuccessful attack. They have missteps that are funny in a slapstick way.
Steyn has an assistant, M'pudi, who keeps an eye on a motor vehicle, a Land Rover, the peculiarities of which make it a full-fledged movie character. Another character is the gallant safari tour guide, Jack Hind. These diverse characters all come together as the plot progresses.
Xi doesn't understand private property. He shoots a goat with a tranquilizer arrow. He is jailed. M'pudi is familiar with Xi's culture and knows the man will die if incarcerated. M'pudi and Steyn make an arrangement to get Xi freed so Xi can be a "tracker" for them.
The bumbling guerrilla band is out and about, and they invade Kate's school. They seize the pupils and teacher as human shields. Steyn, M'pudi and Xi realize the guerrillas will intercept their fieldwork. Xi with his blowgun arrows helps neutralize the guerrilla/terrorists.
Jack Hind comes along and is able to look as though he's the hero. It's bad enough that Steyn has his unfortunate "tic" around women - now he's upstaged. He's made to look rather forlorn with his malfunctioning Land Rover. Is there any hope for him?
Xi's troubles with the law are finally past, so Steyn sends him along so he can keep his appointed mission. Kate is charitable in her view toward Andrew, appearing to overlook his "problem." It's as if she has a latent affection for the man who spends much time studying manure. Kate's voice had to be dubbed in for this movie. The real actress had much too thick a South African accent.
Andrew finally confides in Kate about his problem or tic with women. She's unfazed. Or rather she seems amused and even attracted to the man. Slapstick unfolds as part of this scene, as Andrew is absolutely hopeless around Kate. He knocks things over etc.
I have never broken down to confide in a woman about my own problem in this regard. I really just keep my distance from women. They might as well be zoo animals. I'd embarrass myself if trying to cross that line. I could even damage something. I'd have to meet someone like Kate who is intrigued by my problem. I'm not sure I ever will.
"The Gods Must be Crazy" had an "art-house run" in the 1980s. I remember seeing it at a suburban Twin Cities theater that I recall had historical significance for its architecture.
The movie offers a sort of tongue-in-check sociological critique. It's in the form of a parable of sorts. Or maybe an allegory? Politics, religion and mores come into play. We're not asked to take sides except against the guerrillas.
 
Big city life gets maddening
The movie presents big city life as it exists in Johannesburg. Kate Thomson wearies of the hectic, pressure-filled pace. Sandra Prinsloo is the actress - very effective. To heck with white collar life, she says. She goes to Botswana to teach. It's amazing how all the various threads in the movie come together. The movie's creators make it all look natural and seamless. In lesser hands it might be a mess.
The movie has some detractors who see it as racist. Balderdash.
The bushmen from their placid surroundings are exposed to violence and unhappiness when "civilization" appears. The movie has a premise of seeing our "advanced" life in a curious sort of way - the same way we observe the bushmen's world. Again, we're made into sociologists/anthropologists. But the movie is anything but a dry textbook or documentary. It is highly entertaining and without the manipulation by Hollywood types in some conference room. It's unpretentious.
The movie encourages us to see where we stand as a civilization. We must re-assess all that. Must we fight over possessions? Certainly the unpretentious "Xi" exudes the most charm and he emerges as the hero. There is violence in the movie but it's subdued by a rather cartoonish quality. We can detach from it.
"The Gods Must Be Crazy" shows us the differences between people. Is the white man really the most civilized or advanced?
This movie is a total breath of fresh air from today's perspective. The points seem to be made in an understated way, but what's so terrible about making the audience think a little? Maybe in today's America, people don't have the attention span to assimilate the points being made in this flick. No Dolby explosions. Nothing of a gratuitous nature. It's a tapestry of simple, gentle thoughts about our world.
 
