With 12 seconds remaining, a 3-point field goal by sophomore Elijah Solum provided the winning points. Then a stolen pass by sophomore Jaxon Strinmoen denied Waukon a last-second chance. The 55-52 decision was the 500th career win, all at Spring Grove, for boys basketball coach Wade Grinde. That Jan. 27 non-conference home win versus Waukon came between two conference victories – first a less dramatic 63-38 win at Kingsland on Jan. 25. Then at home on Jan. 28, the Lion boys ironically scored 87 points (87-22) in the program’s 87th all-time win against Mabel-Canton.
Grinde, in his 27th season at the helm in Spring Grove, called the performance against Mabel-Canton, “the most efficient game I’ve ever seen, statistically – amazing.”
Spring Grove (15-3, 9-0 SEC), during the three-win week, displayed some hot shooting, consistently admirable ball-handling and a lot of stifling defense. Both Kingsland (6-9, 3-5 SEC) and Mabel-Canton (6-11, 2-7 SEC) have had both of their two lowest-scoring games of the season against the often-debilitating Spring Grove defense.
In the Kingsland game, the Lions’ 44% accuracy beyond the 3-point arc was their best of the season, but they then bettered that with 54% and a season-high 13 made treys against Mabel-Canton. Waukon, however, shot far better from afar (41%) than did Spring Grove (24%), but the big game-winning bucket was a Spring Grove 3-pointer.
Spring Grove ball-handling was exemplary all week with only 7 turnovers versus Kingsland, 5 against Mabel-Canton and a season-best 4 lost possessions versus Waukon. That totaled 16 turnovers for the week, while the opponents combined for 59.
It was likewise for free throws as the Lions continued to defend with few fouls, limiting Kingsland to only seven free throws, Waukon to only six and Mabel-Canton to only five. The Grove guys attempted 46 free throws (30 for 46, 65%) last week while limiting the opponents to a combined 18 attempts (13 for 18, 72%).
However, the Lions controlled the glass only against the Cougars. Spring Grove had exactly 25 rebounds in each game; both Kingsland and Waukon also had 25 boards, while Mabel-Canton collected 17 caroms.
The Lions have taken 25 straight in the series with Mabel-Canton, including a 67-32 decision earlier in the month. Grove leads the all-time series 87 wins to 39. Spring Grove has won the last eight games versus Kingsland, including a 50-35 non-conference contest earlier this season. The Lions lead that all-time series, 10 wins to one. SG has won five of the last six against the Indians, but with about four times as many students, Waukon still leads the all-time series, 9 to 7.
The B-team boys improved to 10-4 with their three-win week. Isaac Nerstad had 12 points, and Ethan Crouch collected 10 rebounds in the 48-36 win at Kingsland. Nerstad put in 16 points and Bryce Berns 10 while Crouch collected 11 rebounds in a 51-29 victory over Waukon. Nerstad tallied 22 points in the 39-35 win against Mabel-Canton.
The freshmen tied Kingsland 36-36 before outscoring Mabel-Canton 29-19 during one half of action. The seventh graders (9-0) remained unbeaten with a 39-26 win versus Kingsland.
SG 63, Kingsland 38
Spring Grove led by only one point (26-25) before seizing control with a 16-to-2 run early in the second half. It soon became a rout with the Lions scoring 17 unanswered points, while the home team suffered through 11 scoreless possessions. Spring Grove won the second half, 41-21, with only one turnover after the break. The Lions had threatened to pull away in the first half, but the Knights sliced a 10-point deficit in half before halftime (SG 22, KHS 17).
The SG defense forced Kingsland to settle for about as many 3-point shots (22) as 2-pointers (23). While the Knights shot well inside the arc (50%), they did not shoot well enough from afar (18%) to stay in contention. SG, shooting exceptionally well from both the perimeter and the interior, had considerable success taking the ball into the lane for a 42-to-22 scoring advantage near the basket.
Three Lions scored in double figures, and another was close with 9 points. Solum led with 16 points while Tysen Grinde tossed in 14, Carson Gerard 11 and Jaxon Strinmoen 9. Grinde also distributed 7 assists and Strinmoen 5, each with only one turnover. Three Lions accounted for 18 of the team’s 25 rebounds: Gerard 7, Solum 6, Strinmoen 5. The Knights were led by 6-foot-4 senior Walker Erdman, who finished with 13 points and 6 boards.
SG 55, Waukon 52
Just 23 seconds before Solum sank the winning 3-ball, Waukon had tied the score with a 3-pointer from senior Braxton Stewart. That 52-52 count was the eighth tie score in a game that saw nine lead changes. The Lions trailed 28-24 at halftime and by as many as eight points early in the second half. But SG would erase a five-point deficit with a 10-to-2 run and nurse narrow leads for seven minutes until the final half-minute.
