In the second 1A quarterfinal, 5-seed Kingsland (16-11) took on 4-seed Faribault-Bethlehem Academy (15-11). The Knights have a knack for putting on big performances at Mayo Civic Auditorium. For one half, they were very much on, without range limitations. Wyatt Pruter bombed away, hitting four first half triples (14 pts). Zach Bubany led the offense, scoring seven points, dishing out seven assists. Kingsland shot lights-out all stanza, hitting 16 of 24 attempts (66.7%) to post a 43-24 halftime lead. The Cardinals hinted at getting back in the game after intermission. They scored on six straight possessions, narrowing the gap to nine twice (56-47 and 58-49). But Kingsland scored on four straight possessions simultaneously, preventing any further headway. Down the stretch, the Knights put it away at the free throw line. Their last 13 points came from the charity stripe (13 of 17). After building a double-digit first half lead, save for the two nine point leads, Kingsland led by 10-plus the rest of the way. John Fenske’s group downed higher-seeded B.A. by a final of 75-61. The excellent back-court of Bubany and Pruter led the way. Bubany, a 5’7” senior, had a game-high 22 points (3-8 threes, 9-10 FTs) with 5 rebounds and 10 assists. It was his second point-assist double-double of the year. Pruter, a 6’1” junior guard, added 19 points (4-6 threes, 5-7 FTs). Fourteen came in the first half. Seven of eight Knights to play had at least four points and three rebounds. Big-guys Jordan Beck (9 pts, 4-7 FGs, 6 rebs) and Ian Meisner (9 pts, 4-4 FGs) helped on the inside. The later had a couple baskets back-to-back to help stave off B.A.’s best run. Kingsland finished the game 23 of 42 from the field (54.8%), 8 of 17 from deep (47.1%), and 21 of 30 from the line (70%). The Knights assisted 17 of 23 field goals. B.A. shot 23 of 54 from the field (42.6%) and 5 of 19 from deep (26.3%). The Cardinals were led by speedy guard Jack Clark (18 pts, 6-12 FGs, 5-6 FTs), Avery Hunt (15 pts, 6-11 FGs, 5 rebs), and burly center Alex Bongers (14 pts, 7-11 FGs, 6 rebs). Hunt scored 12 of his points after intermission.
Hot Knights Shoot Past B.A.
