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October 30, 2008
Parents meeting scheduled
There will be a meeting for players and their parents with the coaching staff
on Tuesday, November 11 at 6:30 pm in the high school cafeteria.
Freshman tryouts scheduled
Tryouts for the 9th grade boys basketball team will be held on November 17th and November 18th from 5:00 pm to 6:30 pm at
the Blaine High School Fieldhouse. Players will be evaluated after the second practice by the entire Bengal High School
Coaching Staff. The players will be notified on Wednesday morning outside of the Blaine High School Activities Office.
Each player will be issued a jersey number. This number will be used as the source of identification to indicate if
they made either of the 9th grade teams. Please make sure all forms from the Activities Office are turned in before
the first day of tryouts. Players who do not have their paperwork completed or fees paid will be unable to tryout until
these actions are taken care of. Players who do not make a particular team will receive their fee money back from
the Activities Office. Please remember that all coaches' decisions are final in regards to the tryout process.
Sophomore, JV and Varsity tryouts scheduled
Sophomore, JV, and Varsity tryouts will be held
on November 24th and November 25th. These are "two-a-day" tryouts which will go from 5:45 am to 7:15 am then
after school from 2:40 pm to 5:00 pm. Teams will be selected after the second pm Tuesday practice in which all players
will be informed of their status from their respective coach. Please make sure all forms from the Activities Office
are turned in before the day of the tryouts. Players who do not have their forms and fees turned in will be unable to
take part in any of the tryouts until this is done. Players who do not make a particular team will receive their fee money
back from the Activities Office. Please remember that all coaches' decisions are final in regards to the tryout
process.
| Dylan Rodriquez |
|
August 30, 2008
Football
season is just starting, but it is never too early to start thinking about basketball. Blaine has an exciting season
ahead with several challenging non-conference games. The season starts out with a rematch against Cambridge-Isanti at
Blaine on December 9. The Blue Jackets eliminated the Bengals from the section tournament last season and went on to
the state tournament, so expect Blaine to come out ready to play.
Other intriguing matchups include trips to Shakopee,
Minnetonka, and Forest Lake. Robbinsdale-Armstrong visits Blaine in January. The Bengals then have their
full Northwest Suburban Conference schedule to play with the goal of unseating defending league champion Osseo.
The
Bengals have several experienced players returning this season. Dylan Rodriguez and Billy Giddings
were both named All Conference for the 2007-2008 season. They return for their senior seasons after each averaged 19.2
points per game to tie for the team lead.
| Billy Giddings |
|
Rodriguez used his first season at Blaine High School
to provide a post presence that the Bengals had not had in a number of years. In addition to his scoring prowess, Rodriguez
led the Bengals in rebounding with 8.5 per game. While the Bengals prefer to keep Rodriguez near the basket to help
clean the boards, the 6'7 big man has a perimeter game as well that will help keep defenders honest when guarding him.
In addition, Rodriquez shot 75% from the foul line.
Giddings and Rodriquez complement each other well. The
6'4 Giddings led the Bengals with 42 three-point shots made and provided an outside game that helped open up defenses
to give Rodriquez room to move. For the season, Giddings made good on 52% of his shots from the field and was third
on the team with 6.5 rebounds per game. It is quite a treat for Bengal fans to watch Giddings get the ball in the open
court on the fast break.
| Jeff Harstad |
|
While most of the preseason discussion will revolve around Rodriguez and Giddings, the Bengals
return three other seniors with significant varsity experience. Jeff Harstad and David Leafblad
both provide versatility in their abilities to play both guard and forward. Mike Lust has started for
the Bengals since his sophomore season as a forward/center.
Both Harstad and Leafblad have been starters during
their careers as well as providing key minutes as reserves. Harstad showed a knack for coming up with big rebounds last
year when the game was on the line. He has logged significant minutes at point guard while also using his 6'4 frame
to provide length and good defense on the perimeter. Leafblad also uses athleticism to his benefit defensively.
| Mike Lust |
|
If you look at Mike Lust's career numbers, they
may seem underwhelming. But Bengal fans and coaches know that numbers do not tell the whole story. Lust has been
counted on to play tight defense on the best post players in the conference for the past two years and has done a good
job of it. While averaging 4.4 points per game last season, Lust was fourth on the team in rebounding with
nearly 5 per game. An example of Lust's importance to Blaine was evident during the final game of the season.
Losing the 6'5 Lust to injury during warm-ups of the Cambridge-Isanti sectional game was a definite blow
to the Bengals' chances of winning that game.
Other seniors who hope to leave their mark on the court
this season after playing primarily on the junior varsity last season are Ryan Holmgren, Steve Schumacher,
Jared Good, and Sean Lejonvarn.
| Dan Robel |
|
While this team will be senior-laden, the future of
Blaine basketball is very bright. Part of this shine comes from Dan Robel. You won't find
many starting freshmen point guards at this level of high school basketball, but Robel earned a starting position midway through
last season and helped stabilize the backcourt while gaining invaluable experience in the process. He comes into his
sophomore season as an experienced player who looks to build off of a very promising freshman season.
Jesse
Briggity started getting into the rotation near the end of the season last year and showed his offensive potential.
The junior will add speed and athleticism on the perimeter and in the backcourt for the Bengals. Other players who hope
to contribute to the Bengals this year after playing on the junior varsity team last year are junior guard Sam Chase
and sophomore post Zach Romashko.
May 3, 2008
The Blaine Boys Basketball team will host their annual spring tournament during the weekend of May 10th and May 11th.
Players are expected to sign up for a variety of duties from score clocks to concession stands.
The sign-up sheet with time slots can be found in the social studies resource center at Blaine High School. Players
need to sign up early next week. The time slots will be distributed on a first come, first serve basis. Parents
are encouraged to assist in the work effort through handling concession/ticket sale duties. Thank you for allowing our
basketball program to grow by partaking in this important fundraising effort.
March 31, 2008
Summer Basketball Camp and Developmental Clinic information is posted on the Camps/Clinics page.
Dates, times and registration forms are all included there.
March 26, 2008
The basketball banquet will be held on April 6th at 5:00 pm at Majestic Oaks Country Club.
Billy Giddings and Dylan Rodriguez were named first team All-Conference for the Northwest
Suburban Conference. Both players averaged over 19 points per game for the Bengals and helped Blaine improve the team's
win total by 4 games over last year.
March 16, 2008
Section semifinals: Cambridge-Isanti highlights
The season ended much too early for the Blaine Bengals as they fell in their rematch with Cambridge-Isanti on Friday
by a score of 72-60. The Bengals found themselves in a hole early in the first half, but got their feet under them to
take a 7 point lead midway through the opening stanza. But early foul trouble for high-scoring forward Dylan
Rodriguez meant that Blaine's offense would go cold. At one point late in the first half, Cambridge went on an 11-0
run and the Bengals found themselves trailing at the break, 35-26.
The second half saw the Bengals attempting to claw back into the game. The Bengals would cut the Bluejackets'
lead to six, but could get no closer. Blaine had to foul at the end, and Cambridge made enough free throws to keep the
Bengals at bay and pulled out the 12 point victory.
Despite struggling with foul trouble all evening, Rodriguez led the Bengals with 23 points. Billy Giddings followed
with 19. Kyle Kreklow added 6 points.