Story has plot threads
The manner in which the sub-plots merge is a defining quality. Such diverse characters. Such diverse perspectives. And through it all there's slapstick of the most genuine kind. The movie would be much lesser without the slapstick. Marius Weyers as Andrew Steyn has the slapstick talent.
Indeed, I see myself in Andrew. I have never had a date with a woman. Mostly they seem uninterested in me, unless that's my imagination. At any rate, I'm all thumbs around women who I might see as desirable. I panic. Why? The movie makes us puzzle over this malady that is perplexing and, let's face it, rather funny.
Why does "advancement" (with our culture) leave us with so much conflict? It's a question for intellectuals to ponder, I guess. Today's society has little taste for such stuff. Hollywood seems to feel we need to be hit over the head with plot premises. We lack the discipline to really take the time to think and analyze. It seems almost culturally taboo to do so. Don't bother considering climate change science, just vote Republican and close your eyes, I guess. Balderdash.
- Brian Williams - morris mn Minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Topics out and about as winter becomes a drag

The entry to UMM on sun-shiney day (B.W. photo)
The following items originally appeared as "addendums" with posts that were primarily about MACA sports. You might not have noticed these if you're not a sports buff. I collect them here as a potpourri. Thanks for visiting my sites and God bless! - B.W.
 
"Self-checkout" finally comes to Willie's (posted on 2/10)
We have read about this for some time. "Human" checkout resources at stores might be judged impractical from a cost standpoint. The interests of human beings don't really matter, do they? Don't we all worship at the altar of maximum profit?
Finally, we are seeing a "self-checkout" station being installed at our local grocery store. It isn't enough that that store has a monopoly. The head-scratching never stops for trying to plan greater cost-efficiency.
Human employees can be problematic. They need bathroom breaks. They can get sick. They have to be trained in. They can quit on you. All this Orwellian mechanized stuff puts those messy little issues aside.
Checkout jobs at stores have been a last bastion for "common job" opportunities for Americans. Nothing is sacred anymore. Will all these checkout people be able to land on their feet, finding some other kind of job? I have concern about that.
I'm sure the self-checkout will have lots of issues and glitches. What about groceries that need to be weighed? I don't even want to think about it. Let's all pause and catch our breath a little.
 
Eating while driving: an offense? (posted on 1/31)
Did you catch that news item recently where the guy got a citation from police for eating a cheeseburger while driving? I guess this is perceived as a form of distracted driving. I suppose it's possible to get overly involved with a snack while driving. 
I wonder if this case is really egregious. Would the ticket have been issued if the motorist were a woman? Or a senior citizen? Males in theirs 20s through 40s - oh heck, into their 50s - seem the most prime target. Such was the status of the driver I'm reporting on.
We're all concerned about distracted driving. Certainly there are serious forms. A big problem here is how broad the term "distracted driving" can be. It's highly subjective. Capricious?
I tend to get my gas at Casey's. Often I'll get a slice of pizza before driving off. And, I'll take some bites as I drive slowly over the 4-5 blocks on my way to the next destination. Often I'll stop at Willie's because that's on the way home. I'll take the last few bites of the pizza slice in the Willie's parking lot. It appears that I will now have to keep an eye out for the police as I'm en route. I wonder if driving with one hand will come to be viewed as an offense. 
There have been rumors going back a couple years about how pets will have to be put in carriers, or else. The rumors have suggested very large fines. Unless we the public rise up to stop such trends - trends of overzealous law enforcement - we're going to develop a complex as we set out to drive. Aggressive law enforcement spells money that supports the agencies who give out these tickets, often in an onerous way. I mean, many of these citations in a previous age would have been seen as nit-picking.
Oh, but we must maximize safety, right? Really? Is that your standard? Well, then we'll have to make requirements more rigid for renewing our driver's license. Make the eye exam more demanding. Do you know how much anxiety this would cause for older drivers?
The simple fact is, there are many drivers out there who for a variety of reasons aren't 100 percent attentive or competent for driving a car. We get old. We can be short on sleep. We can be taking medications. We may have consumed a beer or two with a pizza meal, which means that if police pull you over for some reason, like a burned out headlight, you'll have a heart attack, or maybe you'll be tempted to flee like that assistant Stevens County attorney. That individual is now deceased.
The best example of overzealous law enforcement is the seat belt thing.
Many of us might have to start considering a car-free lifestyle. More senior citizens might have to be forced to consider this. The ideal will be "safety" - that mantra that gives cover for law enforcement to give out tickets as if it's a scourge from God.
Just watch what happens if more seniors are forced off the road. Their children will rise up and scream about how older adults need to be allowed to continue with reasonable independence. But wait, what about "safety?" It's really a bunch of hooey. Eating while driving? Be careful. Pet in the car? Be careful. Most of all, be very careful every time you see a police car (or a school bus). The cops will be looking to get you for some minor reason.
Cash registers ring for law enforcement.
 
