It had been six years since the Spring Grove girls had shot as well as they did during a 60-22 road win at Mabel-Canton on Feb. 15. Their 48% from the field was their best in the last 156 games, dating back to the 2017 season. And it was not that the Lions were shooting lay-ups; they scored two-thirds (40) of their 60 points from the perimeter, including a season-high 10 … [Read more...]
Lion girls rally with defense to overtake Cardinals, 66-52
The Spring Grove girls won 66-52, rallying from a 15-point deficit to win by 14 at LeRoy-Ostrander on Feb. 13. The Cardinals hit 6 of 7 early shots and 6 of 7 free throws to take a 19-4 lead before the Lions changed defenses. Full-court pressure led to a season-high 19 steals for Spring Grove, which contributed to 33 Cardinal turnovers. the most of any Lion opponent this … [Read more...]
One-loss Lion boys breeze past one-win Superlarks, 64-24
The state-ranked No. 8 Spring Grove boys rolled to a 64-24 rematch win over visiting Grand Meadow on Feb. 17, scoring exactly 64 points versus the Superlarks for the second time this season. Including that earlier 64-27 road result, the Lions extended their winning streak against GM to 47 games and lead all-time, 56 wins to 13. Wade Grinde’s guys improved to 22-1 (17-0 … [Read more...]
No. 8 Spring Grove boys clinch SEC East title with win against Kingsland
The Spring Grove boys buried Kingsland, 59-23, to nail down a third straight SEC East Division championship - their 12th league title in the last 13 seasons and 23rd conference crown all-time. Jaxon Strinmoen had a 15-point, 10-rebound double-double along with a game-high 5 steals while Jacob Olerud put in 14 points and Elijah Solum netted 13 to complete a balanced-scoring … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past The approach of day warned them to “git”
Part eight of a series This account of an 1877 robbery was published in the 1882 History of Houston County with preservation of the original spelling and punc-tuation. On Mon-day night, June 3d, a most persistent attempt was made to rob the safe in the County Treasurer’s office. Nothing was known of the affair until 7 o’clock on Tuesday morning, when the Auditor, Mr. Trask, … [Read more...]
Spring Grove girls undone by Trojan defense
The Spring Grove girls were doomed by turnovers against an aggressive, pressure defense during a 57-23 home loss to Rushford-Peterson on Feb. 1. Six of the Lions’ 24 lost possessions came while the Trojans (15-9) took control with a 13-to-1 scoring stretch during the first half. The Grove girls (10-13) then rallied with a 9-to-2 run of their own and sliced a 16-point deficit … [Read more...]
Lion boys snap losing streak versus Rushford-Peterson
There were too many Spring Grove treys for the Trojans as the Lions boys ended a seven-game losing slide against Rushford-Peterson, 56-45. State-ranked No. 9 Spring Grove drilled 10 of 18 shots, a really hot 55%, beyond the 3-point arc during a non-conference contest in a packed gymnasium on Saturday afternoon, Feb. 11. Both teams shot really well inside the arc (SG 60%, R-P … [Read more...]
Lion girls fend off Rebels with late free throws
The Spring Grove girls closed with a 9-to-3 run to defeat Southland by seven points, 54-47, at Adams on Feb. 9. The Lions completed the season sweep by hitting 7 of 9 late free throws while forcing three late Rebel turnovers. Siri Konkel sank all six of her late foul shots while scoring a team-high 15 points plus piloting the Lion attack with 9 assists. Kylie Hammel contributed … [Read more...]
Solum’s 26 helps short-handed Spring Grove boys avert upset in overtime
There was so much to overcome for the Spring Grove boys, who needed overtime to turn back a determined upset bid from Southland, 47-42. The Feb. 7 home decision, a 31st consecutive conference victory, assured the Lions at least a share of the Southeast Conference East Division championship. Two of the most productive Lions, Jaxon Strinmoen and Jacob Olerud, were both at home … [Read more...]
Spring Grove girls complete sweep of Athletics, 73-47
The Spring Grove girls struck early with a 20-0 run and went on to complete a season sweep of Lyle/Pacelli, 73-47. Lydia Solum had a 12-point, 11-rebound double-double while three other Lions came close to the feat. Addyson McHugh was one rebound short with 14 points and 9 boards. Kylie Hammel was also close with 13 points and 8 rebounds as was Brinley Middendorf with 9 points … [Read more...]
Last-seconds shot lifts Lion boys past Falcons
With two seconds remaining and the Fillmore Central boys leading by one point, Spring Grove junior Elijah Solum hit a 3-point jump shot for a two-point Lion lead. After a time-out and with one second to play, Caleb Griffin intercepted the Falcons’ half-court inbounds pass, was fouled and hit two free throws with two-tenths of a second on the clock to create the final 69-65 … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past 1877: A costly Caledonia fire, a fatal Houston misfire
Part seven of a series (part six published a year ago in February 2022) Houston County and Fillmore County were established, broken off from Wabasha County in 1854. An 1882 history of Houston County reviewed some newsworthy events in the county during its first three decades. For additional historical perspective, the following – except for editorial notations in parentheses … [Read more...]
Lion girls fall to Alden-Conger/Glenville-Emmons
The Spring Grove girls played from behind almost all game in a 53-40 road loss at Alden-Conger/Glenville-Emmons on Feb. 2. It was a non-conference contest, since SEC member Glenville-Emmons plays in the Valley Conference when sharing girls basketball. The Knights improved to 9-8 while the Lions dropped to 8-12. A string of seven consecutive Lion turnovers occurred while … [Read more...]
Spring Grove girls in control of Cardinals
Three Spring Grove girls scored in double figures and three had strong rebounding results as the Lions turned away visiting LeRoy-Ostrander, 55-27, on Jan. 31. Spring Grove controlled the action throughout, outscoring the Cardinals 29-13 before halftime and 26-14 after the break. improved to 8-11 (6-7 SEC), whereas the Cardinals (1-16, 1-12 SEC) went home still in search of a … [Read more...]
Lion boys edge Lyle/Pacelli in state-ranked showdown
In a highly-anticipated state-ranked showdown near the state line, No. 11 Spring Grove slipped past No. 10 Lyle/Pacelli, 46-40, on Feb. 3. Half (five) of the 10 starters were returning all-conference standouts. The gymnasium at Lyle was packed with fired-up fans, and there was live radio coverage along with television cameramen. The Athletics (17-3, 14-1 SEC) rallied from a … [Read more...]