It seems like winter just started, and it’s already time to be planning a late season ice fishing trip. This year’s mild weather has made it come more quickly than usual.

Late season ice, February or March depending on where you live, is my favorite ice fishing season. The days are getting longer, the weather isn’t as cold, and the fish are hungry. Here’s how you can catch 'em.

The National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic is less than a month away. I know it sounds crazy, but with ice fishing coming to a grinding and watery halt, it’s time to look for something else, and to me, that event is the Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic set for March 1-3 at the Denny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Hours will be noon to 7 p.m. on Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday.

DES MOINES — And then there was one.

Heading into day three — Friday — of the four-day IHSAA Boys State Wrestling Tournament, senior Connor Stickrod was the final Spencer grappler, among the six Tigers who qualified, in contention for a medal, needing just one more win on the consolation side of the 106-pound bracket to reach the medal round.

SIOUX RAPIDS — Trailing by a basket to Manson-Northwest Weber after the first quarter, 15-13, Sioux Central rebounded nicely in Friday night’s Class 2A Region 5 semifinal, limiting the Cougars to 21 points in the final three quarters en route to a 61-36 victory. The win launched the 21-1 Rebels into the regional final against Twin Lakes Conference rival 14-8 Pocahontas Wednesday in Spencer. Game time is set for 7 p.m. with a state berth on the line.

CRESTON — Iowa Lakes Lakers basketball earned a narrow win on the road at Southwestern Community College, 75-72, led by three players in double figures.

ILCC was led by Emma Kanz with 24 points, while Tayona Keys added 17 points and Jordyn Stokes finished with16.

The Lakers were 26-32 from the free-throw line.

Spencer’s boys basketball team will enter postseason play Monday night as the No. 6 seed in Class 3A Substate 2 when they travel to No. 3 seed Humboldt for a Monday night quarterfinal matchup. The two teams have yet to play this year, with their last meeting coming in 2022 Class 3A Substate 1 Final. The 21-3 Wildcats would best the Karter Petzenhauser led 20-4 Tigers, 63-55.

SIOUX CENTER — Spencer’s girls would battle in the first and third quarters but it wasn’t enough to overcome a potent attack in Sioux County — the land of the giants — as the Tigers would be handed its 21st loss of the year, ending the 2023-24 campaign at the hands of the Sioux Center Warriors, 64-39. The end was similar to a Dec. 7 meeting this year where the Warriors recorded a 67-33 victory.

SIOUX RAPIDS — After a first round bye, the top-seeded team in Class 2A Region 5, Sioux Central hosted, and defeating opening round winner Carroll Kuemper, 62-27, Monday night in the Class 2A. The Rebels, who picked up their 20th win of the year, will host Manson-Northwest Webster, 12-11 coming into the game, at 7 p.m. Friday.

CHEROKEE — The Braves took advantage of their home court Monday night when Sioux Central came to town for its regular season finale. Cherokee, the No. 4 seed, connected on better than 50% of their shots from the field on their familiar rims, while defensively limiting the No. 5 Rebels to 28% for the game. Those numbers would result in a 73-41 win for the home team.

Spencer students, staff and wrestling fans came together in the Spencer Middle School gym Monday for a dual purpose, to welcome home the six Spencer girls who represented the purple and gold in Coralville at the IGHSAU Girls State Meet. (Above) Three-time, 235-pound champion Olivia Huckfeltt, 190-pound competitor Kaylee Nachtigal; 140-pound runner-up Shaylee Sutherland, 130-pound competitor Kyiah Logan, 125-pound competitor Breanna Johnson and 100-pound eighth place medalist Kiara Ruiz.

ESTHERVILLE — The 11th-ranked Iowa Lakes men’s basketball team have won seven straight, including 10 of the last 11 dating back to Jan. 10, moving to 21-5 overall and 11-3 in Iowa Community College Athletic Conference play following a 94-83 win over Iowa Central. Among the ILCC wins, they stopped some top 10 programs.

FORT DODGE — The Spencer Tigers will be represented by six wrestlers when the ISHAA Wrestling Tournament gets underway Wednesday at the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines. As a team, the Tigers placed fourth in the team standings.

SPENCER — After falling behind 17-5 in the first period, the Spencer Tigers would bounce back with 17 of their own in the second frame, limiting 14th-ranked Sioux City West to just eight, trailing the Wolverines just 25-22 at the break. But the second half went to the visitors in convincing fashion, 34-11, resulting in a 26-point loss, 59-33.

“I thought we played pretty well the first half on both ends of the floor,” Tiger head coach Matt Stevenson said.

Spencer’s boys continued its brutal end of season basketball schedule with back-to-back losses, Thursday and Friday, at home against Sioux City West and on the road at Le Mars. The 6-13 Tigers will conclude regular season play with two more back-to-back games, Monday and Tuesday, against 13-6 Algona and Sioux City North, 5-14.

SIOUX RAPIDS — Hinton used a 25-point third quarter to open up an otherwise close game in Sioux Rapids, while holding Sioux Central to just 15 in the same 10-minute time frame, en route to a 70-55 victory to close out regular season play.

The Rebels would lead by a single point after the first period, but the Backhawks would create some space, taking a 33-27 lead into the intermission.