This marked the final game for seniors Brandon Hoffmann, Tim Bauer and Erik Vinh. Their efforts were greatly appreciated!
March 11, 2008
Section report:
Blaine defeated St. Francis at home Tuesday night 63-53 in the opening round of the Section 7 AAAA playoffs.
The Bengals will get a rematch against Cambridge-Isanti on Friday night at Elk River in a game that is scheduled to start
at 8:00 pm. Cambridge overcame a 20 point second half deficit to beat Anoka 81-80 in overtime to advance on to the second
round.
In the other bracket, Forest Lake advanced by beating Duluth East 69-44. The Rangers will play Coon Rapids who
were 67-57 winners over Andover. The Forest Lake-Coon Rapids game preceeds Blaine's game and will start at 6:00 pm in
Elk River on Friday.
St. Francis highlights
The Bengals started section play off with a big 63-53 win against the visiting St. Francis Saints on Tuesday night.
During Blaine's winning streak at the end of the season, the Bengals developed a pattern of getting out to a quick 10-15 point
lead, letting the game tighten up and then pulling out the victory. That pattern would not be followed on
Tuesday as St. Francis played with confidence on offense and defense and opened up a 9 point first half lead on the Bengals.
The Bengals adapted to the physical nature of the game, regrouped and went into the half leading 25-24.
While it seemed that Blaine controlled the tempo in the second half, they were unable to put the well-coached Saints
away until the final minute. Outstanding free throw shooting proved to be the difference as Dylan Rodriguez went 11-11
from the line and Billy Giddings made 8-10 while leading the Bengals with 27 points. Rodriguez contributed 15 points
against a Saints defense that appeared designed to contain him. Kyle Kreklow contributed 7 points while Brandon Hoffmann
and Jeff Harstad both came off of the bench to score 5 apiece.
Blaine will now play Cambridge-Isanti in the second round of section play at Elk River on Friday night. The Bluejackets
defeated Blaine in the second game of the year by the score of 62-58 at Cambridge.
Elk River highlights
Varsity
The Bengals had a difficult time getting into the flow of the game on Friday as they visited Elk River to close out the
regular season. The Elks knew that if they won the game, their section seeding would improve and they played with a
purpose in their 77-62 win over the Bengals.
Blaine came out very flat in the first half on both offense and defense. Several defensive lapses allowed the Elks
easy baskets inside and also found Elk River perimeter shooters open for good looks. Their shooters did not miss often
as the Elks made ten three point field goals for the game. Offensively, the Bengals were held to 19 first half
points and trailed 32-19 at the break.
The second half found the Bengals able to get rolling offensively but unable to make the series of defensive stops that
they would need in order to cut into their deficit. This resulted in the 15 point win for the Elks.
After missing three of his first four shots, Billy Giddings got rolling and led Blaine with 29 points for the game.
Dylan Rodriguez suffered from foul trouble and finished with 15 points. Jesse Briggity came off of the bench to get
a taste of the speed of the varsity game and contributed 7 points.
The Bengals host St. Francis tonight in the first round of section play. The game begins at 7:00 pm.
Junior Varsity
The Blaine JV traveled to Elk River on Friday night to take on the Elks. The first half was tough for the Bengals
as they made only 9/26 from the field, 2/7 from the line and committed 8 turnovers. Despite this performance, they only
trailed by 5 at the half, 26-21.
The second half started out just as slowly for the JV. They managed to score only 2 points in the first four minutes
of the half, while Elk River was scoring on their offensive end. Blaine was down 12 midway through the second half.
To make matters worse, Ryan Holmgren went down with a badly sprained ankle and was unable to return and three Bengals were
in foul trouble. Given this situation, many teams would have given up, but not the Bengals! They rallied together
to mount a comeback. David Leafblad and Jared Good both hit big three pointers to cut into the lead of the Elks.
Blaine sharpened up their passing game and were able to get a couple of nice baskets from inside the paint. The JV got
some great energy from the players coming off of the bench. Blaine's trapping defense made it difficult for Elk River
to take care of the basketball. The Bengals had 8 steals and forced 4 turnovers in the second half. Key free throws
were also made down the stretch by Sam Chase and Zach Ramashko. When it was all said and done, Blaine won by the score
of 47-43 in a great come from behind victory. This was quite a tribute to their determination since they shot only 34%
from the field and had 17 turnovers for the game.
As a result of great team play, every Bengal made the scoring column. Zach Ramashko was the only Bengal in double
figures with 19 points, shooting 58% from the field and being perfect from the foul line.
Sophomores
As it seemed to be the case the entire year, the Bengal sophomore squad was unable to put two solid efforts together
back to back. Following an exceptional effort against Maple Grove in their previous game, the Bengals came out flat
against Elk River and fell by a score of 48-31.
The perimeter players could not get much going against an aggressive Elk defense and officials who allowed a lot of contact.
Rashad Powell continued the solid play that he has demonstrated during the second half of the season and led the Bengals
with 10 points. Kyle Droege contributed 5 points for Blaine.
March 4, 2008
Section seedings announced
Blaine was seeded third in the section 7AAAA pairings announced Tuesday. The Bengals will host the sixth seeded
Fighting Saints of St. Francis on Tuesday, March 11 at 7:00 pm. The full section seedings are:
#8 Duluth East at #1 Forest Lake
#7 Anoka at #2 Cambridge-Isanti
#6 St. Francis at #3 Blaine
#5 Andover at #4 Coon Rapids
Prior to section play next week, Blaine has a very important final regular season game at Elk River on Friday.
The Bengals have an opportunity to finish no lower than third in the Northwest Suburban Conference with a win and will try
to keep their momentum going in the right direction as they look to add to their 4 game winning streak.
Maple Grove highlights
Varsity
The Blaine Bengals used a suffocating defense to defeat Maple Grove 65-47 on a rare Monday night game. The Bengals
defense did a very good job on Maple Grove's potent inside attack. Maple Grove's two leading scorers were held to four
points each in the contest. In addition, the Bengals forced a season-high 24 turnovers from the Crimson.
Dan Robel and Billy Giddings did the most damage in the forcing of the turnovers as each player had 4 steals in
the game. Giddings also led the way in scoring by netting a game-high 24 points including a monstrous two-handed dunk
off of a nice pass from Dylan Rodriguez. Rodriguez also chipped in 13 points to go along with 5 rebounds and a season
high 4 assists. Mike Lust did an excellent job in rebounding the basketball for Blaine. Lust came away with 10
rebounds on the evening which included 2 offensive putbacks to end a Maple Grove run midway through the second half.
Brandon Hoffmann provided a huge spark off of the bench by netting 4 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists to only one turnover.
Blaine looks to even its record at 13-13 with an away game at Elk River on Friday. The Bengals will find out their
opponent and location for the Section 7AAAA tournament play on Tuesday night. The first round of sections will begin
on March 11th. The official Bengal Basketball website will provide details once the final pairings come out.
Junior Varsity
It has been a roller coaster ride for the JV over the past few weeks as they have experienced many ups and downs.
Last week's solid performance against Park Center could not be repeated Monday night as Blaine traveled to Maple Grove to
take on the Crimson.
