Three Spring Grove boys achieved individual career-highs while the state-ranked No. 10 Lions were limiting Kingsland to season-low scoring, 62-27, in the March 3 Section 1A opener for both teams. For No. 4 seed Spring Grove, it was the third win over the Knights this season and the teams’ third all-time playoff clash which earned the Lions their first postseason bus ride back to Rochester in three years – since their section championship of 2019.
Photos by Lee Epps
No. 4 section seed Spring (23-4) seized the lead just 12 seconds following the tipoff. And 52 seconds later, Elijah Solum already had both an assist and a basket, but alas – also an injury. The Lions’ second-leading scorer would return to rebound once before limping off to watch the remainder of the fray. First guard-off-the-bench Jacob Olerud was called to duty earlier than usual and responded with a game-high 20 points and with four steals, shared the team thefts honors with Tysen Grinde, who poured in 19 points and completed a double-double with a career-best 10 assists (only one turnover).
Appropriately, Grove’s final field goal would be Olerud’s sixth 3-ball with an assist pass from Jaxon Strinmoen, who finished with a pair of career-highs with 6 assists and a team-high 9 rebounds. Olerud did not miss from deep, going 6 for 6 beyond the 3-point arc.
There were plenty of offensive highlights for Wade Grinde’s guys, but one constant in the three meetings with this rival has been the Spring Grove defense holding Kingsland to 35, 38 and finally a season-low 27 points. Those three results plus the 35 points the Knights scored against Grand Meadow were their four lowest-scoring outcomes in their 27 games. In his last high school game, Walker Erdman scored 15 of the Knights’ 27 points and secured 11 of their 21 rebounds. For the a 6-foot-4 senior guard, it was a seventh straight double-double, including 31 points and 14 rebounds against Southland.
In this third meeting, Spring Grove did not wait as long to create some breathing room. In early January, the Lions led visiting KHS only 31-27 before a game-sealing 19-point run. In late January at Spring Valley, the Lions led only 26-25 before separating with a 16-2, second-half run. In his playoff matchup, Spring Grove roared out of the gate to lead 19-2 before the first Kingsland basket almost seven minutes into the game.
With only nine turnovers, it was the 17th time in their last 19 games, the Lions played with single-digit turnovers. Meanwhile, they shot 50% (10 for 20) from 3-point land, their third-best trey percentage of the season. The 10-triple total was one of their top three. However, there was a shooting downside while connecting on only 4 of 11 free throws, a season-worst 36% charity success.
In addition to Hunter Holland’s quick first field goal and Solum’s quick exit, it was a strange start. The Lions missed three shots right under the basket and two shots from the foul line, but they drilled their first four 3-pointers (five of their first six). A Grinde trey made it 9-0, and back-to-back Olerud triples made it 12-1 and then 15-1. It was a Grinde 3-ball at 22-4 and then after missing once, he delivered again from downtown, 28-8. Then the Grove guys missed their next six shots before taking a 28-14 double-up lead into halftime.
KHS senior point guard Kaden Rath hit two treys early in the second half, but the Knights netted only 3 of 19 from the field the rest of the way. Meanwhile, the Lions shot even better after the break (13 for 22) than they had in the first half (11 for 24).
It was a festive night for a large playoff home crowd, including a student blackout. An interrupted wall of students, all clad in black, celebrated from the start. It was the last home appearance for the Lions’ lone senior, returning all-conference Carson Gerard. It was the final contest for eight Kingsland seniors, who during a final-minute timeout called by coach John Fenske, were all sent out onto the court for a final standing tribute from a large contingent of Knight fans.
Each team came in off a regular-season-ending loss, which had ended a five-game winning streak for the Knights and an 11-game winning run for the Lions.
Spring Grove extended its winning streak against the Knights to nine games and leads the all-time series 11 wins to one. The Lions have now taken two of the three playoff games versus Kingsland. With results dating back into the 1940s, SG had an 11-10 record versus Spring Valley and went 17-14 against Wykoff.
No. 13 seed Kingsland closed at 10-17, while No. 4 Spring Grove took a 23-4 record into the March 7 section quarterfinal against No. 5 seed Kenyon-Wanamingo (21-6), which advanced while eliminating No. 12 Grand Meadow, 69-59. It will be the first-ever meeting with the K-W Knights; however, a generation ago during the 1989-90 season, Spring Grove edged Wanamingo, 43-41.
There were no upsets during the first 11 section games with the top eight seeds all advancing to the eight-team quarterfinals, including three of the state’s top-10 Class A clubs. Hayfield, the top section seed is also state-ranked No. 1. Rushford-Peterson, the No. 2 section seed, is also state-ranked at No. 8. Spring Grove has just cracked the AP top 10 at No. 10 and in the computer ranking, is No. 20.
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>>SCORE by HALVES
>>SG 28 + 34 = 62
>>KHS 14 + 13 = 27
TEAM TOTALS:
all FG: SG 53% (24-45), KHS 20% (9-44)
2-pt FG: SG 56% (14-25), KHS 22% (6-27)
3-pt FG: SG 50% (10-20), KHS 18% (3-17)
Free throws: SG 36% (4-11), KHS 50% (6-12)(; Rebounds: SG 24, KHS 21; Turnovers: SG 9, KHS 14; 2nd Chance points: SG 8, KHS 8; Fast break points: SG 12, KHS 2; Points in paint: SG 32, KHS 16; Greatest lead: SG 37, KHS 0; Fouls: SG 13, KHS 11
SG INDIVIDUALS: P-points, R rebounds, A-assists, S-steals, B-blocked shots. Listed in order of jersey number. * starter. Caleb Griffin 3P, 1R; Isaac Nerstad no stats; *Tysen Grinde 19P, 5R, 10A, 4S, 2B; *Hunter Holland 6P, 1R, 1A; Josh Newgaard no stats; Ethan Crouch 1R, 1S; Logan Brumm 1S; Jacob Olerud 20P, 1R, 1A, 4S; Bryce Berns no stats; *Carson Gerard 6P, 5R, 1A, 1B; *Jaxon Strinmoen 6P, 9R, 6A; *Elijah Solum 2P, 1R, 1A
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Spring Grove Boys Basketball 2021-’22
23-4 (14-0 SEC, champion)
W vs. New Hampton, Iowa 45-41
W vs. Houston 71-22
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
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
W vs. Glenville-Emmons 91-34
W at Lanesboro 54-40
W vs. Southland (non-conference) 51-38
W at LeRoy-Ostrander 82-49
W vs. St. Charles 74-19
W vs. Schaeffer Academy 42-38
W vs. Lyle/Pacelli 47-43
L at Fillmore Central 54-55
Section 1A Tournament # 4 seed
W vs. #13 Kingsland 62-27
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