Blossoms enter state top-10 rankings

In the entire state of Minnesota, only four high school boys’ basketball teams hold perfect records, and Blooming Prairie is one of them.

Just over halfway into the season, the Awesome Blossoms’ 14-0 record sits tied with Wayzata for the second-best record in the state in all classes and has the team currently ranked No. 8 in Class A according to the Star Tribune’s Minnesota Basketball Hub.

Last week, Blooming Prairie added three more wins to its record by beating NRHEG, Hope Academy, and Bethlehem Academy.

The Awesome Blossoms’ capped their week by traveling to face the Panthers in a Gopher Conference showdown and winning 71-45.

As has been the case all season, Blooming Prairie caught fire early on and separated itself in the first half to cruise to victory.

Standout guard Gabe Hein took the reins by scoring 24 points, closely followed by his twin brother, Zach, who scored 17 himself.

At the half, Blooming Prairie took a 41-24 lead, completely neutralizing a struggling NRHEG squad.

The visiting Blossoms finished out the game with a 30-21 second half to win by 26 points.

NRHEG’s offense, which usually flows through guard Daxter Lee, had few answers for the Awesome Blossoms’ high-pressure press defense.

Lee finished with four total points; meanwhile, senior forward Jackson Chrz and junior utility player Greyson Schaefer led the Panthers with 10 points each.

Earlier in the week, Blooming Prairie took down Hope Academy 90-62 and Bethlehem Academy 75-32.

Both games looked similar to the game against NRHEG, with the Awesome Blossoms leading 45-26 at the half against Hope and 41-22 at halftime against Bethlehem.

Outside of a three-point win over JWP and an eight-point victory against USC, Blooming Prairie has hardly found itself in close games this season.

The Awesome Blossoms’ next closest game came in an 11-point win over Triton on Jan. 9.

NRHEG has not fared quite as well in 2023-24, and now stands 2-12 overall after its losses to the Awesome Blossoms and JWP Bulldogs last week.

Up next for Blooming Prairie is a home game against USC; meanwhile, NRHEG will look to re-enter the win column in a road tilt against Bethlehem Academy.

Both games will tip off at 7:15 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 26.

Player Stats

Blooming Prairie

                     P

G. Hein              24

Z. Hein               17

Kittelson            17

Cooke                7

Staloch              5

Pauly                  1

NRHEG

                     P

Chrz                   10

Schaefer           10

Tuttle                  8

Knudson            6

Lee                     4

Olson                 3

Brouwers           2

Zapata               2