The Bengals came out with plenty of energy but were unable to get the rest of their game going. Mental errors plagued
the JV the entire game as they found themselves trailing at the half 29-21.
The second half saw things rapidly turn from bad to worse. Blaine was unable to keep the Crimson off of the offensive
boards. Blaine had only 19 total rebounds for the game and allowed Maple Grove 21 boards on their offensive end alone.
The Crimson took advantage of these second chances and mounted a huge lead. Blaine continued to make poor choices with
the basketball as they turned over the ball a total of 18 times for the game. The Bengals only made 5 of 23 shots in
the second half for a dismal 22%.
Two Bengal players were in double figures on the night. Steve Schumacher had 11 points and David Leafblad had 10
points. Blaine will try to finish the season with a win when they make the long trip to Elk River on Friday night.
Sophomores
There was a noticably improved effort by the Bengal sophomore team who were coming off a poor effort last Friday against
Park Center. Blaine had no practice to prepare for this game and that did not bode well for the Bengals who lost to
the Crimson 64-42 in their first match up. Blaine's 1-3-1 trap defense forced the Crimson to shoot mainly from the outside
and rarely gave up easy baskets except the occasional offensive rebound. The Bengals were in a flow offensively as well,
utilizing the dribble drive and spacing the floor for better passing and scoring opportunities.
The score at the half saw Maple Grove leading the Bengals 30-27. The second half was extremely well played and
a 2 point game with about 3 minutes to play. A couple of missed opportunities and Crimson free throws (not to mention
an intentional foul call) put the game out of reach as Maple Grove prevailed 50-43. Kyle Droege led the Bengals with
15 points and Rashad Powell added 12.
March 1, 2008
Remember that the Bengals next play Monday night at Maple Grove. This game varies from our normal
Tuesday night schedule.
| Tim Bauer |
|
Varsity
The Blaine boys basketball team used a suffocating defense to defeat Park Center on Senior Night by the score of 62-44.
The great team defense displayed by Blaine limited the high scoring Pirates to 32% shooting. Blaine also held a
distinct advantage on the boards by outrebounding Park Center 46-23.
Blaine led 27-18 upon the completion of the first half. The Bengals suffered many turnovers early in the first
half of play. However, their stingy defense led to some transition baskets which allowed them to take the nine point
lead at the break. Blaine did a much better job of taking care of the basketball in the second, as the turnovers dropped
dramatically.
| Erik Vinh |
|
Dylan Rodriguez once again led the way with 25 points, 14 rebounds and 3 assists. Kyle Kreklow was the only other
Bengal in double digits on the night adding in 10 points. Kreklow also led the team in assists for the game with 5.
Many other Bengals contributed in a variety of ways other than in the scoring column. Mike Lust pulled down 10
rebounds to go along with his 7 points. Billy Giddings managed 7 points while yanking down 7 boards in the contest.
Jeff Harstad also had 6 rebounds to go along with his 3 assists. Brandon Hoffmann hit key baskets when Blaine needed
to get going on a run.
| Brandon Hoffman |
|
Tim Bauer inspired his teammates on the defensive end by giving great helpside defense. Bauer also came up with
2 rebounds and 3 assists in the contest.
The conclusion of this game marks the last regular season game at Blaine for the following seniors: Erik Vinh,
Tim Bauer and Brandon Hoffmann.
Congratulations seniors on going out on a winning note!
Junior Varsity
The JV came to play on Friday night when they took on Park Center at home. After a disappointing 4 game losing
streak, Blaine came out fired up from the opening tip to the end of the game. The Bengals jumped out to an early 12-0
lead as they played with great focus and intensity. Blaine's swarming defense frustrated the Panthers and led to 7 first
half steals for the Bengals. The JV had only 3 turnovers in the first half and lead at the break 23-16.
There were no let downs in the second half as the Bengals continued to apply relentless defense pressure. Add that
to shooting 50% from the floor for the half and Blaine's lead began to grow. Blaine played excellent on the defensive
end of the floor, kept the Pirates off of the offensive boards and blocked 6 shots.
All 8 of the JV players had valuable contributions to the game. Three Bengals were in double figures on the
night. Jesse Briggity had 17, Steve Schumacher contributed 15 and David Leafblad had a nice night, scoring 10 points
and adding 4 assists. Zach Ramashko showed a strong inside presence on both ends of the floor. Ryan Holmgren exhibited
tremendous hustle the entire game as well as making 4 steals. Sam Chase made a couple of key baskets along with 2 steals
and 2 assists. Sean Lejonvarn hit a key 3 pointer and grabbed some big rebounds. Jared Good snatched 3 steals
and made several beautiful passes.
Blaine won by a final score of 56-39. The Bengals are looking to carry this same intensity over to the next game
Monday as they take on the Crimson of Maple Grove.
Sophomores
Park Center took a 25-19 lead going into halftime as the Bengals struggled to score and handle the Pirates' pressure
defense. The Bengals' scoring woes continued as they could manage only 19 points in the final period as compared to
the Pirates' 24. A difference in the game was the Pirates' ability to rebound the basketball offensively which
allowed a lot of second chance points off of missed field goals and free throw rebounds. The Pirates kept the Bengals
at bay the entire game in pulling out the 49-38 win.
Kyle Droege with 15 points and Rashad Powell with 11 points lead the Bengals in scoring.
February 27, 2008
Andover highlights
Varsity
The Blaine Bengals captured their second big conference and section game in the past week by defeating Andover 68-64.
Once again, the Bengals started out strong by building a solid 12 point lead. However, this lead did not last long as
Andover came storming back on their own to push the half time score to 28-20.
The Huskies converted their first 8 shots of the second half to further cut into the Blaine lead. Fortunately,
the Bengals were also executing on their offensive end by being much more aggressive in the second half. The Bengals
shot zero free throws in the first half, but this changed as the Bengals went 14 of 18 from the line in the second half.
The Bengals also did an excellent job protecting the ball as they only turned it over 8 times in the entire contest.
Andover took a brief 51-50 lead with a flurry of three pointers with 6 minutes to go, but Blaine quickly scored on the
next three possessions to give them the slim cushion that they would need to defeat Andover. Dylan Rodriguez had his
second big game in a row by scoring 30 points to go along with 14 rebounds and 4 assists. Billy Giddings tallied 22
points on the evening as well to give Blaine the ever so important inside-outside threat. Jeff Harstad continued to
spark the Bengals in his sixth man role as he scored 4 points with 4 rebounds, 2 steals and 5 assists to zero turnovers.
Dan Robel continues to improve as Blaine's freshman point guard by dishing out 4 assists to only one turnover. Brandon
Hoffman provided strong minutes as well with three key rebounds. Mike Lust found himself in foul trouble for most of
the evening but managed to stay focused by securing a huge offensive rebound with Blaine clinging to a 1 point lead.
Lust followed this great play by knocking down 2 very important free throws to secure Blaine's 68-64 victory.
Junior Varsity
The JV suffered their fourth loss in a row Tuesday night when they took on Andover. The Bengals lacked energy from
the opening tip and their usual intense pressure defense was no where to be found. They seemed to be a step slow on
defense all night and gave up many uncontested baskets. Blaine managed to cut the lead to 8 points at halftime and trailed
32-24.
