JEREMY WALTNER - PUBLISHER It should come as no surprise that Jesse Munkvold made a B-line in the direction of teammate Morgan Edelman immediately following Menno’s heart-wrenching loss to Herried/Selby Area in last week’s SoDak 16. The seniors started playing basketball together when they were in the third grade and quickly developed a relationship on the hardwood that went beyond their friendship off the court.

The Freeman Academy/Marion boys saved their best game of the season for the biggest game of their lives and nearly upset top-seed and Class B’s No. 5 team in the process.

The Menno girls gave Herried/Selby Area everything they had but fell just short in what was a thrilling back-and-forth game, losing to the Wolverines 49-47 in Thursday’s SoDak 16 at James Valley Christian.

JEREMY WALTNER - PUBLISHER It may not have been the finish he was hoping for, but Clayton Smith ended his prep career in a spot most wrestlers never get to — the podium at state.

JEREMY WALTNER  - PUBLISHER Just 32 minutes of solid, well-played basketball is all that separates the Menno girls from what would be their first State Basketball Tournament in more than 20 years. It’s a scenario that is possible at worst and plausible at best. That’s the assessment from head coach Doug Hall, who will be pacing the sidelines when the Wolves take the court against Herried/Selby Area at James Valley Christian in Huron Thursday, March 4 in the SoDak 16. Tipoff is 6:30 p.m.

Freeman Academy/Marion overcame a slow start and took out Gayville-Volin 59-51 at Sterling Hall Tuesday night, March 2. The No. 2 Bearcats and No. 6 Raiders were close most of the way before FA/Marion built a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter, holding off a Gayville-Volin surge late. The Raiders scored the first eight points of the game.

The Menno girls basketball team is one win away from playing in their first state basketball tournament since 2000. The Wolves earned that opportunity by beating Scotland in the final round of the Region 5B Tournament Thursday night, Feb. 25. The second-seed Wolves led from the start and end up beating the third-seed Highlanders 48-37 in Irene.

JEREMY WALTNER - PUBLISHER A game that went back and forth in the first half gave way to a Freeman Public surge in the second as the No. 8 Flyers ran away with a 55-40 win over No. 9 Canistota in the first round of the Region 5B Girls Basketball Tournament Monday night, Feb. 22 in Freeman.

JEREMY WALTNER  - PUBLISHER Two veteran leaders and a star on the rise will represent Marion/Freeman at 2021 State Wrestling Tournament in Rapid City this week. Action starts Thursday morning, Feb. 25 and continues Friday and Saturday. Freeman seniors Ethan Ortman and Clayton Smith, along with Freeman seventh-grader Riley Tschetter, all advanced to state with top-four finishes at the Region 2B Tournament in Salem Saturday, Feb. 20. Smith and Tschetter were third in the 215 and 106 lb. divisions and Ortman was fourth at 160 lbs.

JEREMY WALTNER  - PUBLISHER Morgan Edelman sensed something was up during the school day last Thursday when a number of people asked if she was excited about that night’s game in which the Wolves were to travel to Marion for their regular-season finale — a game in which the senior would surpass 2,000 career points.