by Melanie Ayala, Senior Writer On Thursday, January 29th, 2026, the Johnson Creek Bluejays boys basketball team lost to the Saint Ambrose Guardians (14-2) at Johnson Creek High School, 76-71. The Bluejays started off hot, but Saint Ambrose would close the gap and eventually take over in the final minutes of the first half.  The Guardians led by a score of 38 to 26 at halftime.  In the second half, Saint Ambrose kept their foot on the gas pedal and kept the pressure on.  Despite the Bluejays pushing with a late rally, the Guardians would hold on to win the game, 76-71. For Saint Ambrose, sophomore Isaac Moreland (31) carried the team with 25 points.  Additionally, sophomore Adam Sturm (3) had 20 points and senior Nathan Pietrzykowski (12) had 12 points. As for the Bluejays, junior Hayden Wagner (1) led the way with 23 points.  Furthermore, senior Brady Fincutter (0) added 18 points and junior Kace Freimund (13) had 10 points. The Johnson Creek Bluejays boys...

by Alyssa Hucke, Senior Writer On Monday, January 26, 2026, the Johnson Creek Bluejays girls’ basketball team lost a non-conference matchup against the Juda Panthers (4-12) at Juda High School, 53-43.  Juda controlled the first half, using strong defensive pressure and efficient scoring to take a 26–20 advantage into halftime. Johnson Creek came out with renewed energy in the second half and continued to battle, showing determination and effort throughout the final half. The Bluejays worked to cut into the deficit but were unable to complete the comeback, ultimately falling 53–43. Offensively, junior Lydia Wetzel led the Bluejays with 11 points. Sophomore Paige Swanson followed with 10 points, while senior guard Alyssa Hucke added 7 points. Despite the loss, the Bluejays showed resilience and teamwork as they continue their season. The Johnson Creek Bluejays (2-13) will host the Parkview Vikings (10-9) in a conference matchup at Johnson Creek High School on Friday, January 30th, 20...

by Aiden Smith, Senior Writer On Monday, January 26th, 2026 The Johnson Creek Bluejays (9-3) boys basketball team lost to the Waterloo Pirates (3-11), 74-63.  Waterloo started hot, scoring 10 points in the first 2 minutes of the game. The Bluejays started slowly out of the gates, only notching a couple of points in the first couple of minutes. However, they would storm back, cutting the Waterloo double-digit lead to only four at halftime. At the half, Waterloo led Johnson Creek, 31-27. In the second half, the Bluejays continued to fight back. Eventually, they would tie the game at 44. However, the Bluejays would fall apart from there. Senior Brady Fincutter (0), Johnson Creek's leading scorer on the season, fouled out with over eight minutes left after receiving a technical foul. After that, Waterloo was able to extend its lead and hold off the Bluejays, 74-63. For the Bluejays, Fincutter finished 1-of-9 from the field with 3 points before fouling out. Junior Jon Kamuchey (1...

by Caleb Jones, Senior Writer On Monday, January 5th, 2026, the Johnson Creek Bluejays girls basketball team lost to the Cambridge Blue Jays (8-3) at Johnson Creek High School, 49-15. Cambridge dominated most of the game from start to finish.  By halftime, they led Johnson Creek, 30-8.  The second half wasn't much better for Johnson Creek.  Johnson Creek was outscored in the second half, 19-7, and Cambridge held on to win, 49-15. For Johnson Creek, sophomore Olivia Frey (23) led the team in scoring with 6 points off the bench.  Additionally, sophomore Tori Buglass (14) added 4 points on 2-of-9 shooting. The Johnson Creek Bluejays girls basketball team (1-7) will be back at home on Thursday, January 8th, 2025, in a conference matchup against the Williams Bay Bulldogs (2-4).  Tip-off is at 6pm.

 by Trent Kvalheim, Senior Writer On Saturday, January 3rd, 2025, the Johnson Creek Bluejays boys basketball team lost to the Whitewater Whippets (5-4) at Whitewater High School, 61-56. The Bluejays controlled the first half, leading by a score of 30-28 at halftime.  In the second half, Whitewater would storm back, outscoring the Bluejays 33-23.  The Whippets would hold on to secure the win, 61-56.   This game had an amazing performance by Whitewater’s Matthew Carollo (23). The senior guard scored a career-high 35 points, setting a school record with 11 three-pointers on 16 attempts.  Furthermore, the Bluejays held senior Casey Lyon (0) to just 10 points on 3-of-14 shooting. With Johnson Creek’s defense honed in on Whitewater's leading scorer, Casey Lyon, this left an easier path for Carollo to find open opportunities to get a record. For the Bluejays, junior Kace Freimund (13) notched a double-double, scoring 17 points and snatching 14 rebounds.  Addi...

On Friday, January 2nd, 2025, the Johnson Creek Bluejays girls basketball team lost to the Big Foot Chiefs (4-4) in a non-conference battle at Johnson Creek High School, 41-26. Both teams started a little slow out of the gates.  With both teams having last played on December 15th, that wasn't too much of a surprise.  Offensively, the first half wasn't much to write home about.  Both teams were struggling from the field, but Big Foot led at the half, 17-12. In the second half, the Chiefs started to pull away from the Bluejays with clutch shots and excellent defense from senior Mya Gonzalez (11).  Junior Leah Paulsen (10) also provided a good amount of offense for the Chiefs.  Overall, Big Foot outscored Johnson Creek 24-14 in the second half - with the final score being 41-26. For the Bluejays, sophomore Paige Swanson (32) led the way in scoring with 8 points.  She also snagged 7 rebounds.  Additionally, senior Alyssa Hucke (3) and sophomore Tori Buglas...