It was the best of times; it was the worst of times – the boys' basketball tournament at Fosston. Coach Bob Laine said he had never seen a score so low when the Bears met up with tournament hosts Fosston Greyhounds last Thursday. The Bears were happy to break 20 points. Then the next night against Win-E-Mac the Bears stepped it up and looked like a team that knows what to do on the court. This back and forth between sketchy play and competitive play is showing how young the team is, but also the promise they have if they can pull it together by the end of the season. The boys play at home on Thursday against Blackduck. A special feature of the game will be the halftime performance of the marching band, which will be worth a look.

Last week Coach Mike Pepera said the December schedule was as tough as any hockey schedule he has seen. This year's team isn't getting blown out of the water, and each game shows some improvement. The boys must be learning from playing against difficult opponents. The boys are at home tonight against International Falls with the varsity game at 7:30 p.m.

The girls' basketball team also is home tonight, in their home opener against Kelliher/Northome. The girls also went to Fosston last week, losing by one point to Roseau and then to Win-E-Mac in the consolation round. A home game with some loud fans might be the jump they need to turn their season around. They are the defending section champions.

After a string of home games, your next chance to catch the girls' hockey team home is Monday against Park Rapids. That is an A Team only game, so it is at 6 p.m. The girls played on Saturday against East Grand Forks, and they are showing improvement in each game. They are getting more shots and showing better handling of the puck. This week they have some time off for practice before heading to the Silver Bay and Eveleth/Gilbert arenas this weekend.

Check out our community calendar for all the Lake of the Woods games.