The second half for the Bengals was very frustrating. They would rally for a moment only to falter once again.
Blaine gave up 18 turnovers on the night and could not keep Andover off of the offensive boards. The result was a very
disappointing 69-49 loss. Jesse Briggity was the only Bengal in double figures for the night scoring 14 points.
Blaine will look to get back on the winning track Friday night. The Bengals hope to have all of their players healthy
and playing at full speed with they take on Park Center at home.
Sophomores
The Bengals gave a much improved effort against the Huskies the second time around. Down early in the first half,
the Bengals eventually came back and took the lead 17-16. A couple of weak closeouts allowed the Huskies to drive and
score, and a couple of bad passes against the Andover press found the Bengals down 27-21 at half.
Blaine used great defensive pressure to only allow 6 points during the first 10 minutes of the second half.
Unfortunately, Blaine could not score either or get a foul call (Andover shot 21 free throws to Blaine's two). The game
got further and further out of reach as the scoring woes continued and Blaine was forced to foul. A late technical foul
put a damper on what was a great effort by the Bengals as they fell, 45-32. Rami Amin led Blaine with 11 points and
Mike Thai scored 9.
February 25, 2008
Anoka highlights
Varsity
The Blaine Bengals managed a 67-59 win in Anoka on Friday. The Bengals started off strong by taking a quick 17-4
lead, but Anoka's hustle and strong offensive rebounding allowed them to catch up before the half to reduce Blaine's lead
to three points. Blaine became much more aggressive in the second half by taking the ball to the basket. This
strategy allowed the Bengals to pick up 19 of their 37 second half points from the free throw line. The Bengals only
attempted 4 free throws in the first half in comparison to 28 attempts in the second half of action.
Dylan Rodriguez fired in 23 points for the Bengals while also hauling down a team leading 11 rebounds. Billy Giddings
got back into his scoring groove by cashing in 17 points. Giddings' strong second half was highlighted by 12 points
including a monstrous two-handed dunk to allow the Bengals to pull away once and for all. Kyle Kreklow continues to
do the little things for the Bengals. Kreklow scored 8 points, but he also managed to yank down 8 rebounds to go along
with 3 assists. Jeff Harstad provided a huge spark in his sixth man role by coming up with 5 steals which led to several
fastbreak opportunities for Blaine. Dan Robel and Mike Lust continued to play well in their starting roles. Robel
had 5 rebounds and three assists. However, his biggest stat would have to be the 0 turnovers for the game from his starting
point guard position. Lust was very aggressive in the second half by scoring all of his 8 points while dishing out a
team high 4 assists for the game.
Junior Varsity
It was not a good night for the Blaine JV Friday when they traveled to Anoka to take on the Tornadoes. The Bengals
came out flat and remained sluggish for the entire game which resulted in a 59-47 loss. Everyone was hoping that something
would ignite the offense and defense, but there wasn't a spark to be found.
Blaine shot only 32% from the field and gave up 18 turnovers in the game. On a positive note, they snagged 37 rebounds
and did a pretty good job of keeping Anoka off of the offensive boards.
Steve Schumacher was the only Bengal to reach double figures scoring 11 points.
Sophomore
Blaine picked up a big win on Friday as the Bengals won 59-50 at Anoka. The sophomores trailed at half 31-30 as
Anoka was hot from behind the arc, connecting on 4 three point attempts. In the first match up of these two teams, the
Tornadoes had only made 1 three point shot the entire game. Like the previous meeting, it was a one point game.
The Bengals executed well down the stretch, especially against Anoka's full court press, and were able to take and maintain
the lead until the final buzzer.
Leading scorers were Rashad Powell with a career-high 20 points, Kyle Droege with 15 and Mike Thai with 10.
February 20, 2008
Osseo highlights
Varsity
The #2 ranked Osseo Orioles traveled to Blaine this past Tuesday. Osseo struggled in the first half by taking only
a 34-27 lead into the locker room. However, Osseo quickly proved their ranking is legitimate by outscoring the Bengals
45-23 in the second half to win the game 79-50.
Despite 19 turnovers, Osseo managed to beat Blaine in the transition department by converting several easy baskets in
the second half. Dylan Rodriguez and Mike Lust did all they could to keep the game within reason. Rodriquez finished
the night with 19 points and 4 steals. Mike Lust continued to shine as one of the most efficient players on the team
by gathering solid numbers in several statistical categories. Lust ended up with 12 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and
2 steals to only one turnover. Freshman Dan Robel did a nice job at the point by taking care of the basketball against
Osseo's strong pressure defense. Robel dished out 4 assists to only one turnover.
The Bengals have a big section game on Friday versus Anoka. The Bengals hope to avenge an early season setback
when they lost 49-42 in Blaine.
Junior Varsity
The Blaine JV took on Osseo at home on Tuesday night. The JV played a very strong first half against the Orioles
who had beaten the Bengals by 23 earlier in the season. Both teams played tough defense and traded baskets for most
of the first half. The Bengals held a 25-22 lead at the break.
Four straight turnovers at the start of the second half put Blaine at a disadvantage as they saw their 3 point lead quickly
disappear. The Bengals battled to keep the game within reach for the rest of the half. Their pressure defense
created several turnovers but they were unable to capitalize on the Osseo mistakes. The Orioles held a 6 point lead
with 3 minutes left and went to a slow down game, forcing the Bengals to foul. Osseo went 8/8 from the foul line during
the last minute and a half and sealed a 65-56 victory.
Blaine shot 38% from the field and had 19 turnovers on the night. In double figures for the Bengals were Jesse
Briggity with 20 and Zach Ramashko with 11 points.
Sophomores
Coming off a great effort against Champlin, this Osseo game was a let down for the sophomore team. Osseo had a
couple of new players on the floor from the first matchup, where Blaine lost by only 8. That 8 point difference was
the deficit that the Bengals found themselves in at the break, trailing 24-16 as Blaine could not finish on the offensive
end.
In the second half, Blaine had trouble containing #24 from Osseo who got hot and hit 4 three pointers. The hot
shooting was too much for the Bengals to overcome as they fell by a score of 56-34.
Rashad Powell and Kyle Droege led the Bengals with 10 points apiece.
Freshmen
While the upper grades played Osseo on Tuesday, the freshmen teams ended their season hosting Andover. The 9A boys
scored 47 points in the first half and finished with a 76-50 victory against the Huskies. The team used a pressing defense
the last 5 minutes of the first half to build a lead that was never in question again.
Nine Bengals put a score in the books with Eric Kline nailing 5 three pointers and finished with a game high 24 points.
Austin Woetzel contributed 18 points with 2 three pointers of his own.
The 9B boys ended the season with a 42-36 loss to Andover. Blaine led by as many as 10 points in each half, but
was not able to hold on to the lead in either of those two halves.
Overall, it was a good year for the B team as they finished with a record of 10-13. Every player on the team made
contributions throughout the season and is thanked for their hard work as well.
February 18, 2008
Champlin Park highlights
Varsity
The Blaine Bengals traveled to Champlin Park to take on a very hot Rebel basketball team. Champlin Park took
an early 10 point lead in the first half, but the persistent Bengals did not quit. Blaine managed to take a 32-30 lead
before the half expired.