Solum, long before dealing the fading-seconds death blow, had already been a major factor with a game-high 26 points (4 treys), 6 rebounds and 4 assists with only one turnover. Grinde, with 18 points, and Solum accounted for 44 of the Lions’ 55 points. Gerard and Solum with 7 and 6 rebounds, respectively, led the way beneath the backboards. Strinmoen with a career-best 6 steals and Grinde with 4 accounted for most of the 13 thefts that led to 17 Indian turnovers.
For the visitors, Stewart, a 6-3 senior, finished with 21 points and a game-high 8 rebounds. Braden Hermann, a 6-4 senior, added 14 points. The Indians employed a playing rotation of five seniors and three juniors, while the Lions used one senior, four juniors and three sophomores.
Waukon had the best 3-point shooting percentage of any Lion opponent this season (7 for 17, 41%). The Indians outshot SG overall 48% to 33% and outscored the Lions from the field by eight points. But Spring Grove earned many more free throws and held an 11-point advantage from the foul line. The Lions hit 16 of 23 (70%) charity shots, while the visitors went 5 for 6 (83%).
The Indians (5-10), due to lingering football injuries, had been short-handed while dropping their first five games on the way to a 1-9 start. But they came into Spring Grove on a four-game winning streak.
SG 87, Mabel-Canton 22
The 87 points were not the most scored in the series, but the 22 points were the fewest for Mabel-Canton in the 126 games played against Spring Grove. The Lions had a season-high 25 assists while exhibiting their best shooting this season from both 2-point range (78%) and 3-point land (54%). The Lions scored 46 points in the paint and 41 from the perimeter.
Hunter Holland scored the first three baskets as the Lions led from wire to wire. This was the only game of the week where fast breaks were a factor; SG converted steals and a few rebounds into 20 transition points.
Five Lions scored in double figures; Grinde had 16 points, Strinmoen 15, Solum 13, Jacob Olerud 11 and Holland 10. Grinde lifted 7 steals, and Solum matched a career-high with 6 assists. Six Lions had assists with no turnovers, including Holland with 4 helpers and Olerud with 3 – both career-best totals. For Mabel-Canton, sophomore Cayden Tollefsrud scored 11 points, half of the team total.
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VARSITY vs. KINGSLAND
>>SCORE by HALVES
>>SG 22+41=63
>>KHS 17+21=38
TEAM TOTALS:
all FG: SG 49% (24-49), KHS 33% (14-42)
2-pt FG: SG 52% (17-33), KHS 50% (10-20)
3-pt FG: SG 44% (7-16), KHS 18% (4-22)
Free throws: SG 57% (8-14), KHS 86% (6-7); Rebounds: SG 25, KHS 25; Turnovers: SG 7, KHS 18; 2nd Chance points: SG 5, KHS 7; Fast break points: SG 12, KHS 5; Points in paint: SG 42, KHS 22; Greatest lead: SG 29, KHS 0; Fouls: SG 12, KHS 14; Fouled out: SG: Griffin
SG INDIVIDUALS: P-points, R rebounds, A-assists, S-steals, B-blocked shots. Listed in order of jersey number. *starter. Caleb Griffin 5P, 1R; Nathan Crouch out injured; Isaac Nerstad 3P; *Tysen Grinde 14P, 3R, 7A, 4S, 1B; *Hunter Holland 1S; Josh Newgaard no stats; Ethan Crouch 1R, 1S; Logan Brumm 1R, 1A; Jacob Olerud 5P, 1R, 1A, 2S; *Carson Gerard 11P, 7R, 1B; *Jaxon Strinmoen 9P, 5R, 5A, 4S; *Elijah Solum 16P, 6R, 3A, 1S
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VARSITY vs. Waukon
>>SCORE by HALVES
>>SG 24 + 31= 55
>>Wau 28 + 24 = 52
