Boys Basketball

Boys Basketball: All Three Rivers Conference

Caledonia (13-1, 23-5) shared the TRC-East with La Crescent/Hokah (13-1, 20-8) while the rest of that division, Rushford-Peterson (8-6, 21-8), Winona-Cotter (8-7, 17-11), and Fillmore Central (4-10, 16-14) also sported good teams.  In the TRC-West, Lewiston-Altura (10-5, 18-10) won the division crown followed by St. Charles (7-8, 15-12), Wabasha-Kellogg (6-9, 12-16), Dover-Eyota (6-10, 10-17), PEM (5-10, 9-19), and Chatfield (1-14, 3-24) in the standings.  The East co-champs and 1AA semifinalist Warriors get five All-TRC picks, their entire starting five (a rare feat).  Mason King (6’0” Jr. G), Reid Klug (6’4” Jr. F), Lewis Doyle (6’0” Sr. G), Garrett Konz (6’4” Jr. F), and Ethan Stendel (6’4” Jr. C) led Caledonia to a 23-5 campaign.  All five averaged double-digit scoring, another rare feat.  

King, Klug, Doyle, and Konz repeat as All-TRC while Stendel moves up from Honorable Mention.  Klug and King each averaged just above 16 points per game.  King hit a team-best 69 three-pointers (40% shooting) while scoring in double figures in all but three games he played.   He averaged 19.2 PPG the last 12 games and notched 16 total games of three-plus made threes. He shot above 75% from the free throw line.   Klug was the team’s second leading rebounder at 6-plus boards per game and he scored in double figures in all but two games where he played.   The versatile wing shot above 60% for the season.  Doyle averaged 12.8 points per game, a team-best 5 assists per, and he led the squad in steals.  He shot over 75% from the line.  The senior topped 1,000 career points late in the season, finishing with 1,014.  Konz averaged 11.8 points and 6-plus boards per contest.   He hit 42 threes at better than 40%.  Stendel averaged 10.3 points per game and a team-best 9-plus boards.  He shot better than 65% from the field.  King, Klug, Konz, and Doyle each had a game of scoring at least 25 points, a rare showing of high-level offensive capabilities across the line-up.  Last year, Doyle averaged 16.6 points per game, King 13.9, Klug 11.3, and Konz 10.1.  Fillmore Central gets two All-TRC picks in Jayce Kiehne (6’2” Sr. G) and Luke Hellickson (6’3” Sr. G/F).  Kiehne earned his third All-TRC nod while Hellickson moved up from All-TRC HM.  Hellickson emerged as probably the Falcons’ top player, playing in every game, leading the team with 18.2 points and 2.1 steals per game, finishing second on the squad with 5.8 rebounds per while adding 2.7 assists.  He hit a team-best 94 threes at a 34% clip, making three or more in a game 21 times.  He scored in double figures in every game but three and had a four-game stretch in early February where he was 23 of 41 from deep.  Hellickson finished with 1,131 career points and is FC’s all-time leader in three-pointers made.  Kiehne missed nine games to injury but averaged 16.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game, tying for the team lead in the latter.  He scored in double figures in 17 of 21 games played.  Kiehne hit a team-best 73 free throws while shooting above 50% from the field.  The strong scorer put up 21.3 points per game last year and 19.6 per game as a sophomore.  He finishes as FC’s all-time leading boys’ scorer with 1,457 points.  Classmates Hellickson and Kiehne thus each top 1,000 career points when only three Falcon guys previously had done so: Jordan Jarland, Kyle Tollefson and Andy Harstad.   Greg Kennedy (6’5” Jr. C > 13.4 PPG, team-best 8.4 RPG, 1.8 APG, 1.6 SPG, team-best 1.8 BPG) made All-TRC HM.  The trio helped FC to its first section semifinal since 2009.  A young Rushford-Peterson squad gets just one All-TRC pick, one of their two seniors, Dawson Bunke (6’4” F/G).   He repeats as All-TRC.  It would be tough to imagine another player in the TRC made more threes than the deft Bunke, who nailed 120 of 285 at a strong 42% clip in leading the Trojans in scoring at 20.2 points per game.  He added a team-best 5.9 rebounds per plus a team second-best 3.0 assists.  Bunke scored in double figures in every game but one, posting 20 or more 17 times.  He hit three or more threes in a game 24 times.  For his career, he hit 304 of 717 career threes (42% clip).  He thus scored 912 of his career 1,314 points from behind the arc.  Making All-TRC was breakout performer Cayden Lea (5’9” Fr. G > team second-best 12.8 PPG, team-best 3.6 APG, team-best 2.5 SPG, 48 threes, 75% free throws).  Bunke and Lea helped the Trojans to a 21-8 season and were big parts of the team taking a whopping 867 threes and making an impressive 324 (37%).  Chatfield had no pure All-TRC picks but Carson Harstad (5’11” Fr. G > team-best 12.5 PPG, 51 made threes, 76% free throws) made All-TRC HM.   Caledonia’s King and Klug, R-P’s Bunke, were considered for Fillmore County Journal Boys Basketball Player of the Year.   La Crescent/Hokah’s Parker McQuin (6’1” Sr. G) and Berkley Mlsna (5’10 Jr. G), Cotter’s Luke Gardner (6’3” Sr. G) and Gabe Stewart (6’3” Sr. F), St. Charles’ Mason Apse (6’1” Sr. G) and Owen Maloney (6’0” Sr. G), Lewiston-Altura’s Zane Nelson (6’4” Jr. F) and Jace Fergurson (6’0” Sr. G), Dover-Eyota’s Levi Williams (6’2” Sr. G/F), and Wabasha-Kellogg’s Ryan Hartert (5’10” Sr. G) round out the All-TRC list.  