Blaine continued to play well by moving the ball for the best available shot early in the second half. Blaine's
unselfishness shows on the stat line with five Bengals reaching double figures in scoring. Billy Giddings led the way
with 18 points and 9 rebounds. Kyle Kreklow was close behind wth another solid overall game by netting 14 points to
go along with 8 rebounds and 6 assists. Dylan Rodriguez, Mike Lust and Erik Vinh rounded out the double figure scoring
with 11 points apiece. But despite the balanced scoring attack, Blaine allowed their 8 point lead to slip away in the
second half behind Champlin Park's quick, penetrating guards. When they did not score in the lane, they drew fouls to
set the Bengals back with two players fouling out and reaching the free throw line 29 times. The Rebels capitalized
on these free throw opportunities by making 24 points from the charity stripe. The 44 points given up in the second
half was just too much for Blaine to overcome. In the end, Champlin Park avenged their earlier season setback to Blaine
by taking the rematch 74-67. This concluded the Bengals' three game winning streak.
The Bengals hope to get back to their winning ways when they take on the #2 state ranked Osseo Orioles on Tuesday.
This game could provide some insight to how far Blaine has come since their last encounter in which Osseo easily handled the
Bengals by 26 points.
Junior Varsity
It was a rough night for the JV Friday when they headed to Champlin Park to take on the Rebels. Blaine came out
very sluggish and Champlin Park jumped out to a quick lead. The Rebels took advantage of the Bengals' lack of intensity
as they crashed the offensive boards the entire game. Champlin Park had 20+ offensive boards for the game and scored
off of several.
The Bengals' only bright spot of the game was when they put on a four minute spurt at the end of the first half to cut
a 16 point Rebel lead to 4 at halftime. Trailing 31-27 to begin the second half, Blaine was unable to maintain the momentum
and Champlin Park mounted a signigicant lead that could not be overcome. The Bengals were 6/26 from the field in the
second half for only 23%. Put that together with poor rebounding on the defensive end, 9 three point baskets in the
game by the Rebels, a few Bengal players who were not feeling well, and you have a 64-46 loss to Champlin Park.
On a positive note, Steve Schumacher finished the game with 15 points. Zach Ramasko finished the night with 10
rebounds and 15 points for a double-double.
Sophomores
The sophomore team made a nice run behind some good man to man defense to trail Champlin Park at the half, 33-26.
They were only outscored 23-22 in the second half and at one point had the game tied. This was a great effort considering
Blaine had lost to Champlin by over 30 points the first time the two teams played. The Bengals specifically did a much
better job breaking the press and finishing on offense.
Rashad Powell led the Bengals with 10 points while Mike Thai put in 9 and Kyle Droege added 7. Blaine shot 10/12
from the free throw line for the game. This represented their best percentage of the year.
Freshmen
The 9A boys arrived at Champlin Park hoping to avenge a close loss to the Rebels earlier in the year. Unfortunately,
cold shooting by the Bengals and aggresive transition offense by the Rebels off the misses by Blaine led to a daunting 31-10
halftime deficit.
Blaine regrouped at the half and outscored the Rebels in the second half, but it was too little, too late as Champlin
Park took home a 53-34 victory. Nick Carver, Ben Becker, Nate Mortenson and Ryan Jeska were players who stood
out with outstanding energy and effort throughout the game, though none of the Bengals laid down, even when being down by
21 at the break.
The 9B Bengals escaped Champlin Park on Friday with a 40-33 victory over the Rebels. The young Bengals came out
with great fire on the defensive end as they held the Rebels to only 12 points in the first half. The problem for Blaine
was that they only scored 12 points in the first half as well, missing on numerous opportunities close to the basket as well
as missing 7 free throws. The second half proved to be a different story as Blaine made most of their close shots and
led by as many as 10.
The freshmen finish their season on Tuesday as they host Andover.
February 13, 2008
Centennial highlights
Varsity
The Blaine Bengals came ready to play versus the Centennial Cougars on Tuesday night. Blaine jumped out to a quick
16-3 lead and never looked back. The Bengals did an excellant job in the first half by scoring a season high 50 points
and kept the pressure on to defeat the Cougars by a score of 94-57. The 94 points tied a team record
for the sixth highest point total in school history.
| Kyle Kreklow |
|
The Bengals only turned the ball over three times in the first half while forcing the Cougars into 17 turnovers.
The low turnover ratio (9 total for the game) and high shooting percentage (57%) could be attributed to Blaine's willingness
to share the basketball. Blaine recorded 28 assists on the night. Kyle Kreklow did an outstanding job of distributing
the basketball by dishing out 9 assists. Kreklow also managed 10 boards for the game. Billy Giddings and Dylan
Rodriguez received most of these assists by netting 23 points apiece in the contest. Rodiguez also pulled down 10 rebounds
with Giddings passing out 4 dimes.
| Erik Vinh |
|
Blaine received plenty of other extraordinary efforts with Erik Vinh recording a varsity career high 14 points and 6
rebounds. Mike Lust maintained the solid frontline play by grabbing 11 rebounds with 9 coming from the offensive end.
Lust also finished with 9 points and 4 assists on the evening. It was a great evening for the entire team as all of
the Bengal players were able to play in the varsity contest.
Blaine will try to keep its three game winning streak alive on the road by taking on a talented Champlin Park team this
Friday. Champlin Park is coming off a rather large win themselves by recently defeating Park Center by a score of 87-55.
Blaine and Champlin Park entertained many the last time that they played. Blaine narrowly came out on top by a score
of 73-70.
Junior Varsity
The Blaine JV played an excellent first half of basketball at Centennial Tuesday evening. The Bengals came out
strong and played with focus and intensity. Jesse Briggity set the tempo by hitting an opening 3 pointer. Blaine
kept things rolling with strong performances by each of the players. The Bengals shot 50% from the field the first half.
Put that together with strong rebounding and good passing and Blaine was up by a score of 31-17 at the halftime break.
The second half was a different story for the Bengals. After leading by as much as 15 at one point in the game,
things started to fall apart midway through the second half. A series of turnovers lead to some quick baskets for the
Cougars and the Bengals found themselves struggling to hold the lead. Ice cold shooting made things worse as Blaine
missed several wide open shots under the basket. With about three minutes left in the game, Blaine's lead was cut to
one point. It was then a matter of fighting off Centennial's momentum for the remainder of the game. The Bengals
kept their composure and took care of the basketball in the final minute of the game and managed to squeak out a 49-48 victory.
Ryan Holmgren was the leading scored with 13, followed by Jesse Briggity with 12 points. The Blaine JV have now
won 5 of their past 6 games and head to Champlin Park to take on the Rebels Friday evening.
Sophomores
In a close battle reminiscent of the first matchup, Blaine defeated Centennial 51-48. The score was tied 23-23
at the half. The Bengals played well as a team and had several players stepping up to make big plays on offense and
defense. Going 16 of 29 on free throws kept the game interesting down the stretch, but Blaine held on as the Cougars
missed a three pointer at the buzzer.
Leading scorers were Rashad Powell with 16, Rami Amin with 11 and Kyle Droege with 6. Tanner Davenport and Matt
Belec were both 2/2 from the free throw line and were the only Bengals to not miss a free throw.