Never in Morris? (posted on 1/26)
When I was a kid, we assumed that certain types of scandals just couldn't happen here, not in Morris. These things happened in mysterious, impersonal, big far-away cities. Like Boston.
We learn of a doctor in Morris that is being reprimanded in a pretty serious way. It's on the "front page." Will this damage the credibility of SCMC? I hope not.
Years ago we began hearing about all those misbehaving Catholic priests and we figured "things like that just don't happen in Morris, Minnesota." But then we did get a misbehaving priest. Then we got a high school principal who was charged with first degree criminal sexual conduct. Now we have a local doctor getting a high-profile disciplinary action.
A doctor! That's scary.
I guess Morris has joined the wider world. At least we don't have a local football team that manipulates air pressure of footballs. Or maybe. . .
 
Glass half-empty, I guess (posted on 1/21)
I recently overheard a well-known fan of MACA boys basketball say of this year's team: "They only have three basketball players."
I won't type this individual's name. His point was that there are only three Tigers with appreciable talent, enough to be considered a real "basketball player."
My reaction? Well, let me assert this, as someone who once worked with a coach who said the only requirement of his players was to have "two arms and two legs": no top-notch coach would ever look at his roster and say "we only have three basketball players."
One can argue that MACA basketball hasn't made any special mark for quite some time. Maybe we're due. Or overdue.
 
"Deflate-gate" discussion continues (posted on 1/26)
Of course, no matter what kind of talk is generated about NFL issues, it will only help boost the NFL's profile and bring more money into those coffers.
If the NFL continues exploding in popularity, its leaders won't care a bit about problems like "Deflate-gate." They will only care if such a problem chips away at the sport's popularity. If the problem is just swept under the rug, we can assume that NFL football can take on some of the qualities of pro wrestling, and its leaders won't care. Pro wrestling has always been very popular. Bill Belichick would simply be a "villain," and Tom Brady would be his stooge partner.
Joe Scarborough of MSNBC has already proclaimed that the only reason deflate-gate is a big issue, is that people "hate the Patriots," like it's only an emotional matter. Well, there are bad guy wrestlers who people hate. The NFL may become known as a league that tolerates shenanigans. The penalty was never strong enough for "spygate" involving those Patriots.
Do all you fans really want to keep supporting this product?
Whenever the Patriots get "caught," their initial response is to say "even if we're guilty, it didn't give us any advantage." Do they think we're children?
I am going to skip the Super Bowl and I won't even be tempted to check in. We are such lemmings to keep supporting this gargantuan product, this obscene slice of America glorifying all our commercial and capitalistic tendencies. There's no restraint at all. I am going to walk away from it. Please consider joining me.
 
