Prep sports: West gymnasts claim section championship
Feb. 16—The Free Press
ST. JAMES — Mankato West won all four events to claim the Section 2A gymnastics championship Thursday night.
West scored 144.600, with New Ulm/Cathedral/Minnesota Valley Lutheran in second at 134.175.
West's Zoey Hermel was the all-around champion, scoring 36.125 points. She won the vault at 9.550 and floor exercise at 9.375.
West's Grace Jacobson was second at 35.800, with teammate Maura Panahon in third at 35.600. Jacobson took first on bars at 8.625, and Panahon won the beam at 9.350.
St. Peter's Cadence Tish took fourth at 35.225, and New Ulm/Cathedral/MVL's Ella Friedrich placed fifth at 34.600.
Boys basketball
St Clair 73, Alden-Conger 40: Ethan Preston scored 32 points, tying a school record with 10 3-pointers, in St. Clair's Valley Conference home win.
Connor Whittet added 22 points, making seven 3-pointers. Brandon Meng had 12 assists.
Kyle Honstad led Alden-Conger with 16 points.
St Clair (10-13) plays Tuesday at New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva.
Mankato Loyola 72, Nicollet 38: Simon Morgan had 14 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists in Loyola's Valley game at Nicollet.
Quinn Kelly had 16 points and six rebounds, and Skyler Hill-Koenen had 13 points and six rebounds.
Loyola (17-6) plays Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton on Tuesday at Fitzgerald gym.
Lake Crystal Wellcome Memorial 63, Martin County West 50: Jack Brockman scored 20 points as the Knights rallied from and eight-point halftime deficit to win a Valley game at Trimont.
Jamis Ulmen and Drew Dahl each scored 12 points, and Michael Matteson scored 11 points.
LCWM (21-1) plays at home against Alden-Conger on Friday.
Immanuel Lutheran 71, Prior Lake Christian 41: Jaxon Libby had 23 points to pace Immanuel Lutheran in the nonconference game.
Cade Libby added 12 points and seven rebounds.
Immanuel Lutherran plays Maplewood Academy on Tuesday.
Girls basketball
Maple River 51, Sibley East 50: Claire McGregor scored 21 points, including a go-ahead three-point play with 14 seconds remaining, to lift Maple River to a nonconference win at Arlington.
Lexi Thomas added 14 points for Maple River.
Morgan Bednarek led Sibley East with 20 points, and Kate Arneson scored 19 points.
Maple River (13-10) plays at Waseca on Tuesday.
Mankato Loyola 43, Lyle/Austin Pacelli 42: Sammy Kann had 10 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists in Loyola's nonconference win at Fitzgerald gym.
Kristen Koopal scored 15 points for Lyle/Austin Pacelli.
Loyola is 6-20.
Waseca 51, Belle Plaine 35: Kloe Wadd scored 14 points, including the 1,000th of her career, in the Bluejays' nonconference home game.
Sam Azure had 15 points, and Avery Madsen scored 10 points for Waseca.
Waterville-Elysian-Morristown 67, United South Central 17: Claire Bohlen scored 15 points for the Bucs in a Gopher Conference home game.
Alayna Atherton added 10 points, and Kylie LaFrance had seven points and five assists.
WEM (15-8, 9-4) hosts New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva on Friday.
Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton 93, Madelia 33: Katie Olson scored 24 points in the Bulldogs' nonconference win at Janesville.
Faith Olson scored 18 points, and Presley James had 12 points for JWP (12-14).
Katherine DeVlaeminck led Madelia with nine points.
Wrestling
Section 2AA: Mankato East split a pair of matches in the section tournament, defeating Delano 40-36 and losing to host Watertown Mayer/Mayer Lutheran 65-12.
East's double winners were Elliot Betz (160 pounds) and Brian Thilges (220).
East (10-9) competes in the section individual tournament on Feb. 23-24 at St. Peter.
Waterville-Elysian-Morrristownn 40, Westfield 38: Brady Murphy (106 pounds), Kelton Erler (145), Isaac Quast (170), Keegan Kuball (220) and Max Davis (285) won by fall in the Grizzlies' section victory.
Aric Williams won a 12-3 major decision at 126.