Freshmen
The 9A boys lost a heartbreaker to the Cougars. The Bengals had their third attempt to beat Centennial and from
the get-go looked to pour it on. Blaine built a 30-15 lead at the half only to have the Cougars slowly chip away at
the lead and overtake the Bengals by four with seven seconds to go. Austin Woetzel hit a three pointer to close within
one point and the Bengals fouled with 1.5 seconds remaining. The Cougars missed both free throws allowing Blaine to
take a shot at mid-court to win the game. Eric Kline had a good look at the basket but just missed as the buzzer sounds.
Kline finished with 15 points and Evan Spurbek contributed 10.
The 9B Bengals lost a heartbreaker to the Cougars of Centennial on Tuesday afternoon. After jumping to a quick
17-3 lead and holding a 10 point lead for most of the 2nd half, the Bengals lost 56-52. Kyle Jevnager led the Bengals
with 16 points.
February 10, 2008
Coon Rapids highlights
Varsity
The Blaine Bengals made it two in a row with a 67-62 victory over Coon Rapids on Saturday night. The beginning
of the game didn't look very good for the Bengals as Coon Rapids came out firing with 5 straight three point field goals.
Coon Rapids used their hot shooting to take a quick 13 point lead.
| Billy Giddings |
|
Blaine's maturity and poise paid off as they began to slowly come back from the deficit. In fact, Blaine actually
took a 32-30 lead behind the first half scoring of Billy Giddings and Mike Lust. The two fired in 12 and 7 first half
points, respectively. The Bengals came out slow once again to start the second half to lose their slim lead, but once
again, they regained the lead with about six minutes to play off of a Giddings steal and layup.The Bengals executed a nice
delay game down the stretch to use some time off the clock to hold on for the win.
Several Bengals made positive contributions in this important conference and section meeting. Giddings led the
way with 27 points, 12 rebounds and 4 steals. Dylan Rodriguez added 16 points including several key free throws down
the stretch. Rodriguez also grabbed 5 rebounds and blocked 6 shots in the contest. Freshman Dan Robel proved to
be steady once again at the point guard position by dishing out 4 assists to zero turnovers. Robel also scored 4 points
along with 2 steals and 2 rebounds.
| Mike Lust |
|
Mike Lust had yet another solid game by contributing in a variety of ways with 9 points, 7 boards, 4 assists and 2 steals.
Erik Vinh provided excellent minutes as well for the Bengals by going 2 for 2 from the field along with several key defensive
plays.
The Bengals will try to maintain their winning ways by taking on a vastly improved Centennial team on Tuesday at Centennial
High School.
Junior Varsity
The Blaine JV saw their 4 game winning streak come to an end at Coon Rapids Saturday night. It was a hard fought
game from start to finish and the score was back and forth for most of the first half. Coon Rapids held a slim lead
at halftime, 28-24.
The second half had its ups and downs for the Bengals. Their pressure defense forced Coon Rapids out of their rhythm
and caused several turnovers, but Blaine had difficulty capitalizing on the Cardinals' mistakes. The Bengals had many
good looks at the basket during the night but they only connected on 22/66 shots for 33% from the field. Put that together
with a series of quick turnovers and giving up some crucial offensive rebounds to the opposition and Blaine went down by 10
midway through the second half. As always, the Bengals fought back and got themselves back into the game. Blaine
hit three 3 pointers in the final 45 seconds of play only to have time run out as they lost a heartbreaker by the score of
54-52.
David Leafblad just missed a double-double, grabbing 10 rebounds and scoring 9 points. Zach Ramashko was the only
Bengal in double figures with 14 points.
Sophomores
The Blaine sophomores lost to Coon Rapids 68-50 on Saturday. They could not recapture the magic that led them to
overtime victories the past two times these teams played. Blaine struggled defensively in the first half in transition
and on help-side defense. Blaine trailed at the half 38-22.
The second half was a different game as Blaine pulled it together and only got outscored by 2. Rami Amin led Blaine
with 13 points and Mike Thai added 9.
Freshmen
The 9A boys produced a defensive gem in a win over Coon Rapids, 66-39. Blaine allowed only 10 points in the second
half and scored 29 on the offensive end to secure the win in resounding fashion. Evan Spurbeck scored 18 points and
Eric Kline finished with 15. Nick Carver did go down with a sprained ankle late in the game but the team hopes he can
recover over the weekend to help the team finish out the season.
The 9B boys lost a tough game at Coon Rapids on Friday afternoon. After falling behind 17-8 to start the game,
Blaine used a key late first half surge to take a 22-20 lead at halftime. The young Bengals just could not figure out
the Coon Rapids 2-3 zone and eventually lost 41-35. Blaine hurt itself by only making 4 of 15 free throws. Kyle
Jevnager led the team with 10 points.
February 7, 2008
Maple Grove highlights
Varsity
The Blaine Bengals got back on the winning track against a very talented Maple Grove team on Wednesday night. The
Bengals started out with a quick 6-0 lead only to see Maple Grove claw back into the game to lead 28-24 at the half.
The game teetered back and forth with Blaine unable to crack into Maple Grove's six point lead. However the Bengals
went on a run at the eight minute mark and surged to a 69-62 victory.
Dylan Rodgriquez led all scorers with 20 points while also hauling down 8 rebounds. Billy Giddings scored 13 of
his 19 points in the second half while connecting on 10 of 14 free throws. Giddings dished out 6 assists as well.
Kyle Kreklow was 9 of 9 from the free throw line to help the Bengals sustain their lead in the end. Kreklow finished
with 15 points on the evening. Mike Lust did a great job on both ends by scoring 8 points and playing good defense,
but his biggest contribution came on the boards where he snared 9 rebounds.
The Bengals travel to Coon Rapids for a 7 pm game on Saturday night. It should be a great game as Coon Rapids won
the last contest by a score of 99-96 in three overtimes.
Junior Varsity
The Blaine JV took on Maple Grove Wednesday night in what proved to be a very exciting game. Every Bengal player
made a solid contribution to the game. The first half was a battle back and forth with each team playing tough defense.
Blaine struggled through a series of early turnovers to go into the halftime break tied 23-23 with the Crimson.
The second half proved to be a challenge early on as Blaine came out sluggish and also had several mental lapses which
led to Maple Grove gaining a 10 point lead midway through the second half. Blaine took a time out to regain their focus
and discipline. The Bengals took the floor with renewed intensity and applied their well-known pressure defense.
Maple Grove began to falter and committed several turnovers allowing Blaine to work their way back into the game.
Down by three with fewer than 10 seconds left in the game, the Bengals inbounded the ball against the Maple Grove press.
Jared Good broke across the middle and quickly drove the left sideline across midcourt, pulled up at the three point line,
gave a head fake to a defender, and calmly drained the 3-pointer to tie the game at 52 with 2 seconds left on the clock.
Maple Grove was unable to score and the Bengals were headed to overtime.
In the overtime period, the Bengals were all business. Playing great defense and taking care of the basketball
on the offensive end of the court, they went on to win 56-54. Blaine did a great job of working the ball inside which
allowed Zach Ramashko to have an outstanding game. Zach went 6/10 from the field and 10/10 from the free throw line
for 22 points on the night. Also scoring in double figures was Jesse Briggity with 12 points.
