REBEL GIRLS FINISH BUSY WEEK WITH WIN

JANUARY 22 GBB VS. RTR

The MCC Rebel Girls returned to the hard court on Thursday night with their first matchup against the RTR Knights this season. The Rebels and the Knights are in the middle of the Red Rock Conference race trying to move up the standings during their final month of the season. MCC was coming off their three point loss to the Lakeview Lakers on Monday and this game would be every bit as close but with a tougher ending.

The first half of this game was dominated by Ava Deacon who scored 11 points in the first half, using her quickness to get openings and finding ways to score. The Rebels though, did not show the balance they usually have in the first half. Only three players scored. The Rebels led by ten points very early in the game, but the Knights responded with seven different players scoring. Brezlyn Buchert led the Knights with six points on a pair of three point shots, while Paisley Thooft and Ava Karbo scored 5 each. The Rebels would trail at the half 25 to 22.

The offense picked up for both teams in the second half. Deacon continued her strong play and was aided by Kate Blankenship and Kat Miller but the Rebels still trailed as the game came to the two minute mark. The Knights were getting solid contributions from Makayla Hesse, Karbo, and Thooft. The Rebels had three players foul out of the game; the starting front court of Calleigh Doeden, Kat Miller, and Kate Blankenship were all out of the game by the final minute. With under a minute to play, the MCC trailed 49 to 46. The Rebels would set up a play and Deacon hit the game- tying three point shot to even the score 49-49. Without a timeout used, the Knights came back on offense and they did not miss. They hit not one, but two shots to win the game. The ball was being tipped around along the baseline and it bounced out to Ava Guida with the clock under three seconds. The RTR guard picked up the ball and made her only basket of the game as time expired, beating the Rebels 52 to 49.

For the Rebels, it was their second buzzer beating loss of the season, and their second three point loss of the week. The Rebels didn’t have any of their top three rebounders in the game at the end because they had fouled out. Ava Deacon had a great game, scoring 25 points, 3 steals, and 2 assists in the game. Kate Blankenship scored 11 and had 6 rebounds in the losing effort. The Knights had three players score in double figures. Karbo scored 12, Thooft had 11, and Hesse added 10. The loss for the Rebels put them under 500 for the season at 7-8 with a makeup game against WWG on Saturday.

JANUARY 24 GBB VS. WWG

The Rebel Girls Basketball team wrapped up what had been a tough week on Saturday. Two losses by three points each, the first decided by a missed shot with under 22 seconds to play and the second a buzzer beater as time expired. The Rebels would look to bounce back against the WWG Chargers, a team they beat earlier this season.

It was not a good first half for the MCC Rebels on Saturday, in fact it might have been their worst first half of the season. The Rebels shot under 17% from the field and turned the ball over 12 times in the first 18 minutes. The Rebels struggled to score in every way as they couldn’t score in the paint. And the free throw line, well, there was nothing free about it. Though the Rebels had the game tied at 7 to 7 in a low scoring game, the Chargers would finish the half on a 20 to 4 run to take the halftime lead 27 to 11. The Chargers did all that work with leading scorer Leah Carter scoring just 4 points. The second half would get worse before it got better. The Chargers scored the first five points of the half as the Rebels fell behind 32 to 11. The Rebels finally picked up their level of play, led by Kate Blankenship and the defense of Reese Gilbertson and Ava Deacon. The Rebels pressure was good all day, but the Rebels finally were able to turn turnovers into points. The Rebels got back within six points of the Chargers with over four minutes to play. Then Leah Carter stepped up, scoring seven straight points to put WWG back ahead 13. The Rebels got back within five points with over a minute and a half to play and they had the ball. The Rebels failed to score another point and the Chargers triumphed with a 47 to 39 win This game was a tough one for the Rebels because it showcased one issue the team has had all season, but then highlighted another which has been a strength for much of the year. The Rebels have struggled to score this season and it isn’t because they don’t get open shots. The Rebels get a high number of not only open shots, but shots open inside of 10 feet and they fail to make them at a high enough rate. The Rebels shot under 25% in this game. If the Rebels just make their open layups and shoot 60% from the free throw line, they don’t lose by 8, they win by double figures. The Rebels second issue of this game and looking back at the RTR game was turnovers that got turned into points. The Rebels this season have done a great job forcing turnovers on defense and not allowing many turnovers on offense. The last two games, it wasn’t so much the turnovers, it was the turnovers that were turned into points. The Rebels were led by Kate Blankenship with 14 points and Ava Deacon who scored 9. Kat Miller chipped in with 8, all in the second half. Leah Carter was the only Charger in double figures with 16. MCC will be on the road Tuesday to Edgerton Public.

