The Spring Grove girls won one game and lost two last week, but the win will be the most remembered. The Lions, on Feb. 4, upset East Division leader Lanesboro, 44-36, the same team that had defeated Spring Grove by 23 points back in December. That home conference clash came between a pair of non-league losses to much larger Class AA clubs. A close game became a runaway in the final nine minutes of a 62-38 home loss against Lewiston-Altura on Jan. 31. Then the afternoon after successfully overcoming Lanesboro’s height advantage, the visiting Lions could not contain a taller and speedier squad from Plainview-Elgin-Millville, 72-47. In all three games, the opponents had more offensive rebounds than SG had total rebounds.
Photo by Lee Epps
The conference upset did not alter the pecking order. Spring Grove (6-15, 5-6 SEC) remained in third place while the Burros (14-6, 8-2 SEC) remained comfortably atop the SEC East standings; Lanesboro’s only other loop loss had come against West Division leader Kingsland. Lewiston-Altura (9-12) has 2.8 times the enrollment of Spring Grove; P-E-M (15-4) has 4.7 times as many students as does Spring Grove.
The B-team Lions completed a season sweep against the Burros, 27-22, but they also fell against both L-A, 48-25, and P-E-M, 48-18. The eighth grade Lions (1-7) broke into the win column and earned a season split with a 14-12 win versus Lanesboro, but they dropped a 41-21 decision at P-E-M. The seventh graders (8-2) defeated the Burros again, 35-11, but lost to the Bulldogs, 32-27.
SG 38, Lewiston-Altura 62
Lion guard, Jordian Leahy, scored a career-high 26 points, and it appeared it might be enough when she tallied nine straight points to make it a one-point Lewiston-Altura lead about halfway through the second half. But the Lions would add only one more field goal during the final eight-and-half minutes (16 possessions). The Cardinals scored the next 21 points while closing with a 25-to-2 run.
Spring Grove had handled full-court defensive pressure for much of the game. But after getting back within one point, the Lions had seven straight turnovers before hitting only one of their final 10 shots.
Following six lead changes, the score was tied for the fifth time at 16-16. Then it became an evening of alternating scoring streaks; the Cards tallied 10 straight on the way to a 26-18 halftime lead. Spring Grove opened the second half with a 9-to-4 run to make it a three-point margin. L-A then scored seven unanswered points before Leahy’s nine-point rally.
The Cardinals (9-12) were impatiently quick to take shots and then grabbed most of the rebounds when they missed. The Cardinals finished with a huge 38-to-20 rebounding margin and were also speedier up and down the floor, outscoring SG 17-to-8 with fast breaks.
The visitors played with a deep bench; a dozen Cards saw action in a competitive first half. Three scored in double figures: senior Elise Sommer with 16 points, junior Kylie Verthein with 14 and senior Madison Oslie with 12. Leahy nailed 4 of 5 beyond the 3-point arc and hit some difficult 2-point shots while scoring 26 of the 38 Lion points.
After winning the last seven games against SG, the Cardinals have now edged ahead in the all-time series, 10 wins to 9.
SG 44, Lanesboro 36
Defense was the difference. With a different defensive game plan, the Lions achieved a far different result from the earlier 58-35 loss at Lanesboro. The Burros, who were missing starter Jensyn Storhoff, were rarely able to successfully penetrate with the pass or the dribble and had nine interior shots blocked. Lanesboro scored 22 fewer points while shooting only 22% in this road rematch after 39% success during the home win.
Unlike the first game, SG won the turnover battle (15 to 23) and outscored the Burros in transition – by eight points in an eight-point win. The Lions outscored LHS by four points in each half. Both teams were woefully ineffective from both the foul line (SG 3 for 12, LHS 3 for 10) and from 3-point territory (SG 1 for 11, LHS 1 for 15), but Grove had a 16-point advantage in the lane (37-21).
