By Coach Steve Mengler
The 7th and 8th grade boys travelled to Traer to face North Tama in a make up basketball game Dec. 18. Between the date the original game was snowed out and the make-up, North Tama had midterms which decreased the number of players available. Add to this a time constraint because of a varsity basketball game in the same gym starting at 6 p.m. and we had the makings of chaos. So to make everything work, it was decided that six quarters would be played, and the 8th grade played the odd numbered quarters and the 7th grade played the even numbered quarters against a mixture of North Tama seventh and eighth grade athletes.
When the dust had settled after six quarters, the Plainsmen were victorious by a score of 53-30. The 8th grade was dominant over the Redhawks while the seventh grade team held their own against the three eighth grade athletes intermixed with the seventh grade team. Both teams shot well while they were in the game, with the 7th grade hitting 7 of 27 shots for 26 percent while the 8th grade hit 18 of 51 shots for 35 percent. It was an adventure at the free throw lane however, with both teams combining for 3 of 19 from the charity stripe. This is definitely an area that can be improved in the future for both teams. Scoring points for the Plainsmen were Logan Phillippe with 10, Vance Bohlen eight, Adam Daily seven, Josh Long six, Ryan Janss four, Matthew Mengler four, Ross Henning four, Derek O’Brien four, Adrien Griffith two, Lane Bachelder two, and Austin Vranek two.
Rebounding was down a bit for both teams, with the team grabbing a total of 50 rebounds. Part of this can be attributed to the stingy defense, especially of the 8th grade press that created numerous steals and other turnovers. Leading the team in rebounding was Janss with nine rebounds, Daily and Justin Jacobi with six, Henning with five, and Long with three boards.
Logan Phillippe and Josh Long had excellent floor games for each squad. Logan led the 8th grade both in points and also in steals with eight during the three quarters he played. Josh was aggressive on the boards as well as driving the ball into the lane and consistently hitting short jump shorts.
The Plainsmen 7th grade boys’ basketball team suffered its first defeat of the year against Union Monday night, falling 44-25. The game was close throughout the first quarter, but the depth of Union quickly wore on the Plainsmen as the Knights jumped to a 13-point halftime lead. The lead grew dramatically in the third quarter before the Plainsmen narrowed the gap down the stretch. Union has 27 7th grade basketball players this year and they brought their top ten, which caused us match up problems throughout the game.
For the first time this year the boys did not react well to a strong man-to-man defense. As a team we turned the ball over 35 times which is a huge amount for a 24-minute game. This was 35 times we had the ball and did not get a shot at the basket, which makes it very difficult to win a ball game. In the first quarter alone we only had five shots at the basket hitting two. As the game went on we did a better job of handling the pressure so that we hit 25 percent of our shots, 11 of 44 from the field. We had a lot of easy shots from six to eight feet that our players were unable to hit which made it difficult to stay even.
The team scoring was not particularly balanced with only four players scoring. Justin Jacobi led the team with 12 points, Adrien Griffith six, Vance Bohlen five, and Trey Squiers two. We also struggled again from the free throw line hitting only three of eight shots.
Defensively we played a very strong first quarter to trail by only four considering we were not getting many shots. The boys played a solid man to man defense and then we switched into a zone as we got tired. Our zone is sometimes weak because some of the athletes do not understand their responsibilities but we will continue to work on this. Hitting the boards was more of a team effort in this game, with Jacobi leading the team with six, Griffith and Squiers with four each, and Long and Austin Vranek with three boards each.
The next game will be at home against Iowa Valley on January 6th. Other home games will follow with Montezuma January 13th, English Valley January 22nd, and HLV on January 25th.

Team members include, from left: Vance Bohlen, Josh Long, Cody Bergom and Jacob Fabor. Back row: Coach Steve Mengler, Adrien Griffith, Justin Jacobi and Trey Squiers.

