The JWP boys' basketball team took home the hardware from the Kwik Trip Holiday Tournament at Bethany Lutheran College in Mankato on Monday, December 29 after defeating Maple River 68-46 in the championship round.
After leaving the Kwik Trip Holiday Tournament at Bethany Lutheran College in Mankato as the runner-up following a tight contest against Fairmont last season, the Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton boys’ basketball team was looking to get its hands on the trophy this season. And they succeeded in that goal.
The boys faced a St. Clair team they had already met earlier in the week, along with New Ulm – a Class 3A school – and, finally, former conference rival Maple River in the championship round. While the Cyclones brought everything they had, JWP still defeated them 77-68. The Bulldogs had a classic matchup with the New Ulm Eagles, even leading by double digits before taking the 83-76 win. They had their most decisive match in the championship round, defeating Maple River’s Eagles 68-46.
Bulldogs 77, Cyclones 68
The first game for JWP at the Kwik Trip Holiday Tournament was on Friday, December 26, against the St. Clair Cyclones. Funnily enough, the two teams faced each other earlier in the week, with JWP putting up a dominant 84-46 performance. The Bulldogs were looking to deliver that type of performance again, while the Cyclones were looking to make it a much more competitive matchup.
The latter happened.
Gavin Bauer, a sophomore who seems able to score 20-30 points a game at will some nights, was limited to nine points. Although the scoring wasn’t an issue for JWP, St. Clair’s ability to hit some clutch shots most of the night, paired with the Bulldogs’ inability to stop the Cyclones as well as they did earlier in the week, made the game much closer.
“St. Clair came out and gave us everything tonight,” Head Coach Nick James said. “We didn’t make things as tough on the defensive end, which limits our transition game.”
It goes to show that this team, although still undefeated and ranked, can still improve.
The Bulldogs led the Cyclones 43-35 at the half and won 77-68. Daulton Bauer led the way with 25 points, five assists, and a trio of steals. Caleb Quast had 18 points and four assists. Jaxon Wolff had 15 points and four assists. Gavin Bauer, although limited in scoring, led the team in assists with eight.
Bulldogs 83, NU Eagles 76
With how JWP has played like a state-ranked team should, their bout against the Class 3A New Ulm Eagles had all the potential to be an instant classic. That potential was met.
Coach James gave New Ulm its due when discussing its team. “I don’t think people realize how good they are,” he said. “You might look at their record and think they aren’t a good team. But one of their losses was to a solid Marshall team. Another was to state-ranked St. Peter. And they also took a loss to Belle Plaine, and they’re one of the top teams in Class AA right now.”
Add state-ranked JWP to the list of quality losses for New Ulm.
To quote Coach James, it was a “great back-and-forth game.” The two teams were gridlocked in a 42-42 tie at halftime. JWP blew things wide open in the second half, having as much as a 13-point lead before the Eagles tried clawing their way back into it. JWP held on for the 83-76 victory.
“We made some big plays down the stretch and hit some big free throws,” James commented.
It was an excellent game for Daulton Bauer, who hit 31 points in the game with five rebounds and five assists. Gavin Bauer may have been limited against St. Clair, but he had 23 points against New Ulm with eight rebounds and four assists. Caleb Quast contributed 11 points and five rebounds, with Gavin Weedman providing seven points.
Bulldogs 68, MR Eagles 46
The way the first half went, both teams would have to earn every single point in this matchup. But then the second half changed things.
It was a grind at first for both teams to score. Maple River used its size to limit JWP’s chances in the paint while fighting for offensive rebounds on the other end. There were some issues at first with discipline on the Bulldogs’ end as well, including a bad pass here and a juke gone wrong there.
Gavin Bauer had what was only a clean break in the first half of the game (and one of the very few throughout the night) and had the chance to tie things up. But he tried to dunk to add insult to injury, only to miss. He made up for it by hitting a three-pointer from the corner to give the Bulldogs a narrow 23-22 halftime lead.
The second half saw the Bulldog offense finally figure out Maple River’s defense. Eventually, if you force your way through defenders to the basket, take the shot, and get knocked down, you’ll draw a foul. It took a while, but that finally happened. They didn’t end up hitting many free throws from it, but at least they were able to frustrate Maple River a bit.
“I think we finally wore them down and got the transition points that we usually get,” Coach James commented.
Gavin Bauer opened the scoring in the second half, earning all eight of JWP’s points to start the half. Caleb Quast came alive, supplying five following G. Bauer’s barrage. Add Daulton Bauer hitting tough layups and taking bumps along the way with a pair of shots from Weedman, and JWP was running away with it. Junior Seth Dahlberg was given some playing time and hit the team’s final three of the game.
The unsung hero of this game was junior Parker Geariety. He may not have lit up the scoreboard like the Bauers, but he earned some tough offensive rebounds to set up everyone else for second-chance scoring opportunities.
“I think he’s a great example of how hard the boys work and the mentality that they have,” Coach James said.
Gavin Bauer led the team in this one with 18 points, eight rebounds, and five assists. Daulton Bauer had 15 points and seven rebounds. Gavin Weedman had 12 points, with Caleb Quast contributing nine points and four rebounds. Tyson Kronbach had himself a good game with seven points and five rebounds.
After the championship matchup, everyone received their awards and trophies. As part of the tournament, there are players named to the all-tournament team. Caleb Quast and brothers Daulton and Gavin Bauer were among several others given all-tournament honors out of the eight schools at the tournament.
With this win, the boys are now 10-0 and will officially end the 2025 stretch of the winter season undefeated. They will face Springfield at Kasson-Mantorville High School as part of the Southern Minnesota Hoops Fest on Saturday, January 3.