What didn’t change was Lanesboro’s decided rebounding advantage. The Burros had more offensive rebounds (29) and more defensive boards (32) than the Lions had total rebounds (28). Four of the visitors had double-digit rebounds: Julie Schreiber 18, Kaci Ruen 15, Brielle Ruen 10, Ella Cambern 10. There were double-doubles with Schreiber (15 points) and Brielle Ruen (12) combining for 27 of the Burros’ 36 points.
For SG, Leahy put in 21 points while Addyson McHugh paced the defense with a career-high 8 steals.
Grove trailed 16-13 until Leahy and Katelyn Kraus combined to score the final seven points of the first half. Down 20-16 at the break, Lanesboro three times got back within one point. But the Lions twice answered with 8-to-1 scoring spurts on the way to the eventual eight-point victory. And the girls were able to handle the full-court defensive pressure late in the game.
Snapping a three-game losing streak to Lanesboro, the Lions have now taken 24 of the last 28 in the series they lead, 49 wins to 21. It was the first time in 14 years that the girls had won a rematch after such a previous lop-sided loss. In 2008, SG defeated visiting Grand Meadow 47-44 after an earlier 31-point drubbing. That was the lone league loss for the SEC champion Superlarks, whose super star player was slowed by illness that night.
SG 47, Plainview-Elgin-Millville 72
McHugh missed her first 3-point attempt, but drilled the next five as the Lions shot a season-best 46% from deep (6 for 13). Overall, their 44% was better than their 36% the night before and better than P-E-M’s 37%. But with 19 more rebounds (43-24) and 12 fewer turnovers (15-27), the Bulldogs attempted many more shots, including free throws. P-E-M made more free throws (17 for 25) than SG attempted (5 for 12). The O-boards resulted in P-E-M’s 33 to 2 scoring bulge with second-chance points.
The Bulldogs had too much size and too much speed. Athletic twin towers, junior Abigail O’Reilly (30 points) and junior Lauren Rott (12 points), both had 13 rebounds and were capable of joining their shorter companions in a fast-paced, fast-break attack. Spring Grove was outscored in transition, 22-4.
McHugh, with 6 for-10 shooting, finished with 17 points while Leahy added 9 and Siri Konkel 7. Eighth grader Kylie Hammel, a key reserve, went out with a non-contact injury during the second half.
Five of the Lions’ first six baskets were treys (four from McHugh), but they could not keep up. P-E-M led 47-27 at halftime and then scored 19 of the first 23 points of the second half. The Bulldogs improved to 15-4 in front of a large Saturday afternoon crowd in Plainview.
It was the first-ever meeting with P-E-M. The Lions had a 7-8 record versus Elgin-Millville, a conference rival back in the 1970s. SG was 0-2 versus Plainview with both games played at Winona State Holiday Tournaments.
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VARSITY vs. LEWISTON-ALTURA
>>SCORE by HALVES
>>SG 18 + 20 = 38
>>LA 26 + 36 = 62
TEAM TOTALS:
all FG: SG 29% (14-49), LA 39% (26-66)
2-pt FG: SG 24% (9-37), LA 49% (22-45)