"Deflate-gate" gets more depressing (posted on 1/23)
We saw press conferences with the coach and quarterback of the New England Patriots yesterday (Thursday). I had a sneaking suspicion, going in, we weren't going to gain any real resolution on the controversy at hand. The press conferences were predictably maddening.
The individuals under scrutiny talked around the whole matter. They pleaded innocence without giving any real hints as to where the blame was to be placed. Something happened and we simply want to know how and why. It has been a prime story in the national news, going beyond the usual boundaries of sports.
I'm cynical enough to think the money-drenched NFL will just play rope-a-dope on this whole matter. That's exactly what we saw Thursday: textbook rope-a-dope.
The NFL is hoping the media will become complacent, that the media will just roll over and trivialize the whole matter, largely laughing it off. Some in the media have been inclined that way. We saw Joe Scarborough on MSNBC trivialize the whole thing this morning (Friday). Joe said the whole matter revolved around "everyone hating the Patriots."
Wrong. I'm skeptical about the Patriots largely because of "Spygate." But I'm not emotional about it. I don't "hate" the Patriots. The NFL is nudging the media and trying to remind the media that they are part of this whole golden goose called NFL football. Everyone takes a bite. The NFL is winking to the media and hoping the media will wink back.
The media are interviewing lots of former players and others connected with the NFL. That's like interviewing the president of the teachers union about education issues. The teachers union doesn't represent education issues, it represents its members to try to get the best contract possible.
There is a whole circus around the NFL. The truth-seekers have to penetrate that. Will the truth-seekers be persistent enough?
"The Patriots would have won anyway." I'm not even sure about that. What if some key passes, thrown with a fully inflated football, had bounced off the hands of Patriot receivers in the first half? A game's basic complexion is established in the first half. Maybe you need some experience in sports gambling to appreciate this. Oddsmakers will tell you how pivotal the early stages of games are. Playing from behind is much different from playing even.
I'm determined not to watch one minute of the Super Bowl or its commercials. I'll plan other activities if I have to.
 
Change afoot at Morris newspaper (posted on 1/17)
I got a heads-up the other day that Nancy Olson, formerly Nancy Woodke, is leaving the Morris newspaper. I learned that her final day was yesterday (Friday, Jan. 16). I always had the impression that her lifelong calling was going to be community newspapers. Has she landed a job with another newspaper? I don't know.
Nancy came on board with the Morris newspaper back in 2006 as the hero wearing the cape who was going to replace me. I seriously doubt that most people consider the newspaper product better than when I was there.
Nancy had the curious habit of walking laps around the football field in the second half of some home games. I am hoping that this practice is over now, and that I can just inconspicuously take photos from the visitors sideline at future home games. I skipped the 2014 season. I feel I have a lot to offer, both with my writing and photography. I can post photos as Flickr albums, which I did over a period of four years. It costs nothing - zero - for fans to come to my sites and digest this coverage. It's a delight for me to still be involved in my own small way with MACA athletics.
 
"Deflate-gate" a serious matter (posted on 1/21)
We learn this morning (Wednesday) that eleven of the 12 balls used by the Patriots vs. the Colts were under-inflated.
Some are disposed to laugh-off this episode. They'll say "the Patriots would have won anyway." Well, besides being beside the point, this assertion may simply not be true. Why do you think sports handicapping is so difficult in Las Vegas? It's because a handful of breaks or special advantages can truly create the decisive momentum for a team. Andrew Luck is not chopped liver.
I'm not holding my breath, but the NFL ought to mete out serious punishment for this. Maybe coach Bill Belichick should be suspended immediately, which means he'd miss the Super Bowl. So what? The assistants could take over the team, like we saw with the U of M Gophers when Jerry Kill had to leave the sidelines for a time.
We still remember "Spygate." The punishment should have been harsher for that. Advertisers for NFL football telecasts do not like blow-out games where presumably a large portion of the audience tunes out. Money will talk, or it ought to. Does the NFL stand for anything else?
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Friday, February 6, 2015

Boys come from behind to beat West Central Area

I'm Still Relevant dept: I encountered a friend at the Willie's deli this morning who said his wife brought up the subject of the Brian Williams controversy at NBC News. My friend's initial reaction was to wonder if his wife was talking about me.
 
