Sports

Early missed shots put Spencer’s girls in a hole against Sergeant Bluff-Luton Saturday in the field house, but it was the Warriors’ pressure to start the second half that sealed the Tigers’ fate as they fell 57-33. “I thought our girls stayed aggressive on the offensive end,” Tiger girls basketball coach Matt Stevenson said. ...

WAVERLY — Waverly-Shell Rock High School played host to Iowa’s first ever high school girls state wrestling tournament this past weekend with backing from the Iowa Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association. A total of 87 Iowa girls took to the mats at the school with state titles on the line in the following weight classes: 106, 113, 120, 126, 132, 138, 152, 170, 195 and 285...

STORM LAKE — Spencer’s boys swim team traveled south to the Finkbine Pool at Buena Vista University Tuesday for a heads up dual with Storm Lake, outscoring the Tornadoes 59-33 for the win. “This is always a fun meet for us, and we always have a great time with the Storm Lake team,” Tiger coach Katie Tanner said. ...

LAKE PARK — Sioux Central and Harris-Lake Park’s girls kept it close all night Thursday, but the Rebels outscored the Wolves by five in the fourth quarter to seal a 51-44 triumph. “We played a little sluggish at the defensive end but made some shots late in the game to pull away,” Rebel girls basketball coach Alan Vasher said. ...

LAKE PARK — Harris-Lake Park had few answers for the Sioux Central offense Thursday night as the Rebels steadily pulled away for a 63-48 victory. “I really thought we shared the ball tonight and got good shots because of it,” Sioux Central boys basketball coach Stephen Tjaden said after his team assisted on 14 of 19 made field goals. ...

Spencer girls basketball coaching staff and athletes will be running mini camps focusing on fundamentals and skills for all girls interested in the game of basketball. The camps will run from 1-2:15 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 27, and Sunday, Feb. 3, at Spencer Middle School. ...

Knights of Columbus will be holding its Free-Throw Contest at the Spencer Middle School on Sunday, Jan. 20, for children ages 9-14 (as of Jan. 1). Entry forms are currently available at Spencer schools and will be available the day of the contest. Gym opens at 1 p.m. with shooting to start at 1:30 p.m...

It’s been a very interesting ice fishing season so far. Ice came early to quite a bit of the ice region, then the weather got warm. Rain fell in some areas; heavy snow fell in others. We maybe didn’t lose a lot of ice, but we also didn’t make much. There’s cold weather in the forecast, and I’m starting to plan some trips to get after fish through the ice. Following are a couple of lakes that I would like to visit in the next few weeks. They both offer outstanding options for a variety of fish...

DES MOINES — Iowa is one of the best places in the country to watch large convocations of bald eagles. During the winter, they move away from their nest sites and gather around open water to hunt and fish on our biggest rivers, particularly the Mississippi and Des Moines. It's a thrilling sight and to make sure as many people as possible get to enjoy this yearly phenomenon, several organizations around the state hold bald eagle watch events...

DES MOINES — Fourteen tissue samples from wild Iowa deer tested positive for chronic wasting disease, bringing the total deer testing positive to chronic wasting disease in Iowa to 44. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is waiting for results on follow up tests for two suspect samples that could raise the total positives for the year to 16. The deer tissue was collected primarily during the fall from hunter harvested and road killed deer...

The teams fishing the North America Ice Fishing Circuit qualifier on West Okoboji’s Emerson Bay could not have asked for a more perfect day: sunny skies, mild temperatures and no wind! According to NAIFC director Jack Baker, “The tournament teams had an absolutely great time on fishing West Okoboji. The legendary lake did not disappoint.”...

If you happened to watch any college football games from the mid-1960s through 2006, you probably listened to the great voice of Keith Jackson, who was one of the most famous play-by-play announcers in history. One of his often-remembered exclamations was the phrase, “Whoa Nellie.” When emphatically said, listeners knew that they had just witnessed something truly significant...

We’ve had a really nice stretch of weather to begin the month of January. Warm temperatures and sunny conditions make us all yearn to be outside. However, when we do spend extended periods of time in the sun, don’t forget the sunscreen and the sunglasses...

In many areas where anglers fish through the ice this time of year, we are at about the midway part of the season. Most lakes have a good cover of ice as well as some snow. We also have cold weather, lots of it. There are a number of things we can do to catch more fish through the ice this time of year, but you’ve got to go fishing to catch 'em. ...