The Spring Grove boys (30-2) were left behind in the second half by New Life Academy in the semi-finals of the Class A State Basketball Tournament at the Target Center in Minneapolis on March 24. The state-ranked No. 3 Eagles (26-5) from Woodbury won, 51-35, overcoming 25 turnovers with rebounding, an often withering fast-break attack and defense that kept the Lions away from … [Read more...]

The 2023 Spring Grove boys (30-1) became the only Lions to win 30 games, but they had to hang on - again late - to turn away Mankato Loyola, 39-38, in the Class A State Tournament quarterfinals on March 22 at Williams Arena in Minneapolis. Loyola cut an 11-point deficit down to two (39-37) with a chance to pull even with a pair of free throws with only nine seconds remaining. … [Read more...]

One lug nut held, maybe two. The Section 1A boys basketball title game between #7 in A Spring Grove (2-seed, 28-1) and #1 in A Goodhue (1-seed, 26-3) will be remembered. For 30 minutes, the Lions were in control. Then, in the blink-on-an-eye, the wheels nearly fell off. The Lions boys, battled-tested from already making state and the state finals in football back in the fall, … [Read more...]

Spring Grove senior Addyson McHugh was named Second Team All-Conference by the Southeast Conference girls basketball coaches. Freshman Kylie Hammel received Honorable Mention. McHugh, a 5-foot-10 guard/forward, was honored again as a senior after receiving Honorable Mention the previous winter as a junior. In her final season in a Lion uniform, the four-year letter … [Read more...]

The Spring Grove boys (2-seed, 26-1) advanced into the Section 1A basketball championship game with a 39-24 low-scoring quarterfinal win versus Randolph (7-seed, 16-10), followed by a 57-46 semifinal decision over two-time defending state champion Hayfield (3-seed, 23-6). The quarterfinal was a grind with no offensive rhythm as the Lions and Rockets combined to score only 63 … [Read more...]

The 2023 Spring Grove girls, with the fewest turnovers in 11 years, won a dozen basketball games, their most in six years. Under first-year head coach and former Lion standout Taylor Elton, the Lions continued to hold their own against similar Class A competition. At 12-15 overall, the girls were 12-12 versus other Minnesota Class A squads and Iowa small-school Lansing Kee, … [Read more...]

Superior ball-handling, great defense, steady free-throw shooting and hot 3-point shooting propelled the Spring Grove boys into the Section 1A Tournament championship game. On March 11 at Rochester, the 57-46 semi-final decision over two-time defending state champion Hayfield was not only a clash between the No. 2 and No. 3 section seeds was also a high-level state-ranked … [Read more...]

The Spring Grove boys, with the No. 2 section seed, eliminated No. 7 Randolph, 39-24, in a low-scoring March 7 quarterfinal at Rochester. The defenses were stout and stingy as each offense was limited to the fewest points of the season. The two cold-shooting squads combined for only 63 points, the fewest in a Spring Grove boys’ game in 73 years. Nevertheless, the state-ranked … [Read more...]

The Spring Grove boys, with the No. 2 section seed, took quick control of the March 2 section clash with No. 15 Mabel-Canton. The 71-33 decision began with a 26-2 opening Spring Grove salvo on the way to a 45-21 halftime count. Jaxon Strinmoen scored 16 points before halftime on the way to his 18-point, 10-rebound double along with 4 steals, 2 blocked shots and 5 assists … [Read more...]