Merseth tries for record; area teams on win streaks

By JIM BASTIAN

Journal Sports Writer

NEW ULM -- Minnesota Valley Lutheran's Jessica Merseth is poised to become the Chargers All-Time leading scorer in girls' basketball.

Merseth currently has 1,425 career points, trailing Naci Melzer's mark of 1,440. Melzer graduated in 1994.

That record could come either tonight at Winthrop against GFW or Thursday night at Sleepy Eye St. Mary's.

The senior needs 16 points to take over the honors and could move into fourth place in the City of New Ulm's 1,000 point scorers composed of New Ulm High School, New Ulm Cathedral and MVL players. In fact, Merseth trails Mike Wilfahrt's mark of 1,480 points and could move into that spot sometime this season. Wilfahrt graduated from Cathedral in 1978.

That would mean that MVL would have four of the top five career scorers -- Dan Unke, 1,662; Jessica's brother Tim Merseth, 1,640; Dave Belgalka, 1,588; and Merseth, trailing Cathedral's Steph Klaviter's city record of 1,694.

Six of the top ten scorers would be from MVL.

EAGLES ON STREAK: The New Ulm High School boys' basketball team will try to win their fourth straight game tonight when they travel to Mankato West to take on the Scarlets in a non-conference meeting.

"The three straight wins (over Blue Earth Area, Holy Family Catholic and Waseca last Friday) were against opponents that were not quite as strong as teams were in the first part of our schedule," Eagle coach Pat Burmeister said. "But beating Waseca is something that we like to do -- they are probably the biggest rivalry that we have.

"This was a team that we were expected to beat -- we came out ready to play and maybe we were to hyped up in the first half," Burmeister said. "We missed some easy shots and did not execute well. Waseca was ahead by between two and four points most of the time during the first half. But we played better on defense in the second half."

Burmeister said that one of the keys to the win over Waseca was that "we started to get the ball inside more in the second half. We got some easier looks at the basket there. We got the ball into the paint to Caleb Leighty and Jordan Budenski (10 and nine points respectively). If we get the ball in the paint, we get higher-percentage shots and it opens up the outside."

There, New Ulm's outside game of Andy Walden (19 points) and Eric Austvold (14 points) can go to work.

Burmeister feels that as the winning streak continues, so does this team's confidence.

"You need to win to keep confidence and to believe in yourself," he said. "The kids know that we can play well and we can win -- it is just a matter of getting a little more consistency and not having letdowns."

EAGLES WIN WITHOUT WELLMANN, MIELKE: New Ulm won Friday night without Bob Wellmann, who sprained his ankle in the first half of the game against Holy Fanily, and sophomore Tony Mielke, who has been out since being injured in a traffic accident.

"We have gotten some good play out of Matt Suess and Josh Zupfer, not only against Waseca, but also against Holy Family," Burmeister said. "They both bring something different -- they can play good defense and make us a little quicker."

Burmeister said that Mankato West is really good.

"They have some good three-point shooters and got some big kids inside that can score," he said. "They will press and push the ball on offense."

CHARGERS ALSO ON STREAK: Another team that is also on a wining streak is the Minnesota Valley Lutheran boys' team, that won their sixth straight game when they beat Cedar Mt.

The Chargers will try to make it seven in a row tonight when they host GFW.

"We had to play the toughest part of the (Tomahawk) Conference right off the bat," Charger coach Craig Morgan said. He saw his team at one time with an 0-3 record -- they are now 8-5 and 6-3 in the conference.

"And now, we are coming around to that tough part of the conference schedule again (GFW, Sleepy Eye St. Mary's, and Wabasso)," he said. "And the kids are ready for this. Mentally and physically, they are ready for what is ahead for them."

One of the things that has aided in the winning streak has been balanced scoring. Against Cedar Mountain, three Chargers were in double figures: Jake Firle, Andy Beilke and Nate Nass.

"We know that Jake can score for us -- and Nate Nass has been in double figures almost each game," Morgan said. "But we needed to get more scoring out of one other person, and Andy Beilke has done that. He has been doing it all for us: he has been getting assists, he can shoot from the outside, and he can drive. Now, he is starting to see the drive and then dish it off."

Morgan said that the Chargers had early foul trouble in the first half of the Cedar Mountain game.

"Beilke, Firle and Karl Struck were on the bench with fouls," he said. "Cedar Mountain was already shooting the double-bonus by the end of the first quarter."

Morgan felt that the depth of the Chargers wore down Cedar Mountain. In the final quarter, the Chargers outscored Cedar Mountain 24-9.

"This game tonight is huge," said Morgan about tonight's rematch with the T-Birds who beat MVL 71-67 in the first meeting. "They played real well -- they had a game under their belt and it was our first game. We had some jitters -- they (GFW) have played well. They have lost to the three (conference) teams that we have lost to. There are three teams in third place and hopefully there will be two."

HOCKEY TEAM ALSO ON WINNING STREAK: A third high school team that is riding a winning streak is the Eagle hockey team. The boys have rattled off four straight including defeating Minnehaha Academy Saturday.

The Eagles will try to extend that winning streak to five games tonight when they meet the Mankato West Scarlets at All-Season's Arena.

"Mankato West is a kind of up-and-down hockey team," Eagle coach Tom Macho said. 'We always felt that Mankato East was the better team of the two in Mankato, but West beat them quite handily. We know that their forwards can score. Their defensemen can be a problem for them. That is probably their weakest part of their game."

Macho said that he was "a little surprised with Minnehaha Academy -- they were 9-4 and played some good private schools. So we were happy with our performance, considering that we had Parent's Night against Waseca Friday and then had to be on the bus by 8:30 Saturday morning."

Macho admits that the winning streak is due to the competition.

"We had games against teams not quite as good as we had been playing, but still rivalries -- you never know," he said.

And the Mankato West-New Ulm rivalry in hockey is big.

"Mankato and New Ulm -- period -- is always a rivalry no matter what it is," he said. "That goes way back. It is always a battle."

Ty Anderson has played well for New Ulm even though he has had a sore shoulder and some bad ribs. Other highlights are the goaltending and defense.

"And our line of Brett Burgau, Landon Rewitzer and Jay Geisthardt has been picking it up for us again," added Macho.

TWINS TICKETS ON SALE: Tickets for the Minnesota Twins Winter Caravan Tour stop in New Ulm on Thursday, January 30 at 6:30 at MVL are on sale now at KNUJ Radio for $5 . All proceeds will go to New Ulm Junior Baseball.