3-pt FG: SG 42% (5-12), LA 19% (4-21)
Free throws: SG 63% (5-12), LA 60% (6-10); Rebounds: SG 20, LA 38; Turnovers: SG 24, LA 15; 2nd Chance points: SG 6, LA 18; Fast break points: SG 8, LA 17; Points in paint: SG 21, LA 36; Greatest lead: SG 4, LA 24; Fouls: SG 13, LA 13
SG INDIVIDUALS: P-points, R rebounds, A-assists, S-steals, B-blocked shots. Listed in order of jersey number. *starter. Siri Konkel2P, 1A; *Lydia Solum 2P, 6R, 2A, 1S, 3B; Sydney Holland 1S; *Addison Halverson no stats; Ava Olerud no stats; Kendal VanMinsel no stats; Addyson McHugh 5P, 3R, 3S, 1B; Kylie Hammel 1R; Carlie Halverson no stats; *Jordian Leahy 26P, 1R, 1S; *Emerson Ingvalson 6R, 2A, 1S, 1B; *Katelyn Kraus 3P, 3R, 1A, 4S
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VARSITY vs. LANESBORO
>>SCORE by HALVES
>>SG 20 + 24 = 44
>>LHS 16 + 20 = 36
TEAM TOTALS:
all FG: SG 36% (20-56), LHS 22% (16-72)
2-pt FG: SG 42% (19-45), LHS 26% (15-57)
3-pt FG: SG 9% (1-11), LHS 7% (1-15)
Free throws: SG 25% (3-12), LHS 30% (3-10)
Rebounds: SG 28, LHS 61; Turnovers: SG 15, LHS 23; 2nd Chance points: SG 13, LHS 12; Fast break points: SG 15, LHS 7; Points in paint: SG 37, LHS 21; Greatest lead: SG 8, LHS 4; Fouls: SG 13, LHS 15
SG INDIVIDUALS: P-points, R rebounds, A-assists, S-steals, B-blocked shots. Listed in order of jersey number. *starter. Siri Konkel5P, 3R, 1B; *Lydia Solum 2R, 3A, 1S, 1B; *Addyson McHugh 4P, 2R, 1A, 8S; Kylie Hammel 2P, 5R, 2A, 1B; *Jordian Leahy 21P, 6R, 2A, 3S, 2B; *Emerson Ingvalson 4P, 4R, 1A, 1S, 2B; *Katelyn Kraus 8P, 6R, 1A, 1S, 2B
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VARSITY vs. PLAINVIEW-ELGIN-MILLVILLE
>>SCORE by HALVES
>>SG 27 + 20 = 47
>>PEM 47 + 23 = 72
TEAM TOTALS:
all FG: SG 44% (18-41), PEM 37% (25-67)
2-pt FG: SG 43% (12-28), PEM 39% (20-51)
3-pt FG: SG 46% (6-13), PEM 31% (5-16)
Free throws: SG 42% (5-12), PEM 68% (17-25); Rebounds: SG 24, PEM 43; Turnovers: SG 27, PEM 15; 2nd Chance points: SG 2, PEM 33; Fast break points: SG 4, PEM 22; Points in paint: SG 23, PEM 54; Greatest lead: SG 2, PEM 34; Fouls: SG 16, PEM 14
SG INDIVIDUALS: P-points, R rebounds, A-assists, S-steals, B-blocked shots. Listed in order of jersey number. *starter. Siri Konkel7P, 1R, 1A, 1S; *Lydia Solum 1P, 5R, 3A; Sydney Holland 1A; Addison Halverson 2P, 1R; Ava Olerud 2R, 1A; Kendal VanMinsel1R; Kaitlyn Klug 2R; *Addyson McHugh 17P, 2R, 4S; Hailie Kittleson no stats; Kylie Hammel 1P, 1R, 1S, 1B; Carlie Halverson2P, 1S; Cierra Blaskowski 1R, 1S; *Jordian Leahy 9P, 2R, 1S, 1B; *Emerson Ingvalson 5P, 3A, 2S, 1B; *Katelyn Kraus 3P, 6R, 2A, 1B
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B-TEAM vs. LEWISTON-ALTURA
SG “B” 25, LA 48
SG 14 + 11 = 25
LA 27 + 21 = 48
B-TEAM TOTALS:
all FG: SG 11, LA 19
2-pt FG: SG 10, LA 14
3-pt FG: SG 1, LA 5;
Free throws: SG 2-5, LA 5-10; Fouls: SG 9, LA 8
INDIVIDUAL SCORING: Addison Halverson 7. Carlie Halverson 5, Sydney Holland 4. Kylie Hammel 4, Hailey Normann 2, Siri Konkel 2, Katie Klug 1
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B-TEAM vs. LANESBORO
