Boys Basketball: Area boys get the season underway

Cannon Falls Bombers

2011-12 Season: 21-8 overall, 1st in Hiawatha Valley League Blue Division at 10-2; lost to Waterville-Elysian-Morristown 65-41 in the Section 2AA-North semifinals.

Key Returners: Noah Callister, Sr. C, 203 points, 138 rebounds; Jordan Lundell, Jr. G, 197 points, 74 assists; Tanner Jackson, Sr. F, 188 points, 103 rebounds; Paul Rolfes, Sr. G, 178 points, 54 steals, Brock Peterson, Jr. G, 178 points, 83 assists, Austin Noble, Jr. C, 134 points, 49 percent FG.

Key Losses: Cedric Dicke, Cannon Falls’ all-time leading scorer and rebounder.

From Head Coach Josh Davisson: “We have many guys with varsity experience and a talented group of newcomes, both coming off successful 2011-12 seasons. Practices have been intense as guys are competing for court time.”

Ellsworth Panthers

2011-12 Season: 12-9 overall, fourth in the Middle Border Conference at 8-6; lost 29-26 to Westby in the playoffs to end the season.

Key Returners: Chrystian Kulow, Jr.; Alex Campbell, Sr.; Tyler Marson, Sr.

Key Losses: Lemoine Steffen, Jacob Betthauser, Travis Kroll.

From Head Coach Rich Powers: “We’re very young, but we’re athletic and quick. ... To be successful, we have to play with defensive intensity from beginning to end.”

Goodhue Wildcats

2011-12 Season: 18-9 overall, 2nd in Hiawatha Valley League Blue Division at 8-4; lost to Blooming Prairie 61-55 in the Section 1A-West semifinals.

Key Returners: Tyson Dicke, Sr. F, 10 ppg, 6 rpg, All-HVL honorable mention; Zach Hinsch, Sr. F, 8 ppg, 6 rpg.

Key Losses: Michael McNamara, Jacob Staehli, Ryan Bigelow.

From Head Coach Tony Poncelet: “We need to stay healthy, and some of our younger players need to adjust to varsity. ... We have some depth and we have pretty good team speed. But there is not a lot of varsity experience for some players.”

Lake City Tigers

2011-12 Season: 17-9 overall, 3rd in Hiawatha Valley League Blue Division at 8-4; Lost to Byron 53-35 in the Section 1AA-West semifinals.

Key Returners: Coleman Sweeney, Sr. G, 4.5 apg, HVL Honorable Mention; Ben Schramski, Sr. F, 10.9 ppg; Jake Griebenow, Sr. G, 8.7 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 3.1 apg, 74 percent FT, HVL All-Conference.

Key Losses: Zach Hinrichs, Luke Bremer.

From Head Coach Shawn Sweeney: “We have a veteran team returning. We have the same athletes on a very successful football team this past fall and I look for them to pick up right where they left off. We have good court awareness with plenty of experience as both Coleman and Ben are three-year starters. Griebenow’s a two-year starter. It’ll be fun to watch. ... We need to improve everyday, enjoy the journey, play defense and focus on one stat, ‘How did the team do?’”

Zumbrota-Mazeppa Cougars

2011-12 Season: 10-14 overall, 5th in Hiawatha Valley League Blue Division at 6-6; lost to Lake City 64-57 in first round of Section 1AA-West playoffs.

Key Returners: Lucas Ziemba, Sr. G, 12.5 ppg, HVL?All-Conference; Nathaniel Rauen, Sr. G, 12 ppg, HVL All-Conference; Kevin Niebuhr, Sr. F, 13.7 ppg, 6 rpg.

Key Losses: Matt Johnson, Devon Holtegaard.

From Head Coach Fred Liffrig: “We need to take care of the basketball and find the right mix of players. We also need to develop players in the post.”

Tags: boys basketball, cannon falls, lake city, sports, prep, goodhue, ellsworth, zumbrota, mazeppa