Photo by Paul Trende
Lions Subdue Southland, Secure Share of SEC Title
Spring Grove/Mabel-Canton claimed a share of a second straight SEC championship, avenging one of their two league losses with a 60-45 home win over third-place Southland (9-5 SEC, 16-8). The Lions (12-2 SEC, 20-5) are co-champs with Grand Meadow (12-2, 22-2). SG/MC trailed, by as many as eight points, for all except 24 seconds of the first half and then flipped the script to lead for most of the second half but did not pull away until scoring 21 of the final 28 points. Southland, struggling against the Lions’ full-court defensive pressure, had 16 turnovers in the first half alone, yet still led 30-28 at intermission. However, the Rebels also hit six of their seven treys before the break. Southland ball-handling improved greatly thereafter, but after shooting 44% while scoring 30 points in the first half, the Rebs shot only 20% while scoring only 15 points in the second half. SG/M-C seized the lead by scoring the first 11 points after halftime. Southland then scored the next eight, but the Lions replied with a 10-0 run for an 11-point lead on the way to a 15-point win. Lion guard Siri Konkel had game highs with 21 (pts) and 7 (asts). Kinley Soiney (16 pts, 7 rebs), Emerson Ingvalson (11 pts, game-high 6 stls), and Carlie Halverson (6 pts, team-best 9 rebs) helped. The Rebels were led by 18 points from junior guard Breeley Galle, who scored her 1,000th career point. Contributing to the final 15-point margin was Grove’s nine-point advantage at the foul line; 13 of 20 (65%) to 4 for 17 (24%). The Lions dribblers outscored the visitors in the lane, 38 to 27. In a previous 57-49 SEC setback at Southland, the Lions suffered through 28% shooting. In this rematch, SG/M-C outshot the Rebels 36% to 33%.
Section 1A Girls Basketball Playoffs (2/20)
9-seed Faribault B.A. (13-11) 50, 8-seed Fillmore Central (13-13) 56 (FC: Sophia Bronner 14 pts, 12 rebs, 4 stls; Kyla Hellickson 11 pts, 6 asts; Aubrey Daniels 11 pts (3-6 threes), 5 asts. FC jumped out 8-0 and they led by as many as 17 in the second half, 36-19. FC then had a 2 of 12 shooting slump. B.A. got as close as 47-44 with 2:23 left but FC got back-to-back baskets from Annika Mensink and Hellickson to push the lead back to seven (51-44) with 1:34 left)
13-seed Lyle/Pacelli (8-17) 34, 4-seed Rushford-Peterson (15-9) 73 (R-P: Nadia Happel 13 pts, 5 asts; Torryn Schneider 12 pts (6-9 FGs), 6 asts; Neveah Happel 11 pts (3-6 threes); Kaia Loney 10 pts, 5 rebs; Emily Helgemoe 8 pts. R-P led 50-11 at the half, as they shot 46% from the field (30 of 65))
12-seed Kingsland (5-17) 28, 5-seed Southland (16-7) 59 (K: Chantle Reiland 9 pts; Hailee Warren 7 pts, 11 rebs. Kingsland was 3 of 21 from three-point range. It was Kingsland’s third loss to the Rebels. The Knights’ season ends at 5-18.)
15-seed LeRoy-Ostrander (1-24) 38, 2-seed Spring Grove (20-5) 71 (SG: S. Konkel 18 pts (6-9 FGs, 4-5 threes), 11 asts, 3 stls; Kinley Soiney 15 pts, 6 rebs, 3 stls; Emerson Ingvalson 14 pts, 5 stls; Brinley Middendorf 10 pts, 7 rebs. L-O: Benita Nolt 16 pts, 6 rebs, 4 asts, 3 stls; Mabel Johnson 8 pts. The Lions’ 22-1 run led to a 53-18 halftime lead. L-O finishes at 1-25)
10-seed Blooming Prairie (7-18) 33, 7-seed Lanesboro (15-11) 57 (L: J. Storhoff 21 pts, 9 rebs, 6 asts, 13 stls; Hailey Erickson 9 pts, 7 rebs. The Burros trailed once, 1-0. BP was goaded into 30 turnovers versus Lanesboro’s 15)
14-seed Wabasha-Kellogg (3-21) 33, 3-seed Grand Meadow (22-2) 62 (GM: G. Foster 23 pts (5-13 threes), 10 rebs; Lauren Queensland 18 pts (9-10 FTs), 7 rebs, 5 asts; Aspen Kolling 10 pts; Naomi Warmka 9 pts, 9 rebs. W-K was within five at the half, trailing 26-21. GM outscored the Falcons 36-12 in the second half. GM made nine of 30 threes (30%), W-K 8 of 30 (27%), but the Larks were 11 of 12 at the line (92%), W-K 1 of 4 (25%). GM won its 15th straight game)
11-seed Kenyon-Wanamingo (7-19) 47, 6-seed Houston (16-8) 56 (H: A. Boldt 29 pts (11-19 FGs, 6-10 FTs), 6 rebs; Jorja Meyer 13 pts (7-9 FTs); Julia Swenson 8 pts. Houston was 17 of 30 from the free throw line (57%), the Knights 2 of 8 (25%). K-W got 27 of their 47 points from deep, hitting nine threes)
Section 1AA Girls Basketball Playoffs (2/20)
16-seed La Crescent/Hokah (3-23) 25, 1-seed #5 in AA Caledonia (23-3) 85 (C: A. Klug 28 pts (five threes); Josie Foster 18 pts (three threes); Nicole Banse 11 pts; Jessica Stendel 8 pts. The Warriors built a 56-10 halftime lead. In Caledonia’s three games with the Lancers, they have led a collective 147 to 32 at the half)
10-seed Chatfield (12-14) 65, 7-seed PEM (17-9) 74 (C: Lexi Kivimagi 19 pts (3-6 threes, 4-4 FTs), 4 stls; Kendall Knutson 15 pts, 9 rebs; Grace Schroeder 9 pts; Amaya Harmening 9 pts, 15 rebs. PEM: Abby Schumacher 29 pts. Chatfield led 36-33 at the half, but PEM built a double digit second half lead. Gopher Brittin Ruskell hit a three (2:27) to put the Gophers ahead 62-61, but Schumacher answered near immediately (2:13) to put PEM back in front 64-62. PEM scored 13 of the final 16 points. Chatfield lost at the free throw line, 11 of 17 (65%) to the Bulldog’s 18 of 25 (72%). The Gophers’ season ends at 12-15)
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