JANUARY 27 GBB VS. EDGERTON

The Murray County Central Rebel Girls Basketball team was on the road in Edgerton on Tuesday night looking for some revenge. The Rebels earlier this season lost to the Flying Dutchmen in a game in which the Rebels seemed to dominate play in every way except scoring. The Rebels forced more turnovers and out rebounded Edgerton but simply could not make enough shots regardless of how open they were. Tuesday the Rebels would find the touch.

The Rebels trailed 1-0 and then 4-3 as Ava Deacon and Kate Blankenship made back to back 3-point shots to put the Rebels ahead. The Rebels did not trail again in this game. Blankenship scored five of the first 8 points for the Rebels. The Rebels made three 3-point shots in the first four minutes of the game. The Rebels took a 33 to 20 lead at the half.

The second half saw the Rebels score the first 6 points to go ahead by 16 points, and Ava Deacon put the Rebels ahead by 19 points on another 3. Reese VandeGriend and Kya Voge led the Dutchmen to get within 11 points but Edgerton would get no closer. The Rebels maintained their double digit lead.

The Rebels defense didn’t allow Edgerton to get comfortable even without forcing the turnovers they did in the first meeting. The Rebels had one of their best scoring games of the season, pulling away with 58 to 41 win.

The Rebels shot a season high 29 percent from the field but made 11 of 25 3-point shots. Ava Deacon scored 24 points while making five 3-point shots. Kat Miller scored 13 and Kate Blankenship added 10 to lead the Rebels to the win. Edgerton was led by Reese VandeGriend, who scored 14, and Kya Voge, who scored 13. The Rebels picked up a much needed win in the Red Rock Conference and their 8th win of the season. After so many hard fought close losses, it was a great feeling to get a much needed win.

U OF M BEEF TEAM TO HOST COW/CALF DAYS SEMINAR TOUR AND TRADE SHOW

The University of Minnesota Beef Team is proud to host the annual Cow/Calf Days Seminar Tour and Trade Show at 10 locations across the state in January (northern tour) and February (southern tour). This is the 52st year this educational program has been offered to cow-calf producers across the state, and continues to be the leading information, technology, and research outlet for Minnesota cow/calf producers.

The Pipestone Cow/Calf Day program will be held on Wednesday, February 11, 2026 at the MN West Community & Technical College, Room 103. The address is 1314 N Hiawatha Avenue, Pipestone. The program will begin at 9:30 am and conclude around 1:30 pm. The 2026 event will feature information on cow and calf health, mineral nutrition, and an extensive beef research update.

The program will feature U of M Extension Veterinarian, Dr. Angie Varnum, DVM, U of M Animal Science alumni and current graduate student, Alisha Klemme and 4-time Wolf Creek Township, MN Man of the Year, Dr. Eric Mousel. Updates from the Minnesota State Cattlemen’s Association and the Minnesota Beef Council will also highlight the event. The corresponding trade show will feature vendors with new information, technology, and products with a wide-array of practical uses for the operators in the cow-calf sector.

The program is directed at cow/calf producers, allied industry representatives, and is open to the public. A special thanks to T&B Sales, Pipestone Grain, and Western Veterinary Clinic for covering everyone’s registration fee, and to the generosity of our local sponsors for covering the meal for all those attending the Pipestone Cow/Calf Day Program.

There is no cost to attend, but RSVP’s are appreciated to help plan for food by contacting the Pipestone County Extension Office at 507-825-1190, or registering online at z.umn. edu/2026PipestoneCCD For more information on the Pipestone Cow/Calf Day Program, the donated equipment, or to become a local sponsor, please contact Matti Boomgaarden at boomgo22@umn.edu or 507-825-1190.