TEAM TOTALS:
all FG: SG 33% (17-52), Wau 48% (20-42)
2-pt FG: SG 39% (12-31), Wau 52% (13-25)
3-pt FG: SG 24% (5-21), Wau 41% (7-17)
Free throws: SG 70% (16-23), Wau 83% (5-6); Rebounds: SG 25, Wau 25; Turnovers: SG 4, Wau 17; 2nd Chance points: SG 12, Wau 11; Fast break points: SG 6, Wau 8; Points in paint: SG 21, Wau 21; Greatest lead: SG 5, Wau 8; Fouls: SG 10, Wau 17
SG INDIVIDUALS: P-points, R rebounds, A-assists, S-steals, B-blocked shots. Listed in order of jersey number. *starter. Caleb Griffin x2R, 1A, 1S; *Tysen Grinde 18P, 3R, 2A, 4S, 2B; *Hunter Holland 2R, 1A; Logan Brumm no stats; Jacob Olerud 2P, 1R, 2A; *Carson Gerard 4P, 7R, 1A, 2S, 1B; *Jaxon Strinmoen 5P, 4R, 1A, 6S; *Elijah Solum 26P, 6R, 4A, 1B
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VARSITY vs. MABEL-CANTON
>>SCORE by HALVES
>>SG 38 + 49 = 87
>>MC 14 + 8 = 22
TEAM TOTALS:
all FG: SG 67% (34-51), MC 24% (8-33)
2-pt FG: SG 78% (21-27), MC 25% (4-16)
3-pt FG: SG 54% (13-24), MC 24% (4-17)%
Free throws: SG 67% (6-9), 24% (4-17), 40% (2-5); Rebounds: SG 25, MC 17; Turnovers: SG 5, MC 24; 2nd Chance points: SG 13, MC 5; Fast break points: SG 20, MC 0; Points in paint: SG 46, MC 7; Greatest lead: SG 65, MC 0; Fouls: SG 10, MC 9
SG INDIVIDUALS: P-points, R rebounds, A-assists, S-steals, B-blocked shots. Listed in order of jersey number. *starter. Caleb Griffin 7P, 2R, 1A, 1S; Isaac Nerstad 5P; *Tysen Grinde 16P, 5R, 3A, 7S; *Hunter Holland 10P, 4A, 3S; Josh Newgaard 2P, 2R; Ethan Crouch 1R, 2A; Logan Brumm 4P, 1R, 1A; Jacob Olerud 11P, 3A; *Carson Gerard 4P, 5R, 2A, 2S, 1B; *Jaxon Strinmoen 15P, 5R, 3A, 1B; *Elijah Solum 13P, 4R, 6A, 3S
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B-TEAM vs. KINGSLAND
>>SG 18 + 30 = 48
>>KHS 14 + 22 = 36
B-TEAM TOTALS:
all FG: SG 40% (17-42), KHS 29% (16-55)
2-pt FG: SG 42% (10-24), KHS 37% (14-38)
3-pt FG: SG 39%(7-18), KHS 12% (2-17)
Free throws: SG 78% (7-9), KHS 40% (2-5); Rebounds: SG 30, KHS 21; Turnovers: SG 14, KHS 7; Greatest lead: SG 17, KHS 6; Fouls: SG 15, KHS 12
B-TEAM INDIVIDUALS: P-points, R rebounds, A-assists, S-steals, B-blocked shots. Listed in order of jersey number. *starter. Caleb Eiken absent; Nathan Crouch out injured; Kohl Betcher no stats; *Isaac Nerstad 12P, 2R, 1A; *Ethan Crouch 6P, 10R, 3A, 1S, 6B; Ben Udstuen 4P, 2R, 1A; Troy Reinhardt out injured; *Josh Newgaard 2P, 2R; Zach Brumm 4P, 2R, 1A; *Jacob Olerud 8P, 4R, 1S, 2S, 2B; *Bryce Berns 7P, 4R, 1A, 1S; Ezra Griffin 1A; Gavin Ostern 3P, 1R, 2A; Shawn Crouch 2P, 3R
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B-TEAM vs. WAUKON
>>SG 33 + 18 = 51
>>Wau 13 + 16 = 29
B-TEAM TOTALS:
all FG: SG 44% (19-43), Wau 29% (12-41)
2-pt FG: SG 50% (11-22), Wau 31% (9-29)
3-pt FG: SG 38% (8-21), Wau 25% (3-12)
Free throws: SG 38% (5-13), Wau 67% (2-3); Rebounds: SG 36, Wau 22; Turnovers: SG 19, Wau 19; Greatest lead: SG 22, Wau 4; Fouls: SG 5, Wau 10
B-TEAM INDIVIDUALS: P-points, R rebounds, A-assists, S-steals, B-blocked shots. Listed in order of jersey number. *starter. Caleb Eiken absent; Nathan Crouch out injured; Kohl Betcher 3P; *Isaac Nerstad 16P, 3R; *Ethan Crouch 7P, 11R, 4A, 1S, 5B; Ben Udstuen 2R; Troy Reinhardt 1P, 2R, 1A, 2S; *Josh Newgaard 4P, 5R, 1S; Zach Brumm 3P, 3R, 1A, 3S; *Jacob Olerud 7P, 2R, 1A, 2S; *Bryce Berns 10P, 6R, 2A, 2B; Ezra Griffin no stats; Gavin Ostern 1R; Shawn Crouch 1R, 1B
