Continuing where the football team left off, Kingsland boys basketball put forth an excellent season. It narrowly fell short of their first section final in the “Journal-Sports” era (and since 2004). But John Fenske’s Knights posted a 15-year high win total in making the 1A semifinals and testing top-seeded Blooming Prairie.
Knights Win Rubber-Match With Rebels
Southeast Conference West rivals Kingsland (5-seed, 22-5) and Southland (4-seed, 21-5) hooked up in a 1A quarterfinal, a rubber-match to their in-season feud that saw each team post a win. Kingsland extracted some revenge for losing out to the Rebels for the division crown. A back-and-forth first half resulted in the teams deadlocked 35-35 at halftime. Kingsland led 35-28, but the Rebels ended the half 7-0. Knight junior Max Erdman had 15 points while Rebel Noah Bauer scored 17 points. In the second half, the key run came with the game tied 46-46. Kingsland spurted 16-2 to lead 62-48, the game’s largest advantage. The Rebels were 1 of 7 shooting in the span with four turnovers. The Knights drained six second-half threes leading up to that point. Using their depth of athlete, many the same guys who took the football team to the state finals, the Knights physically harassed the Rebels into submission in a hurried contest. Kingsland probably put the dagger in the game around the four-minute mark as the result of a four offensive-rebound, three-point possession, that put their lead at 68-57. Draining 10 of 20 threes for the game (50%), to the Rebels’ 5 of 21 (24%), Kingsland prevailed 74-63. Erdman (25 pts, 8-13 FGs, 3-6 threes, 6-7 FTs, 11 rebs) had a double-double to lead the way. But Courtland Drury-DeBoer (16 pts, 5 rebs) and Jayden Brink (15 pts, 4-9 threes, 5 rebs) gave Kingsland three with 15 or more. Southland was led by Bauer (21 pts, 3-8 threes, 4 stls), who was held to four after intermission. Gavin Nelson (12 pts) also hit double figures. Jonas Wiste and Sam Boe each added 9. Nick Edland, a 6’5” center who came in averaging 16.6 PPG, scored just two. Edland had 27 points in the teams’ last meeting, a 62-46 Rebel win in early February.
#5 Blooming Prairie Holds Off Knights in Semis
Kingsland (5-seed, 23-5) versus #5 in Class A Blooming Prairie (1-seed, 27-2) in the semis was a battle of the strong athleticism of the Knights versus the long Blossoms, which featured talented 6’5” string-bean twins Zack and Gabe Hein. Yet, the BP player who most did his damage was the one most like the Knights (or better) with his athleticism. Brady Kittleson, a 6’3” junior and the Blossoms football quarterback, was the difference-maker in a game that came right down to the end. Kingsland started 8-0, but BP rallied with a 13-4 run, a 13-12 lead, and the teams were off in a back-and-forth contest. Kittleson scored 11 of the Blossom’s first 16 points. The Knights led 34-28 late in the first half, but BP got six straight from G-Hein. A Jayden Brink basket at the end was the only thing that separate the teams, as the Knights led 36-34 at intermission. But a notable factor in the game was Kingsland’s physical defensive effort, which got tagged for a lot of fouls. Their best defender Ayden Howard fouled out with 9:40 left in the contest. BP took the lead at 44-42 in the second half and then never trailed, but it was tight the rest of the way. The Blossoms got 12 straight points from the uber-athletic Kittleson deep into the second half, including a crazy alley-oop two-hand dunk. A BP transition lay-up built the lead to 68-61 (3:38). The edge was still seven (72-65) with 1:22 left when the Knights scored nine points in less than a minute. Courtland Drury-DeBoer had a key three-point play and then a transition reverse layup to make it 73-72 (0:41)! A BP turnover then got the Knights the ball back (0:30.4)! But an Erdman three was blocked by the long G-Hein. Kingsland got the offensive rebound but a Brink shot, again over the long Hein, was off. Finally, after BP hit one of two free throws to go ahead 74-72, the Knights took possession of the ball with 5.8 ticks left. Kaaleem Reiland got the ball into the front court but amidst a gaggle Blossoms he lost control for the turnover. BP survived by 74-72 final. Kittleson scored a game-high 28 points (4-5 threes, 5 stls). He was also the main defender on Knight 1,000-point scorer Jayden Brink. G-Hein (19 pts, 10 rebs) and Z-Hein (19 pts, 6 rebs, 6 asts) helped. The trio scored all but eight Blossom points. BP only played six guys. Drury-DeBoer (18 pts, 8-14 FGs), Brink (16 pts, 5 rebs, 5 stls), and Erdman (15 pts, 3-7 threes, 12 rebs) led Kingsland. Eight Knights scored with seven putting up at least four points. Brink fouled out late. BP won at the free throw line 14 of 25 (56%) to 11 of 19 (58%). The Knights lost despite attempting 16 more total shots; 27 of 67 (40%) to 27 of 51 (53%). Kingsland, after hitting 6 of 11 first half threes (54%), went 1 of 14 in the second stanza (7%). They thus were 7 of 25 total (28%). BP went from a zone defense to man-to-man in the second half. The Knights, which entered the game having won seven straight and 10 of 11, finish an excellent season at 23-6. It is their most wins since the 2006-2007 Josh Hagan/Alex Nelson team went 28-1 and lost in the 1AA semis. It their third section semifinal run in the “Journal-Sports” era, joining 2012 and 2015. Starters Brink, Drury-DeBoer, Howard, and Sam Snitker, plus Dylan Schultz, are the five seniors.
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