Boys Basketball: All-Southeast Conference

Spring Grove (18-2, 25-4) won the SEC-East ahead of Houston (10-10, 15-12), Mabel-Canton (10-10, 14-14), Schaeffer Academy (9-11, 12-15), and Lanesboro (6-14, 8-20).  Southland (17-3, 22-6) topped Kingsland (16-4, 23-6), Lyle/Pacelli (10-10, 13-15), Glenville-Emmons (7-13, 10-18), LeRoy-Ostrander (7-13, 7-20), and Grand Meadow (0-20, 0-27) in the SEC-West.  For Wade Grinde’s championship Lions, two-time All-SEC Jaxon Strinmoen (6’5” senior G) and Ben Udstuen (6’5” junior F) are 1st Team selections while Jacob Olerud (6’1” senior G) is a 2nd Team honoree.  Strinmoen was second in the SEC with 3.7 steals per conference game and led SG with 17.5 points, 7.4 rebounds per game.  He hit 70.8% from the FT line on his way to 1,122 career points. Udstuen was the most accurate SG shooter from the field with 45.5% threes and 63.7% twos and a team-second-best 71.8% free throws. He averaged Lion second-bests with 13.5 points and 6.1 rebounds per. Olerud had team-bests with a 2.46 assist-to-turnover ratio, 78.6% free throw accuracy and 37 made 3-pointers. He averaged 8.9 points and 4.1 rebounds per SEC game. Elijah Solum (6’2” Sr. G > 12.5 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 3.2 APG), who missed much of the season rehabbing after surgery, received All-SEC HM for a second time after being 1st Team the two previous years. He graduates as SG’s fourth all-time leading scorer with 1,448 points.  Section semifinalist Kingsland gets three All-SEC picks, 1st Team selection Jayden Brink (6’0” Sr. G), 2nd Team picks Max Erdman (6’5” Jr. F/C) and Ayden Howard (6’1” Jr. F).  Brink capped a fine four-year career by leading the Knights in scoring at 16.2 per game, assists at 2.5 per, and steals at 2.2 per.  He added 4.0 rebounds per game.  Brink scored in double figures in every game but three and he hit 84 threes for the season at a 37% clip.  He tallied 237 made threes the last three years and is the rare player to average double-digit scoring four years consecutively.  Brink finished with 1,421 career points, which is third in Knight boys’ history behind Josh Hagan (1,512) and Alex Nelson (1,457).   Brink was 2nd team All-SEC last year.  Erdman averaged a double-double; 14.7 points and 10.1 rebounds per game.  The long athlete added 1.7 blocks per contest plus 1.2 steals.  He led Kingsland in rebounds and blocks.  Erdman shot 44% from the field, 68% from the line, hit 43 threes, and ripped off an impressive 19 double-doubles (seven straight to end the season).   It had a massive breakout, as he averaged 4.4 PPG last year as a sophomore.  Howard was Kingsland’s certified defender with his athleticism, though he averaged 6.5 points and 4.7 rebounds per game.  The senior was All-SEC HM last year.  Making All-SEC HM this year is inside-outside, physical player Courtland Drury-DeBoer (6’0” F > 12.2 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 45% FGs).   Said guys helped the Knights to one of their best seasons ever, a 23-6 record and section contention.  Getting one 1st Team All-SEC apiece are Mabel-Canton and Houston.  Cayden Tollefsrud (5’9” Sr. G) is the Cougars’ selection.   He earns his second 1st Team nod and fourth overall pure All-SEC honor.  Tollefsrud is also the Player of the Year in the conference after a fantastic season.  He is the Fillmore County Journal Boys Basketball Player of the Year.  The splendid player was the highest scorer in the SEC and of all “Journal-covered” athletes; boys or girls.  