Blossoms advance to section title game
Blooming Prairie’s Zach Hein flips the ball into the air in celebration as time expires in the Awesome Blossoms’ 74-72 win over Kingsland last week. The win secured No. 1 Blooming Prairie a spot in the Section 1A title game. Photo credit Aaron Guzman Photography
No. 1 Blooming Prairie boys basketball is one game away from a state tournament berth after beating No. 5 Kingsland 74-72 in the section semifinal game.
The Awesome Blossoms will now advance to play No. 6 Goodhue for the Section 1A title on Thursday, March 14 at the Mayo Civic Center at 6 p.m.
“The message was to stick to the game plan. The guys we were letting shoot were making shots. I have to give credit to the boys. They stuck to the game plan and started taking really good shots in the second half, and that was the difference,” said Blooming Prairie head coach Cam Rutledge.
Blooming Prairie’s route to the championship game has been, by no means, an easy one.
The Awesome Blossoms faced No. 5 Kingsland and No. 8 Kenyon-Wanamingo last week and trailed at halftime in both games, forcing them to play near-perfect basketball in the second half.
Fortunately for Rutledge’s squad, the team’s mix of conditioning and composure continued to shine when it mattered most.
Against Kingsland, Blooming Prairie entered the final 18 minutes of play down 36-34 but managed to hold a lead as time dwindled.
Kingsland’s offense came to life in the last few minutes of the game, allowing the Knights an opportunity to take the lead in their last two possessions, but Blooming Prairie’s defense held firm to put the game away.
The Awesome Blossoms benefitted from junior guard Brady Kittelson’s massive 28-point game, along with 19 points each from Gabe and Zach Hein.
Earlier in the week, Blooming Prairie took down No. 8 Kenyon-Wanamingo 72-47.
The final score was not completely indicative of how close the game was as the Knights led 33-32 at halftime.
However, some stingy second-half defense from the Awesome Blossoms allowed Kenyon-Wanamingo just 15 points, frustrating the once hopeful Knights.
Blooming Prairie was led in scoring by Gabe Hein with 23 points, followed closely by Zach Hein with 22.
No. 6 Goodhue will present a tough challenge for the Awesome Blossoms, as the Wildcats enter the game after beating No. 6 Fillmore Central 86-66 and No. 3 Rushford-Peterson 75-64.
|
Team |
1st |
2nd |
Final |
|
Kingsland |
36 |
36 |
72 |
|
Blooming Prairie |
34 |
40 |
74 |
Player Stats
vs. Kingsland
P
Kittelson 28
G. Hein 19
Z. Hein 19
Staloch 5
Cooke 3