Dani Coover scored 23 points and pulled down 16 rebounds as Belle Plaine handed Keota a 48-28 defeat Friday at the Plainsman gym.
The host team jumped out to a 16-3 first period lead and was never seriously threatened after that. It was 32-12 at the half and 41-17 after three quarters.
Coover also had four steals. Taylor Schafbuch had 15 points, five assists and two steals. Macy DeMeulenaere had six points, four rebounds, four steals and a blocked shot. Julie Long had two points, Joy Cronbaugh had two points, nine rebounds, three assists and three steals and Laura Breja added three rebounds.
The Plainsmen hit on 20 of 47 shots from the field and had 22 turnovers in the contest.

The Belle Plaine Police Department is sending out a short memo to citizens regarding some ongoing parking issues:
“The Police Department is appreciative of the public’s initiative in removing their vehicles from the public streets during our recent snow emergencies.
“There were very few violations and that makes the snow removal efforts much easier and efficient. However, many of you have parked your vehicles in private parking areas, such as a church or the Masonic Lodge, in order to comply with the snow emergency ordinance. These places have snow removal efforts to deal with as well. Please remove your vehicles from these areas as soon as practical or once the snow emergency has been lifted and park where you normally would.
“Keep in mind that if you park in a private area, the owners of those areas have the right to remove your vehicle at your expense. And as always, the city parking lot is always an option for those that do not have off street parking available to them. We would appreciate the public’s efforts in helping us deal with these situations.”

Dec. 15, 9:52 a.m. – Ambulance assist in the 1800 block of Ninth Avenue.
Dec. 15, 5:54 p.m. – Police responded to the 500 block of 17th Street for a two-vehicle accident. A 2000 Dodge Neon, driven by Meghan Klunenberg, Traer, struck the parked 1992 Chevy Corsica, owned by Leora Mikesell, Belle Plaine. Klunenberg was cited for failure to maintain control. Total damage estimate to the two vehicles was $4,000.
Dec. 16, 11:58 a.m. – A burglary at an as-yet unopened business at 817 12th Street remains under investigation. The business is owned by Matt Clark. Entry was gained through a forced rear door.
Dec. 18, 12:38 a.m. – Ambulance assist in the 1400 block of Second Avenue.
Dec. 18, 4 a.m. – Criminal mischief and theft was reported at 907 Ninth Street, where Christmas decorations were damaged and destroyed. Total loss was estimated at $300.
Dec. 18, 6:55 a.m. – Ambulance assist in the 400 block of Seventh Street.
Dec. 18, 8:04 a.m. – Criminal mischief was reported at 1009 Fourth Avenue, where Christmas decorations were damaged. The loss was estimated at $200.
Dec. 18, 8:15 p.m. – Police responded to Belle Plaine High School on a report of a theft from the locker room. Following an investigation, a female juvenile was charged with fifth degree theft and referred to juvenile authorities.
Dec. 19, 6:13 a.m. – Officers assisted a stranded motorist in the 1500 block of 13th Street.
Dec. 20, 1:47 a.m. – Jacob Marek, 32, Belle Plaine, was arrested in the 1200 block of Ninth Avenue and charged with OWI following a traffic stop for driving without headlights. He was taken to the Iowa County Jail.
A criminal charge is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