Sophomores
Blaine lost to Maple Grove 64-42 despite an outstanding work ethic displayed by the Bengals. Despite the great
effort, Blaine found out it was hard to win when you turn the ball over as the Crimson's pressure defense forced Blaine into
26 turnovers. Matt Belec played very well in leading the Bengals with 14 points, while Rashad Powell scored 8 and Rami
Amin put in 6.
Freshmen
The 9A boys came close to avenging an early season loss against Maple Grove on Wednesday in a 62-51 loss.
Blaine was defeated by the Crimson earlier this season by 38 points, so the Bengals knew they would need to raise their game
to another level to compete with a team that has only 4 losses on the season. The Bengals have shown how far they have
come and the improvements are clear. The game was very close until the end with Weston Obrycki hitting his free throw
shots and Austin Woetzel scoring a season high 17 points.
The 9B Bengals lost a tough game on Wednesday night to an undefeated Maple Grove team by the score of 44-37. The
Bengals got themselves in an early 12-2 hole that they could never really get out of. Maple Grove's man to man defense
took Blaine out of its offense quite often to prevent any major comeback attempts. Randy Adams and Scott Urban led the
Bengals with 7 points apiece.
February 2, 2008
Elk River highlights
Varsity
The fans at Blaine High School were treated to a very well played game on Friday. Unfortunately, the Bengals lost
a close game by a score of 60-58 as Kyle Kreklow narrowly missed a half-court shot as time expired. The Bengals managed
to build an eight point lead behind the scoring of Billy Giddings and Dylan Rodriguez. Giddings scored a game high 25
points while Rodriguez added 21 points in comparison to Elk River having four players in double figures. The Bengals
made it exciting in the final moments when Billy Giddings rebounded and scored to tie the game on an acrobatic shot in the
lane. However, Elk River's Blaise Davis nailed a straight-on 15 foot jumper with 1.4 seconds remaining to win the
game for the Elks.
The Bengals will try to end their current losing streak by taking on a very good Maple Grove squad on Wednesday.
The second half of the conference season will begin on February 9th at Coon Rapids where the Bengals hope to avenge a three
overtime setback earlier in the season.
Junior Varsity
The Blaine JV won their third game in a row Friday night with a victory over Elk River. The first-half action had
the lead bouncing back and forth as both teams played each other fairly even. Ryan Holmgren went down with an ankle
injury which sidelined him for the rest of the game. The halftime break saw the Bengals down by the score of 29-26.
The second half was a different story. Blaine came out in their pressure defense and mounted a 7 point lead.
However, they saw that fade on a series of mental errors. Taking a time out to regroup, the Bengals came out flying
for the remainder of the game. The Bengals' great intensity and focus along with their relentless defense was too much
for the Elks to handle. Elk River folded under the pressure and turned the ball over several times. Blaine took
advantage of this for a couple of easy scores. With a comfortable lead in the final minutes of the game, the Bengals
slowed down the tempo forcing the Elks to foul. Blaine knocked down their free throws to extend the lead and won by
the final score of 69-58.
The Bengals shot 23/31 from the foul line for 74%. Sam Chase came off the bench in the second half to hit 7/8 from
the line plus a field goal. Jared Good and Jesse Briggity did a great job getting the ball inside to the post.
This set up Steve Schumacher for his best performance of the season. He shot 10/14 from inside the paint and 9/12 from the
free throw line for a season high 31 points! Also in double figures for the Bengals were Jesse Briggity with 13 and
Zach Ramasko with 11.
Sophomores
The Bengals again played good defense but struggled offensively in a 53-38 loss to Elk River. The Elks shot more
free throws (19) in the first half than the Bengals had points (18) before the break. For the game, Rami Amin and Mike
Thai each had 9 points to lead Blaine.
Freshmen
Blaine hit a last second shot to beat Elk River 57-56. With two seconds remaining in the game and Blaine down
by two coming out of a time out, Austin Woetzel took an inbounds pass and hit a three pointer as the horn sounded. The
shot was big-time and was all heart, but the team recognizes that the little things that went on during the game were very
important as well. Ben Becker had a monster rebound in the first half that led to a fast break basket and Ryan Jeska
had an offensive rebound that led to another basket. The bottom line is that it took ten guys to win this game.
The 9B Bengals evened their record at 9-9 on Friday night with a 57-41 win over Elk River in what turned into a bizarre
final few minutes of the game. With about three minutes left in the game, an Elk River player received a technical
foul and then deliberately attacked Blaine's Eric Johnson. Thankfully, Eric does not appear to have been hurt in the
incident. It was also a good job by the rest of the Blaine players to come to Eric's aid at the time and to not retaliate
against the Elk River player. Our players did a very good job keeping their emotions in check during a very stressful
couple of seconds.
January 30, 2008
Park Center highlights
Varsity
The Blaine Bengals traveled to Park Center to take on the Pirates in what was expected to be a close game. The
two teams did not disappoint as the game went down to the very end. Park Center edged the Bengals by a score of 65-61.
The Bengals twice had leads of seven points, but were unable to draw any distance from Park Center who hung around for most
of the night.
Dylan Rodriguez got back to his high-scoring self by netting a game high 30 points while also hauling down 7 rebounds.
Kyle Kreklow had an excellent floor game by narrowly missing a triple-double by scoring 10 points, grabbing 11 rebounds and
dishing out 7 assists. Kreklow proved why he is one of the better all-around performers tonight. Billy Giddings
also scored 15 points in the loss.
The Bengals will host Elk River this Friday in what will be an extremely important game for the Bengals as they need
to get back to their winning ways to make a move in conference and section play.
Junior Varsity
It was a battle from start to finish Tuesday night at Park Center but the Blaine JV pulled out the victory by a score
of 53-51. It wasn't only the weather that was cold. The Bengals had 54 good looks at the basket by only managed
to connect on 16 of them for a very cold 29% from the field. They did however shoot 5/8 from the line for 62%.
Blaine trailed at the half 27-25 and the second half saw them lead by as many as 7 points. Park Center's quickness
kept them in the game until the very end. Steve Schumacher was fouled and hit 2 clutch free throws with 10.4 seconds left
in the game. The Bengals man to man pressure in the remaining seconds did not allow Park Center to get off a good shot
and the JV won their second game in a row. It was another great effort by the entire team.
Reaching double figures for Blaine were Steve Schumacher, Jesse Briggity and Ryan Holmgren.
Sophomores
It was a game of momentum changes as the Bengals lost to Park Center 43-38. Blaine jumped out to a 13-2 lead to
start the game, but the Pirates went on a 15-3 run to end the half and take a 17-16 lead at the break. Park Center pulled
ahead in the second half and held on to the lead. Mike Thai led the Bengals with 14 points and Rashad Powell added 11.
Freshmen
The 9A Bengals got a taste of the NBA schedule as they played their 5th game in 5 days and had to overcome the heavy
legs to beat the Pirates 76-70. The team was down early and then turned to a pressing defense to get them back in the
game, thanks to Nick Carver and the pressure he provided. Offensively, the team shot well and had four players in double
figure scoring. Eric Kline finished with 18 points, Austin Woetzel ended up with 17, Weston Obrycki put in 15 and Evan
Spurbeck contributed 13.
