The Philip boys basketball team traveled to New Underwood on Tuesday, February 9, to challenge the Tigers.

In a come back effort, the Scotties gained a tight victory, keeping the audience members on the edge of their seats until the last minutes of the game. The final score was 48-45.

"It's always tough to go on the road and get a win," said head coach Mike Baer. "It doesn't help when you don't shoot well. But a win is a win, and this one was big. With two wins over New underwood and ten wins, it will be hard for us to loose the number two seed in district.

The West River Girls' Basketball Tournament, held Thursday through Saturday, February 11-13, ended with Philip taking third place.

"A tournament like this is a grueling task to get through three days of basketball," said Philip head coach Mike Albrecht. "We traveled over 600 miles in three days, plus played three tough teams." First, Philip beat Faith 51-38, then challenged Newell. Albrecht said, "Newell is undefeated. We gave a good game to the best team in the state.

In an away basketball game on Friday, February 12, the Philip Scotties fell to the Lyman Raiders. The final score was 49-52.

The game had relatively equal scoring by both teams in the first three quarters of the game. The first quarter ended in a 14-14 tie. By half-time, Philip had taken the lead by only one point. The third quarter ended in another tie, 40 all. Not until the fourth quarter did the scoring vary. Lyman kept up its low-teens score, while Philip fell back to a single digit. In the end, three points separated the winner from the loser.

The Philip Scottie boys basketball team hosted the Newell Irrigators on Monday, February 15, defeating them 52-28.

The first quarter appeared to be the beginning of a close game, with only a one point lead by Newell. The second quarter foreshadowed the rise of the Scotties to a comparatively easy win. Going into the second half with a score of 24-19, Philip finally launched a devastating offensive and kept Newell in the single digits for the third quarter. Then, the final quarter saw the Scottie first string give court time to their up-and-coming teammates.

The Philip Area Scotties hosted the District 7B Wrestling Tournament on Saturday, February 13.

In the close match between first and second place, the Scottie team earned enough points to defeat Hot Springs in the last match. Philip's Gavin DeVries, in his first match win of the season, pinned his Hill City opponent to claim third place in the 275 pound class. This put the Philip Area team on top for the tournament with 217 points.

Hot Springs ended the tournament with 213.5 points for second place. Custer had 109.5 points for third place.

The Haakon School District 27-1 Board of Education has approved the calendar for next school year.

According to Superintendent Keven Morehart, the teaching staff gave input on three possible calendars. The majority of the staff preferred one, and the board agreed. "Basically, it is the same type of calendar that we have now," said Morehart. The first day of classes would be Wednesday, August 18, and the last day of classes would be Tuesday, May 17. Christmas break would be from December 23 through January 2.

What started as a temporary role has expanded into something much more, said Janell Gerberding, a physician assistant at Philip Health Services, Inc.

Originally hired to cover occasional on-call shifts in the hospital's emergency room, Gerberding is now on staff at the clinic one day each week.

"We're really happy that she is here. She's developed quite a patient following, and the doctors, nurses and other staff just love her," said PHSI Administrator Kent Olson.

Ray Smith, Philip, and the rest of the South Dakota Agriculture and Rural Leadership (SDARL) class, has returned from a study of agricultural practices in South Africa.

Smith was the only Haakon County representative in the SDARL Class V trip. He was told that South Africa is in an uneasy post-Apartheid transition. The government, now run by the black population, has mandated that by the year 2011, 30 percent of all ag land is to be bought by the government and turned back to the blacks. Smith observed, "That program is not going well and has to do with lack of education and capital.

Ray Smith, Philip, and the rest of the South Dakota Agriculture and Rural Leadership (SDARL) class, has returned from a study of agricultural practices in South Africa.

Smith was the only Haakon County representative in the SDARL Class V trip. He was told that South Africa is in an uneasy post-Apartheid transition. The government, now run by the black population, has mandated that by the year 2011, 30 percent of all ag land is to be bought by the government and turned back to the blacks. Smith observed, "That program is not going well and has to do with lack of education and capital.

The Philip Area Scottie wrestling team earned third place at the 2010 South Dakota State "B" Dual Tournament at Wagner on Saturday, January 30.

The 12 teams competing were divided into three brackets. Though Philip won its bracket, it came in third behind first place Hot Springs and second place Wagner. The Scotties first defeated Tri-Valley with a team score of 45-29. They then racked up a 43-30 win over Howard, which had earlier defeated Parkston.