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B-TEAM vs. MABEL-CANTON
>>SG 19 + 20 = 39
>>MC 17 + 18 = 35
B-TEAM TOTALS:
all FG: SG 34% (15-44), MC 44% (14-32)
2-pt FG: SG 52% (11-21), MC 46% (13-28)
3-pt FG: SG 17% (4-23), MC 5% (1-4)
Free throws: SG 42% (5-12), MC 67% (6-9); Rebounds: SG 23, MC 22; Turnovers: SG 10, MC 19; Greatest lead: SG 11, MC 2; Fouls: SG 12, MC 12
B-TEAM INDIVIDUALS: P-points, R rebounds, A-assists, S-steals, B-blocked shots. Listed in order of jersey number. *starter. Caleb Eiken no stats; Nathan Crouch out injured; *Isaac Nerstad 22P, 2R, 1A, 6S, 1B; *Ethan Crouch 6R, 2A, 5S, 3B; Ben Udstuen 1R; Troy Reinhardt no stats; *Josh Newgaard 2P, 1R, 2A; Zach Brumm 8P, 2R, 1A, 2S; *Jacob Olerud 2P, 3R, 3A, 1S; *Bryce Berns 4P, 4R, 1A, 1S, 1B; Ezra Griffin 1P, 1R; Gavin Ostern 2R; Shawn Crouch 1R, 2S
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SEC Boys BB
>>EAST DIVISION
Spring Grove 9-0 SEC (15-3 season)
Lanesboro 4-4 SEC (9-5 season)
Schaeffer Aca. 3-5 SEC (6-10 season
Mabel-Canton 2-7 SEC (6-11 season)
Houston 1-6 SEC (1-13 season)
>>WEST DIVISION
Lyle/Pacelli 8-1 SEC (13-3 season)
Southland 9-2 SEC (10-3 season)
LeRoy-Ostrander 5-4 SEC (10-6 season)
Grand Meadow 4-5 SEC (8-8 season)
Kingsland 3-6 SEC (6-10 season)
Glenville-Emmons 0-8 SEC (0-14 season)
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Spring Grove Boys Basketball 2021-’22 (*conference game)
15-3 (9-0 SEC)
W vs. New Hampton, Iowa 45-41
W vs. Houston* 71-22
Fri. 12/10 vs. Lyle/Pacelli* postponed to Feb. 18
L at North Linn, Iowa 36-69
W at Southland*59-37
W vs. Lanesboro* 70-34
>>>Rushford-Peterson Christmas Invite
L at Rushford-Peterson 41-53
W vs. Dover-Eyota 44-33
W at Mabel-Canton* 67-32
W at Schaeffer Academy*58-14
W vs. Kingsland (non-conference) 50-35
W vs. Grand Meadow* 44-40
Fri. 01/14 at Fillmore Central (Preston) ppd. to 2-25-22
W at Houston*72-24
W at La Crescent-Hokah 56-41
L at Martin County West 33-41
W at Madelia 53-23
W at Kingsland*63-38
W vs. Waukon 55-52
W vs. Mabel-Canton*87-22
Thur. 02/03 Glenville-Emmons*
Fri. 02/04 at Lanesboro*
Mon. 02/07 Southland (non-conference)
Fri. 02/11 at LeRoy-Ostrander*
Mon. 02/14 St. Charles
Thur. 02/17 Schaeffer Academy*
Fri. 02/18 Lyle/Pacelli* postponed from Dec. 10
Fri. 02/25 at Fillmore Central (Preston) postponed from Jan. 14
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B-team Boys Basketball 10-4 (8-2 SEC)
W vs. Houston 45-14
L at Southland 34-51
W vs. Lanesboro 49-33
L at Rushford-Peterson 31-59
W vs. Dover-Eyota 44-33
W at Mabel-Canton 47-30
L at Schaeffer Academy 33-34 overtime
W vs. Kingsland 32-19
W vs. Grand Meadow 49-15
W at Houston 48-23
L at La Crescent-Hokah 39-43
W at Kingsland 48-36
W vs. Waukon 51-29
W vs. Mabel-Canton 39-35
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Freshmen Boys Basketball (2-0-1)
W at La Crescent-Hokah 36-20
T at Kingsland 36-36
W vs. Mabel-Canton 29-19 (played only one half)
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8th Grade Boys Basketball (4-1)
W vs. Houston 27-23
W vs. Caledonia 30-20
L vs. Lanesboro 21-40
W at Mabel-Canton 54-41
W at Houston 34-21
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7th Grade Boys Basketball (9-0)
W vs. Houston 44-8
W vs. Caledonia 19-16
W vs. Lanesboro 39-16
W at Mabel-Canton 60-11
W at Schaefer Academy 43-2
W vs. Kingsland 42-18
W vs. Grand Meadow 44-11
W at Houston 51-9
W vs. Kingsland 39-26