The 9B Bengals played a very energetic Park Center team on Tuesday afternoon and suffered a 61-31 loss. Not much
went right for the young Bengals as they committed a lot of turnovers and couldn't get much going on offense. The team
hopes to forget about this loss and regain their momentum on Friday against Elk River.
January 28, 2008
Thank you to all of the players, parents and volunteers who helped with the Backcourt Club tournament this past weekend.
It was a great success due to your involvement!
Freshmen Backcourt Club Tournament highlights
Freshman A
The Freshman A team won two of three games in the weekend tournament and finished third. The boys started the weekend
with a 56-41 victory over a sharp-shooting Wayzata team. Game two was played at what seemed to be the crack of dawn
on Sunday and in the end, it was Centennial defeating the Bengals 56-41. The young Bengals played the final game of
the tournament Sunday evening and all eyes were on the main court. The remaining fans and teams were given an exciting
game in which the Bengals won and defeated the first place Forest Lake team, 45-43. The Bengals have now won 4 out of
the last 5 games.
Freshman B
In the first game of the Backcourt Club Tournament, the Freshmen B team played a hard-nosed Forest Lake squad.
The Bengals took advantage of their opportunity by forcing Forest Lake into a lot of turnovers and made 18 of their 21 free
throw attempts to come away with a 47-41 victory. Scott Urban led the way for the Bengals with 16 points, while Kyle
Jevnager played an excellant floor game and also contributed 13 points.
In the second game, the B squad took on a very dangerous team from Maple Grove. The Crimson did not have a lot
of height, but did have some very good shooters. It took a strong defensive effort by Blaine to make sure they had these
shooters covered on the defensive end at all times. In the end, Blaine had too much defensive pressure for Maple Grove
as they pulled out a 41-38 victory that sent them to the championship game. Kyle Jevnager led the Bengals with 14 points.
Blaine played Wayzata in the championship game of the tournament. The Bengals dug themselves too deep of a hole
in the first half as they fell behind by 16 points. Blaine rallied and cut the lead to 4 points in the fourth quarter.
But this was the fourth game for the Bengals in less than 48 hours and they ran out of energy at the end of a 50-41 loss.
It was a great weekend for the 9B Bengals in which everyone did as much as they could for the team and the program.
Great job!
Anoka highlights
Varsity
The Blaine Bengals hosted Anoka on Friday. The game was very sluggish with many turnovers, missed shots and poor
offensive execution from both sides. Anoka used an effective 2-3 zone to offset the Bengals' offense.
| Kyle Kreklow |
|
Kyle Kreklow managed to spark the Bengals into a 42-42 tie late in the game by netting 10 of his 14 points in the second
half. However, the tie did not last long as Anoka pulled away for a 49-42 victory. Billy Giddings was the only
other Bengal to reach double figures by scoring 15 points with 4 of those coming off of spectacular baseline dunks.
The Bengals will return to action on Tuesday with a game at Park Center.
Junior Varsity
The Blaine JV got back on the winning track with a 63-60 win over Anoka on Friday night. The Bengals played a very
strong first half connecting on 14 of 24 shots from the field for 58% shooting. They also did a nice job of keeping
the Tornadoes off of the offensive boards. At halftime, Blaine had a commanding 13 point lead.
The second half proved to be more challanging. Jesse Briggity was unable to play, so the Bengals were left with
only one reserve player. This did not offer much time for the players to catch their breath. Anoka mounted a strong
comeback bid by applying strong defensive pressure which at times forced the Bengal players into turnovers or rushed shots.
Blaine however regained their composure and held on in the final minute of play to seal the win.
Everyone of the Blaine players gave outstanding effort from start to finish. Ryan Holmgren led the scoring for
the Bengals with 20 points. Other players in double figures were Zach Ramasko with 15 points and Jesse Briggity with
10.
Sophomore
The offense did not show up during the second half for the sophomores as they only scored 12 points after the break in
a 43-33 loss to Anoka.
Despite 18 first half turnovers, Blaine managed to take a 21-20 lead at half time. Great effort on defense kept
the Bengals in the game in the second half, but it was difficult to put the ball in the basket. Blaine was also hampered
by only shooting two free throws after halftime.
Mike Thai led the Bengals with 11 points, Rashad Powell added 10 and Kyle Droege put in 6.
Freshmen
The 9A boys got deserved revenge in a 46-43 hard fought win against Anoka. The previous game between the two teams
had Anoka winning in overtime on a controversial call. This time, the Bengals would see to it that the game would have
no uncertainty in the outcome. Eric Kline poured in 17 big points and the team shot 14 of 24 from the line. The
spirit of this game was established at practice the day before when Ryan Jeska and Keenan Meade gave tremendous energy to
the court and the rest of the players followed their lead.
The Freshman B team lost a tough game to a very good Anoka team on Friday night. After leading 24-22 at halftime,
the Bengals could not find their shooting touch in the second half as they only scored 15 points. The final score was
48-39. Tyler Majkrzak led the Bengals with 12 points.
January 23, 2008
Andover highlights
Varsity
It was another tale of two halves for the Blaine Bengals on Tuesday night versus the Andover Huskies. Blaine found
themselves trailing by the score of 27-20 at the end of the first half. Billy Giddings kept things close by scoring
14 of his game-high 30 points in the first half.
| Billy Giddings |
|
The Bengals managed to find their game in the second half by scoring 45 points to beat Andover 65-58. Giddings
played a great all-around game to go along with his 30 points by grabbing 9 rebounds and dishing out 6 assists from his shooting
guard position. Dylan Rodriquez was scoreless in the first half, but responded with 15 second half points to go along
with his 11 rebounds, 4 assists and three blocked shots. Kyle Kreklow added 8 points and 9 rebounds. Dan Robel
continues to ease into the point guard position by dishing out 5 assists to only one turnover. Jeff Harstad provided
the spark off of the bench by adding 5 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocked shots in only 19 minutes of play.
The Bengals host Anoka on Friday night.
Junior Varsity
The Blaine JV lost a frustrating game at Andover Tuesday night. The Bengals played a solid first half shooting
52% from the field and 67% from the foul line to lead going into the break 27-18.
In the second half, the Bengals learned a tough lesson, that "life is not always fair." They fell victim to turnovers
and cold shooting, among other things. To Blaine's credit, they stayed focused, remained disciplined and fought hard
until the buzzer sounded. The Bengals lost the game 53-39. Each Bengal player deserves credit for their hard play,
great effort and perseverance in a very difficult situation.
Sophomore
The sophomore team played hard but went up against a good Andover team and lost by the score of 52-36.
Kyle Droege led the Bengals with 11 points and Mike Thai added 8.
Freshmen
The Freshman A team came out strong and never trailed in a win over the Huskies. The defense was outstanding as
the boys were able to hold Andover to 39 points in the win. The final outcome had Blaine on top 52-39. Austin
Woetzel finished with a game-high 17 points while Evan Spurbek chipped in 10.
The B team fell into an early hole at Andover on Tuesday afternoon and couldn't quite get over the hump as they lost
59-48. The Bengals trailed by as many as 15 in the first half. In the second half, Blaine cut the lead to 4 points
on two occasions but could not get any closer. The loss drops their record to 6-6.
January 20, 2008
Champlin Park highlights
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