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BBE Jaguars aim for a return to state
BBE sophomore Bree Thieschafer drives the ball down the court during the Class A semifinal against Mountain Iron-Buhl at Williams Arena in Minneapolis on Friday, March 17, 2023. Macy Moore / West Central Tribune
Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa must replace 5 key seniors who finished 3rd in Class A
BY JOE BROWN | West Central Tribune
BELGRADE — Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa will try to get back to state while trying to replace five key seniors from last season’s squad.
The Jaguars were 27-5 and won the Section 5A championship with a 76-50 win against Barnum. In the Class A state tournament, BBE finished in third place after beating Hayfield 65-54.
Gone from that state squad is Abby Berge, a Class A All-State selection who is playing at Division II Minnesota State University-Moorhead. She averaged 20.1 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.9 steals and 2.1 assists per game. Along with Berge, two other All-Central Minnesota Conference players are gone. Tiyana Schwanghammer (12.7 ppg, 5.2 rpg) and Harley Roering (10.4 ppg). Allie Dingmann and Ella Halvorson also graduated.
Hoping to keep up the Jaguars’ high standard is a pair of returning starters.
The first is 5-foot-10 senior forward Brooklyn Fischer. She averaged 10.7 points and 4.0 rebounds per game en route to All-CMC honors last season.
“She had a breakout junior season,” said BBE head coach Kristina Anderson. “(Brooklyn’s) a great all-around player with a solid in/out presence.”
The other returning starter is 5-5 senior guard Anna Jaeger. She put up 1.9 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game in ‘22-’23.
“Anna’s a gritty, quick defender who is continually expanding her outside shot,” Anderson said.
A pair of juniors are looking to make strides in BBE’s lineup in 5-5 guard Bree Thieschafer (3.7 ppg) and 5-8 forward Adley Hagen (2.4 ppg).
“(Bree’s) a great defender who will be looking to take the next step offensively this year,” Anderson said. “(Adley’s) got great touch around the rim.”
Over 11 seasons, Anderson has coached the Jaguars to a 217-103 record. She has also led BBE to state appearances in 2020, ‘21 and ‘23. BBE has a record of 87-28 over the last four seasons.
