The Spring Grove girls (1-3, 1-2 SEC), with better ball-handling and shooting, were competitive until the end of both games last week. They faded in the final couple of minutes of a 34-31 loss at Mabel-Canton (Jan. 18), but they rallied late for a 47-39 win at Schaeffer Academy (Jan. 21). Coming into this 107th meeting between Spring Grove and Mabel-Canton, each team had won … [Read more...]
Lion boys alone in league lead after two runaway wins
The Spring Grove boys remained the lone undefeated team in the SEC East after a late-week 68-29 annihilation of previously unbeaten Schaeffer Academy. That came after a 57-31 throttling of Mabel-Canton. That 22nd consecutive victory over the Cougars came three nights before the Spring Grove Lions ended a two-game losing skein against the Schaeffer Lions, last year’s East … [Read more...]
Spring Grove boys overtake, fend off Grand Meadow, 45-41
The visiting Spring Grove boys rallied late with a 13-to-3 run to regain the lead and hold off Grand Meadow, 45-41, in the 2021 season and conference basketball opener for both teams on Jan. 15. It was appropriate that both teams scored in the 40s during the Lions' 44th straight win against the Superlarks, dating back to 1999. The Lions had led throughout the first half by … [Read more...]
Spring Grove boys rely on youth, improved shooting
The Spring Grove basketball boys return five of last year’s 12 letter winners, but the Lions bring back less than half of the scoring and only a fourth of the rebounding. For the second straight season, Caden Grinde is the lone full-time returning starter, who was also the most celebrated as the Spring Grove MVP and two-time all-conference selection. Illness provided … [Read more...]
Lion girls 16 points shy of Superlarks, Trojans
The Spring Grove girls rebounded and defended, but unsteady ball-handling sabotaged their pursuit for points in the first two basketball games of 2021, dropping both by 16-point margins. The Lions (0-2, 0-1 SEC) fell to visiting Grand Meadow, 36-20, on Jan. 15 and then 20 hours later, were outscored at Rushford-Peterson, 44-28. Grand Meadow 36, Spring Grove 20 … [Read more...]
Spring Grove girls depend early on defense
“Depending on defense” while developing an “offensive identity” is the early-season task for the youthful Spring Grove basketball girls according to third-year head coach Kody Moore. There is a lot of offensive production to replace with three-fourths of the scoring and nearly two-thirds of both the assists and offensive rebounds no longer available after last year’s 6-21 … [Read more...]
Boys Basketball Preview
Last year’s winter sports season ended like no one could’ve seen coming. The coronavirus caused the girls basketball state tournament and the boys basketball season (after sections) to be shut-down. This year, teams will try to complete January to early March schedules. Section and state tournaments have yet to be delineated. Teams are mostly playing conference games. Divisions … [Read more...]
The Fall Top 50 Countdown (#6 to #1)
The top 50 teams of the fall from 2010-2019 concludes. Squads from the “Journal 10,” FC, R-P, Chatfield, Kingsland, M-C, Houston, Lanesboro, GM, SG, and L-O have been eligible. Ranking across different years, and involving teams from three different sports, is difficult, and thus subject to debate. Ranking is by how far teams made it in the play-offs. Each school had at … [Read more...]
The Fall Top 50 Countdown (#14 to #7)
The top 50 teams of the Fall from 2010-2019 continues. As before, squads from the “Journal 10”, FC, R-P, Chatfield, Kingsland, M-C, Houston, Lanesboro, GM, SG, and L-O, are eligible. Ranking across different years, and involving teams from three different sports, is difficult, and thus subject to debate. Ranking is by how far teams made it in the playoffs. Placing … [Read more...]
Mabel-Canton, LeRoy-Ostrander claim team, individual trap titles
Mabel-Canton and Leroy-Ostrander High School trap teams both bagged conference championships during the pandemic fall season of 2020. Kingsland was conference runner-up while Spring Grove shooters finished fourth in their clay-target league race. The area’s two best individual scoring averages belonged to two Mabel-Canton marksmen, who were both All-State last spring. Senior … [Read more...]