He averaged an impressive 26.3 points per game, racking up over 700 points this season alone.   Tollefsrud also added a team-best 8.2 rebounds per game while chipping 2.6 assists and 2.0 steals.  He shot 49% from the field, hit 63 threes, 108 free throws, and was only thrice held below 20 points in a game.  He topped 30 points nine times and 40 points twice including setting the Cougar single-game mark of 47 versus Fillmore Central.   For his five-year career, Tollefsrud finished with the M-C record of 2,238 career points.  He also tallied 840 career rebounds.  Like Kingsland’s Brink, Tollefsrud had four years of averaging double-digit point-totals including three of 17-plus per contest.   Making All-SEC HM for the Cougars is Tyler Larson (5’11” Jr. G/F > 9.6 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 58 made threes).   Houston’s sole All-SEC pick is 1st Team selection Morgan Rohweder (6’1” Jr. G).  He led the Hurricanes in scoring at 18.6 points per, rebounding at 7.4 per, and steals at 2.3 per.  He scored in double figures in all but two contests while scoring 20-plus 13 times.   He had a five-game stretch in January where he hit 30 threes and averaged 27.8 PPG!  Rohweder was one of the top shooters in the SEC, as he nailed 97 of 251 trifectas (39% clip).  He is over 200 career three-pointers made, holding the Hurricane record in the department.  He had three or more threes in a game 18 times this season while also shooting 75% at the line.    Rohweder will head to his senior year already over 1,000 career points.  Making All-SEC HM for Houston is Carter Geiwitz (6’3” Jr. F > 11.3 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 2.5 APG).  Lanesboro and LeRoy-Ostrander each get one 2nd Team All-SEC pick.  Mason Howard (6’0” Sr. G) is the selection for the Burros.   It is his third All-SEC 2nd team nod.  Howard was second on the team in scoring at 15.5 points per while chipping in 3.9 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.9 steals.  Howard tallied a team-best 70 threes made and he set the Burros school-record in that category at 230.   He also shot 81% from the line.   The scoring guard posted three straight seasons of 10-plus PPG and finished his career with 1,233 points.  Making All-SEC HM for the Burros is Will Harvey (6’0” senior G > team-best 15.6 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.9 SPG, 60 threes made).  L-O’s sole pick is scorer Camden Hungerholt (6’1” Jr. G).   At 24.6 points per game, Hungerholt was second only to Tollefsrud in the SEC in scoring.   The strong athlete also snagged 5.3 rebounds per plus 4.1 steals and 1.5 blocks.  He led the SEC in steals.  Hungerholt hit 70 threes, 115 free throws, and he scored in double figures in 25 of 27 games, topping 30 eight times, and 40 twice.  He was Mr. Greenlight in attempting a whopping 632 shots!  He heads to his senior year with over 1,200 career points, having topped 1,000 this season.  Brother Reid Hungerholt (6’2” Fr. G > 13.7 PPG, 1.9 SPG) made All-SEC HM.  Grand Meadow gets just an All-SEC HM pick, Carter Glynn (6’2” So. G/F).  Southland’s Nick Edland (6’6” Sr. C), Schaeffer Academy’s Ethan Van Schepen (6’4” Jr. G), and Glenville-Emmons’ Marshall Baseman (6’5” Sr. C) round out the All-SEC 1st Team.  Southland’s Noah Georgen (5’11” Jr. G) and Gavin Nelsen (5’9” Sr. G), Lyle/Pacelli’s Landon Meyer (6’2” Jr. G) and Dylan Christianson (6’3” Jr. C) round out the All-SEC 2nd Team.