>>SG 11 + 18 = 29
>>LHS 7 + 15 = 22
B-TEAM TOTALS:
all FG: SG 12, LHS 9
2-pt FG: SG 11, LHS 8
3-pt FG: SG 1, LHS 1
Free throws: SG 4-4, LHS 3-8; Fouls: SG 7, LHS 11
INDIVIDUAL SCORING: Carlie Halverson 12, Siri Konkel 5, Kendal VanMinsel 4, Katie Klug 4, Elle Berns 2, Hailey Normann 2
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B-TEAM vs. P-E-M
>>SG. 9 + 9 = 18
>>PEM 32 + 16 = 48
B-TEAM TOTALS:
all FG: SG 8, PEM 18
2-pt FG: SG 6, PEM 17
3-pt FG: SG 2, PEM 1
Free throws: SG 0-0, PEM; Fouls: SG 16, PEM 8
INDIVIDUAL SCORING:
Siri Konkel 8, Carlie Halverson 6, Addison Halverson 2, Kylie Hammel 2
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SEC Girls BB
>>EAST DIVISION
Lanesboro 8-2 SEC (14-6 season)
Houston 7-4SEC (12-9 season)
Spring Grove 5-6 SEC (6-15 season)
Mabel-Canton 3-6 SEC (6-14 season)
Schaeffer Aca. 0-11 SEC (2-17 season
>>WEST DIVISION
Kingsland 11-0 SEC (15-7 season)
Grand Meadow 9-2 SEC (15-5 season)
Southland 6-6 SEC (7-12 season)
LeRoy-Ostrander 2-7 SEC (3-16 season)
Lyle/Pacelli 1-8 SEC (3-16 season)
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Spring Grove Girls Basketball 2021-’22 (approximate 7:15 tipoff unless noted) *conference game
>>>6 wins, 15 losses (5-6 SEC)
W at Schaeffer Academy* 60-27
L vs. Decorah, Iowa 14-69
L vs. New Hampton, Iowa 38-57
L at Triton 38-70
L at Houston* 32-58
W vs. Mabel-Canton*43-38
W vs. Southland*54-45
L St. Charles 39-48
L at Lanesboro* 35-58
>>>Rushford-Peterson Christmas Invite
L at Rushford-Peterson 19-61
L vs. Dover-Eyota 37-77
W vs. Schaeffer Academy* 49-42
L at Grand Meadow*21-66
L vs. Houston*55-58
W at LeRoy-Ostrander (non-conference) 58-33
Lat Waukon, Iowa 55-71
L vs. Kingsland* 34-63
L at Mabel-Canton* 30-35
L vs. Lewiston-Altura 38-62
W vs. Lanesboro*44-36
L at Plainview-Elgin-Millville 47-72
Tues. 02/08 Fillmore Central
Thur. 02/10 Alden-Conger/Glenville-Emmons
Fri. 02/11 LeRoy-Ostrander*
Mon. 02/14 at Southland (non-conference)
Fri. 02/18 at Lyle/Pacelli* (at Lyle)
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Spring Grove B-team Girls (8-10)
L vs. Decorah 17-36
W at Triton 40-33
L at Houston 32-40
W vs. Mabel-Canton 34-20
L vs. Southland 28-36
W vs. St. Charles 35-27
W at Lanesboro 28-21
L at Rushford-Peterson 9-44
L vs. Dover-Eyota 9-59
L at Grand Meadow 21-29
W vs. Houston 34-31
W at LeRoy-Ostrander 34-15
L at Waukon 19-47
L vs. Kingsland 20-24
W vs. Mabel-Canton 32-29
L vs. Lewiston-Altura 25-48
W vs. Lanesboro 29-22
L at Plainview-Elgin-Millville 18-48
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Spring Grove 8th Grade Girls (1-7)
L vs. Lansing Kee 18-46
L at Houston 25-36
L at South Winneshiek 19-23
L at Lanesboro 25-26
L vs. Houston 18-36
L vs. Kingsland 9-33
W vs. Lanesboro 14-12
L at P-E-M 21-41
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Spring Grove 7th Grade Girls (8-2)
L vs. Lansing Kee 22-31
W at Houston 46-18
W at South Winneshiek 25-13
W at Lanesboro 25-15
W at Grand Meadow 33-3
W vs. Houston 36-14
W at LeRoy-Ostrander 45-8
W vs. Kingsland 48-6
W vs. Lanesboro 35-11
L at P-E-M 27-32