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Area basketball teams showcase a lot of talent

Let’s face it, the winter months in Minnesota can be brutal. Long periods of below zero weather on top of snow, ice and whatever elements are thrown at us can make us want to head to warmer climates as soon as the next plane leaves.

However, winter sports season in Minnesota, at least for me, isn’t all that bad. I’ve always been a fan of high school and college basketball, and this year, we have a ton of talent on the courts for both boys’ and girls’ basketball to watch.

On the girls’ side, New Ulm High School is off to probably its best season ever. The Eagles, led by 1,000-point scorer Meleah Reinhart, also feature Joey Batt and her talented sophomore classmates. They are 16-2 and 6-1 in the Big South Conference. They have a rematch with Waseca  (14-4) on Friday, Feb. 1, one of the two teams to hand them a loss this season (the other was unbeaten Norwood-Young America, 17-0).

In Class A, Sleepy Eye, which has played a tough nonconference schedule, is 11-5 but 8-0 in the Tomahawk Conference. The Indians, who qualified for the state tournament last year, have two huge games with Cedar Mountain/Comfrey (11-3, 6-2) in early February that will shape how the conference standings end up.

CM/C, which is led by double-double machine Paige Richert, has hit a big of a rough patch, losing two straight to Tomahawk Conference foes Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop and Springfield. However, the Cougars are still a dangerous and athletic team and will be a force once the Section 2A playoffs start in late February.

Springfield (11-6, 7-3) and GFW are also two talented teams that could make some noise in the playoffs. The Tigers are led by Vishe Rabb and GFW boasts Halley Busse. Both will take their talents to the college level next year, along with Richert.

On the boys’ side, Springfield (14-1, 9-0) is hot, winning 14 straight games after losing the season opener to Mountain Lake Area. The Tigers  boast a trio of 1,000-point scorers in Kale Meendering (senior), Tanner Vogel (junior) and Isaac Fink (sophomore). They also have a leg up in the Tomahawk Conference race, having beaten CM/C twice. The losses represent CM/C’s only two losses of the season.

Minnesota Valley Lutheran, tied for second in the conference standings, lost to both CM/C and Springfield earlier this year but the Chargers are another dangerous team. They have post player Nick Fischer along with a talented group of guards that can give opposing teams fits and they should be another factor in 2A.

The Chargers and Tigers meet in late February and the Chargers also travel to CM/C on Feb. 7.

Red Rock Central (13-0, 8-0) is quietly gaining some attention too. The Falcons have been blowing everyone out this year and fans will get to see them host Springfield on Feb. 14 in Lamberton in what could be one of the area’s top games this year.

Although the playoffs are more than a month away, there are plenty of talented players and teams for fans to go out and see. And because the gyms always seemed to be full, my advice is to get there early.

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