MACA boys 49, WCA 46
Fans at the home gym got to see a come-from-behind flourish on Saturday, Jan. 31. Things looked bleak at various times. West Central Area carved out a lead in double digits during the first half. The score at halftime was 28-23, MACA trailing.
The Tigers surged in the second half, putting up 26 points compared to 18 by the visitor. Suspense reigned in the closing stages. A nifty jump shot by Jacob Zosel tied the score with 1:20 left to play. The clock showed less than 30 seconds when Eric Staebler sent the ball through the twine from the freethrow line. This point put the Tigers up. The orange and black won this Saturday showcase 49-46. We arrived at the ten-win plateau.
WCA is a smoothly humming unit that entered the day with 13 wins.
Freethrows were scant for the Tigers - we made four of nine. The field goal shooting numbers were 20 of 44. Staebler made two 3-pointers. So did Noah Grove. Zosel had one long-range success. Staebler went up to snare eleven rebounds. Zosel led in assists with six and in steals with five.
Staebler topped the scoring list with his 18 points. Zosel put in eleven, then we have Grove with eight, Riley Biesterfeld with six, Sean Amundson with four and Andrew Goulet with two.
Hunter Pfingsten and Devin Nelson each made two 3's for West Central Area. Nathan Wrolson made one '3'. Jay Zimmerman was WCA's top scorer with 17 points. Nelson scored ten points and Pfingsten nine. Also on the scoring list were Ben Anderson (4), Wrolson (3), Brady Sabolik (2) and Jordan Beuckens (1). Zimmerman had the team-best ten rebounds. Nelson dished out three assists.
Nothing brightens a mid-winter Saturday more than a hoops win, to be sure.
 
Tigers 58, Brooten-Belgrade-Elrosa 45
MACA achieved its win No. 11 on Tuesday, Feb. 3. The score was 58-45 as the Tigers improved to 11-8. The opponent was Brooten-Belgrade-Elrosa, at BBE. The Jaguars of BBE are paying some dues this season.
Eric Staebler was a monster force on the court, putting in 34 points. Morris Area Chokio Alberta had the horses to achieve a 30-19 lead at halftime. The Tigers went on cruise control for the second half, outscoring BBE 28-26. Our field goal shooting numbers were 22 of 57. The freethrow stats were nine of 14.
Noah Grove scored 14 points to complement Staebler's hefty stat. No other point totals were reported in the Willmar newspaper. The paper also did not report MACA data in three-point shots, rebounds, assists and steals.
Tanner Heinsius made two 3-pointers for the Jaguars. Jacob Tensen made one long-ranger. Neinsius was BBE's top scorer with 17 points. The list continues with Tensen (9), Austin Trustheim (6), Dalon Bitzan (4), Ryan Illies (4), Ryan Olmscheid (2) and Brendon Loch (2). Illies was BBE's top rebounder with eleven. Trustheim and Bitzan each had two steals.
The Tigers prevailed in this game of "cats!"
 
Girls basketball: Litchfield 75, Tigers 71
Lauren Reimers made five 3's but it wasn't enough. The Tigers shot with 55 percent success but it wasn't enough. The Dragons of Litchfield prevailed in this non-conference contest, 75-71.
We made 29 of 53 field goal attempts. We made all four of our freethrows. We outscored the Dragons 46-33 in the second half. But the hot-shooting Litch squad had asserted itself quite fine in first half play. Litch's first half advantage was by 42 to 25.
Macy Huhner poured in 28 points for the winning Dragons. Kyndra Beavers put in 16 points followed by Hannah Norlin and Mariah Hoff each with 14. Breanna Sittig and Hallie Euerle each scored two. Huhner was a terror from three-point range. She ascended to her team-best point total with seven 3's. Wow - quite the exhibition. Beavers and Hoff each made a pair of 3's. Huhner collected six rebounds and Euerle had five.
Both teams made an impression with 3-point shooting. Litch made eleven of 20 3-point attempts on their home court. The Tigers were in the groove too, sinking nine of 15 from beyond that arc. Reimers put on her own exhibition with those five 3's. Becca Holland made two 3's, and Correy Hickman and Tracy Meichsner each made one.
Reimers scored the team-best 24 points. Hickman found the range for 15 points and Holland put in 14. Tracy Meichsner's total was eight. Kayla Pring and Liz Tiernan each scored four points. Lacee Maanum added two points to the mix. Hickman led in rebounds with four.
Litch's 17-point halftime lead was just too much. Litch's 60 percent stat in shooting was another insurmountable factor.
Morris Area Chokio Alberta came out of this contest with a 9-8 record. Bring on the home stretch of the regular season!
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com