It’s a week of anticipation for many around the Belle Plaine community as many of us are making our final holiday preparations as we keep a close eye on a weather forecast that sounds like it will be ideal for sleigh transport, those who know how to ice skate or cross country ski.
There are a few regular events on the calendar this week. Tonight, the Belle Plaine City Council meets in its committee-of-the-whole session at 5 p.m. and in regular session at 6 p.m. at City Hall.
During the committee session, council members are scheduled to discuss the storm sewer/sanitary sewer plan with engineer Terry Chew. The rental property ordinance will also be discussed, as well as the disposition of the alley west of Longfellow Elementary School and a request from the Belle Plaine Historical Society for a financial contribution.
During its formal session, the council will hold a public hearing on the proposed community development block grant application for downtown revitalization and then consider a resolution authorizing submission of the grant application. The council will also consider a resolution in support of a Community Attraction and Tourism grant application for the downtown project, review the five-year FAA capital improvement plan for the airport and honor outgoing councilman James Kurovski.
On Tuesday, a representative from Congressman Leonard Boswell’s office will be at City Hall from 11 a.m. to noon to answer any questions from constituents. Also on Tuesday, the Library Board meets at 5 p.m.
On Wednesday, the community center board will meet at 5 p.m. and the Belle Plaine Partners for Beautification will meet at 6 p.m. Both meetings will be held at the community center.
Before the schools close for the holiday break, the basketball teams are slated to travel to Tri-County tonight.
Tuesday, school will dismiss an hour early for the break and will resume on Jan. 4.
The school break may be coming just in time as the area could experience some very bad weather through Christmas day. Although this area had not been put under any formal watch or warning as of mid-day Monday, with the potential for snow, sleet and freezing rain from late Tuesday through Friday, residents should keep tuned to local alerts this week.
With the possibility of freezing rain, it would be a good idea to know where your flashlights and candles are in the event we have power outages. Fire officials always warn residents to use candles with care to prevent home fires.
City Hall and the Belle Plaine Community Development offices be closed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The Belle Plaine Public Library will also be closed on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Saturday, Dec. 26.
Have a safe and Merry Christmas!

Two schedule changes affecting the high school basketball calendar in the first week of the new year have been announced. Belle Plaine’s girls and boys varsity doubleheader at Iowa Valley, scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 5, has been rescheduled for Monday, Jan. 4.
The JV boy-girl basketball doubleheader, scheduled for Monday, Jan. 4, at home against Iowa Valley has been rescheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 6.

Plainsman wrestlers won six of eight dual meets last week, as they beat three opponents at Lynnville-Sully on Tuesday, then placed third at the Lisbon Duals Tourney Saturday with a record of 3-2.
On Tuesday, they took care of business with 66-18 wins over Lynnville-Sully and Colfax-Mingo and a 48-28 decision over Southeast Warren.
“Overall, we won 28 matches and lost seven,” Coach Bob Yilek said. “It was a good night of wrestling for our guys. They went out and wrestled hard and gained some valuable experience.
“The following wrestlers went 3-0 on the night: Zakk Buch, Lance Hinschberger, Jack O’Brien, Cody Chekal, Blake Chekal, Reed Petersen and Tony Jones.
“Junior Varsity winners were: Reece Kimm – one pin and Scott Wheeler with two pins.”
”Saturday at Lisbon, Belle Plaine placed third in the dual team tournament winning three duals.
“This is a great opportunity for us to wrestle in a team tournament. The wrestling is the same but bonus points and not giving up bonus points are a big deal. When you have a chance to get a pin or a major decision you need to get it for the team because it means more team points.
“Saturday we had some guys wrestle very well and had some not wrestle to their potential. It is a matter of continuing to work hard and make improvements from match to match. We have made progress and with the second half of the season coming up we will need to continue to work at it.
“Zakk Buch and Jack O’Brien both went 5-0. Kurtis Osipchack went 4-1 and Lance Hinschberger, Austin Chekal Chad Olson and Reed Petersen all won three matches on the day.
“The team scores were as follows: BP 45, Alburnette 28; BP 48, Clayton Ridge 24; BP 38, Wilton 33; Lisbon 48, BP 23 and Monticello 49, BP 24.”

