JOHNSTON—West Lyon started slowly but got going late in the first stanza and slowly pulled away for a 54-40 non-conference girls’ basketball victory on Saturday, Dec. 4 in the Winter Tipoff Classic.

NORTHWOOD—The North Union Warriors wrestling squad won two of three Top of Iowa Conference matches on Thursday, Dec. 2 in the season opener.

The green-black-and-silver defeated Northwood-Kensett 42-36 and North Butler/Clarksville 54-27 but fell to second-ranked Osage by the score of 69-12.

ALGONA—Hosting a pair of league foes, the Algona Bulldogs wrestling squad split two North Central Conference matches on Thursday, Dec. 2.

The red-and-black fell to the Webster City Lynx 46-26 in the opener before bouncing back to blank the St. Edmond Gaels by the final score of 78-0.

Five Bulldog wrestlers went 2-0 on the evening as Luke Carter and Jagger O-Neall recorded a pair of falls as Isaac Wilson won by fall and earned a forfeit win.

MASON CITY—Mason City Newman built a big first quarter lead and never looked on Thursday, Dec. 2 in a 75-34 non-conference boys’ basketball win over the Bishop Garrigan Golden Bears.

The home team held an 18-4 lead at the conclusion of the first frame and increased their advantage to 37-17 at intermission. The Knights led 62-29 at the end of three periods of basketball.

ALGONA—Clear Lake built a big lead early only to Algona fight back with a strong third quarter before handing the red-and-black a 60-37 defeat on Friday, Dec. 3 in the North Central Conference opener for both squads.

The Lions, ranked No. 8 in Class 3A, took a 13-9 lead at the conclusion of the first frame and extended that advantage to 29-11 at intermission.

By Greg Grabianowski, Sports Editor

A nice group of 11 lettermen are back for the 2021-22 edition of the Algona Bulldog wrestling squad to build a solid foundation on as the team heads into the this winter’s campaign.

This year’s team numbers 33 strong and is comprised of four seniors, six juniors, 10 sophomores and 11 freshmen will round out the red-and-black roster.

By Greg Grabianowski, Sports Editor

A young Algona Bulldog girls basketball squad went through some growing pains in 2020-21 under a new head coach but are looking forward to using the experience gained last winter to turn into more victories this year.

The red-and-black went 5-15 overall last season and the team was 5-8 in North Central Conference contests, good enough for fifth place in the always competitive league.

By Greg Grabianowski, Sports Editor

A pair of senior lettermen that are returning starters will provide leadership for the 2021-22 edition of the Algona Bulldog boys basketball team as they head into a new season.

Algona went 16-7 overall last winter and red-and-black were 11-3 in North Central Conference contests, good enough for a runner-up finish in the always competitive league.

By Greg Grabianowski, Sports Editor

With the loss of six players, including a three-time all-stater, the 2021-22 edition of the Bishop Garrigan Golden Bear boys basketball team will need to find some players to fill some roles on this year’s squad.

The black-and-gold finished last season with a 15-9 overall record and had an 11-5 mark in the Top of Iowa Conference that left them in a third place tie in the league with Forest City.

By Greg Grabianowski, Sports Editor

After going 25-2 overall and being the Class 1A state runner-up for the past two seasons, the Bishop Garrigan Golden Bear girls basketball squad is looking for that one more victory to earn that elusive state title for the first time in the school’s history.

By Greg Grabianowski, Sports Editor

A nice nucleus of eight returning letter winners is a good place to start building a solid foundation on for the 2021-22 edition of the North Union Warrior girls basketball squad as the team heads into another season on the court.

The green-black-and-silver went 15-7 overall last year and were 11-5 in the Top of Iowa Conference games, good enough for a third place tie in the league with the Forest City Indians in the standings.

By Greg Grabianowski, Sports Editor

With just one wrestler gone off last year’s roster, the 2021-22 edition of the North Union Warriors wrestling squad is looking forward to another outstanding season on the mat in the school’s eighth year of existence.

This winter’s squad numbers 15 with no seniors, three juniors, six sophomores and six freshmen with a total of nine letter winners sprinkle among that group.

By Greg Grabianowski, Sports Editor

With seven lettermen returning off last winter’s team, the 2021-22 edition of the North Union Warrior boys basketball squad is looking forward to a successful season.

Head coach Alex Fisher is back for his eighth year as the green-black-and-silver’s head mentor and has a career record 49-109. He will be assisted this winter by Chad Heinen.

By Greg Grabianowski, Sports Editor

A nice group of eight lettermen will return for the West Bend-Mallard Wolverines to build a solid foundation on for the team as they head into the 2021-22 campaign.

The purple-and-gold went 6-16 overall last year while the squad was 3-8 in Twin Lakes Conference play that left them in a ninth place tie with Graettinger-Terril/Ruthven-Ayrshire.

By Greg Grabianowski, Sports Editor

A nice group of nine lettermen will return to build a solid foundation on for the 2021-22 edition of the West Bend-Mallard Wolverines wrestling squad.

The purple-and-gold went 9-14 in dual meets last winter and was 3-6 in Twin Lakes Conference matches for eighth place in the league.