The Southeast Valley Boys' basketball program opened up the week of December 13th with three home contests with conference foes, hosting South Central Calhoun, Manson Northwest-Webster, and Storm Lake St. Mary's. It was an eventful week, both on and off the basketball court.

In the SCC contest on Monday, the Jaguars were a few-steps too slow to a solid SCC team that gelled well together and moved the ball with great efficiency and good speed, as the Jaguars fell by a score of 66-85. Fortunately for the Jaguars, this first match-up with SCC does not go towards conference standings.

The Jaguar defense allowed a total of four SCC Titan players to score 14 or more points, giving up 27 and 24 points to the top-two SCC offensive scoring leaders. On the offensive end of the floor, the Jaguars shot well from three-point range, shooting 67% on 10 for 15 3pt field goals. The Jaguars committed fourteen turnovers and gave up 13 total offensive rebounds in the game, making it very difficult to keep at reach with their opponent.

Senior Aaron Graves paced the Jaguars in scoring with 24 points and 6 rebounds. Sophomore Drew Corell made two of three three-point baskets, as he chipped in with 11 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists. The Jaguar offense struggled offensively to get shooting-guard Kolson Kruse open shots, as the Titans focused on not letting the senior guard feel comfortable with the ball in his hands. Kruse still found a way to shoot 50% from the field, scoring 11 points and dishing out a team-high 4 assists. Sophomore Carter Ferry, who is still working hard to earn more playing time at the Varsity level through JV competition, came off the bench to score 8 points and 3 assists, going two for two from beyond the three-point line. A trio of juniors including Eli Johnson, Justin Loseke, and Carl Berglund all contributed four points apiece. Loseke grabbed five rebounds in the game, three of which came on the offensive end of the court. Johnson, the leading rebounder on the team for Southeast Valley, collected four rebounds in the SCC match-up .

End of Quarter Scores: SCC led 19-14, 38-31, and 65-47.

The next night, December 14th, Southeast Valley played host to MNW, holding on to win by the score of 55-50. Although the game was against a conference foe, this first match-up versus the Cougars does not go towards conference standings.

The Jaguars jumped out to an early eleven point advantage, leading 18-7 at the conclusion of the opening period. At the halftime break, the Jags led 29-20. But in back-to-back games now, the Jaguars have really struggled in the 3rd quarter. The night before, the Jags allowed 27 points scored in the 3rd period; in the MNW contest the Jaguars were outscored 23-8. After leading all of the 1st half, the Jaguars found themselves down 37-43 at the start of the 4th quarter. Thanks to a strong finish, and some timely buckets and stops defensively, the Jaguars outscored the Cougars 18-7 in the final period to hold on and earn a comeback victory, battling through some early-season adversity. The Jaguars forced MNW to turnover the ball a total of 26 times throughout the game.

Coming off a frustrating game the night before, senior guard Kolson Kruse willed his way to a game-high 29 points, knocking down 5 of 10 from three-point range. Kruse also earned 6 steals and 4 rebounds in the contest. Senior Aaron Graves scored 12 points and collected 6 rebounds as he faced foul trouble throughout the game. Tre Fisher, in just his second game of the season, chipped in with 5 points, 4 steals, and 2 rebounds. Justin Loseke continued to leave all his heart and effort out on the floor, taking pride in doing all the dirty work-- adding four points, 5 rebounds (all on the offensive end of the floor), and 3 steals. Drew Corell added three points and two rebounds. Rounding out the Jaguar scoring was Eli Johnson with his two points scored. Johnson may have had a frustrating night shooting the ball, but he did have a great night leading the team in rebounding and assists, with 12 caroms off the glass and dishing out 4 assists. Carl Berglund tallied one steal in the game. Carter Ferry played but did not score.

End of Quarter Scores: SV led 18-7, 29-20, MNW led 43-37, SV won 55-50.

On Friday, December 17th, Storm Lake St. Mary's came into town to meet up against our SV Jaguars. After the high-wind storms that crashed through much of Central Iowa, with damages and the loss of power in and around our communities, a good-sized crowd welcomed and cheered on the Jaguars here Friday night.

The Jaguars came out with intense full-court pressure from the start, having a significant role in securing a 71-44 victory over the Panthers of St. Mary's. Storm Lake St. Mary's did not score a basket until just under the midway point in the 1st quarter as Southeast Valley led 9-0 with four minutes remaining. At the end of the 1st quarter, SV led 22-6. A hot start, and a collapsing defense, stalled some in the 2nd quarter, as the Jags were outscored 12-17. Unfortunately for the Jaguars, Aaron Graves picked up his 3rd foul with about 3:57 in the 2nd quarter on a rare double-foul call, forcing him some time on the bench. Leading 34-23 at the intermission break, the Jaguars continued to speed up the Panther's offense and force steals and deflections. The Jaguars outscored the Panthers 37-21 in the second half, leading to the 27 point victory. The Jaguars succeeded in keeping the Panthers under their scoring average of 48 points per game on the season.

Kolson Kruse led the team in scoring with 25 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals. Aaron Graves added 17 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists. Tre Fisher scored 8 points and led the team in steals as he earned 6 steals in the full-court defense. Eli Johnson added 6 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 blocked shot. Drew Corell scored 6 points and 2 rebounds, going 2-2 from 3-pt land. Justin Loseke, battling an ankle injury, chipped in with 5 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 steal for his efforts on the hardwood. Sophomores Andrew Miller and Dalton Crouse rounded out the Jaguar scoring on the night with 2 points each. Miller also gathered two boards off the glass and had one blocked shot.

End of Quarter Scores: SV led 22-6, 34-23, and 54-35.

Southeast Valley now has a record of 4-2 on the season.

Districts Boys Basketball-1st Round (2-14-22) @ Kuemper