Belle Plaine Coach Justin Northrop offered this update on his boys’ basketball team after a week in which it won one of three games:
“This week we finally got to play a few home games and got one of three. On Monday we faced English Valley. The boys started out a little slow and it was a little too close at halftime. In the second half we put a couple of nice runs together and got the much needed victory by 18. Chris Janss once again led us in scoring with 16, followed by Ben Ehlen with 14. Seivon Steward finally got going and added nine. Keegan DeMeulenare led us with 11 boards followed by Chris Janss with nine. Seivon added a six and played his best game of the year. Seivon is such a good athlete that needed the confidence gained in this game. The guys needed this victory in such a bad way going into the rest of the week.
“On Tuesday Lynnville Sully came to town in a “TALL” order. No one in the conference can match their size inside and we tried to change the game up on them. Shortening the game was our chance to keep it close and spread them out. It worked well in the first half and we kept it close until they had a little run in at the end of the second quarter. They are very well coached and were patient with us and used their size on the offense end to follow up misses.
“The guys really bought into what we were doing and sacrificed personally to try to get the upset. Chris Janss has been very consistent throughout the first part of the season and teams are starting to be aware of him. Although Sully had some big guys inside, Chris again led us with 13 points followed by Ben Ehlen with 11. Keegan DeMeulenare played a great game and got nine points. Seivon Steward led us on the boards with seven followed by Keegan DeMeulenare and Chris Janss with six and five respectively. John Long and Ben Ehlen played a great game defensively pestering guys on the perimeter and held their leading scorer 11 under his average. The Hawks held on for a 56-46 win.
“It did not get any easier when Friday rolled around and Keota came to Belle Plaine. They returned four starters from last year’s SICL champion squad. Once again matching up with them was a little problem. We came out aggressive on defense and caused them some problems. We again tried to shorten the game some and it paid off in the first half.
“We trailed Keota by six at the half and the boys were playing very inspired basketball. The first three minutes of the second half was the telling story for the rest of the game. Keota came out and shot the ball very well and put a lot of pressure defensively on us. We were not ready and Keota can score in bunches.
“Even though the final score was not in our favor, 66-41, I know the guys feel that they can play with them. Ben Ehlen led us with 17 points followed by Keegan DeMeulenare with 11. This was Ben’s best game of the year as far as scoring points added with 3 assists and four turnovers.
“We travel to Tri-County on Monday and then enter the Christmas break. We will also go to Benton Community to have a holiday scrimmage with Benton, Mt Vernon, and Center Point on the second. This is always nice to knock off a little dust and get ready for a demanding January.
“We must get some wins to help us in our district seeding for the state tournament. I see much improvement in different areas. Even though our record is not where we want it to be the guys attitude it staying upbeat and they know as well as the coaches that things will get better. No one can question their effort and desire on the court. We just need to put some things together and get some wins. Happy Holidays!”

A mishap in the construction zone at Longfellow Elementary School last week caused no injuries, minimal damage to the buildings and only about a day delay in construction.
According to Dave Petersen, senior vice president and safety director for Garling Construction, a 40-ton crane tipped when ground conditions caused one of the footings to sink through the frozen layer of soil. The crane came to rest at about a 45-degree angle against the wall of the new gym. A portion of it also struck a hallway near the first grade classroom.
It was determined no structural damage was caused to the new construction, he said. The tip of the crane that hit the classroom section damaged a portion of the steel roof that was installed several years ago. But he said the company that installed the roof was contacted and repairs to the roof were completed by Saturday.
School officials said the first graders heard the crash, but were in no danger. But as a precaution, the classroom was evacuated for a time until a damage assessment was made.
Petersen said there was no damage to the crane. A larger crane was brought in and righted it and work continued. He estimated the incident may have set back construction a day.

There’s a recent addition to the downtown development movement in Belle Plaine, but these improvements are probably only seasonal.
Members of the Women’s Pool League at Grand Central Station helped design and decorate several gingerbread houses recently when they gathered for their league night.
Linda Van Hamme, Grand Central owner, said it was a fun night and she only wishes she had been running a video camera as they designed and decorated their creations.
Other members of the construction crew included Megan Landuyt, Leah Upah, Sandy Schminke, Robin Danker, Heather Hollopeter, Lena White, Connie Mall, Denise McMullen, Emily McMullen and Holly Beck.
The gingerbread village is on display near the pool table in the bar.