Spartans are on the state train. Boys varsity basketball defeated St. Agnes 59 – 49 in their section semifinal game on Mar 12.
Going into the game the team was expecting a win, being seeded at number one in the section and having already easily beaten their opponent earlier in the season 78 – 43. Senior Leo Benson was confident going into the game.
“We knew their team really well, who their best players were, and what they could do best,” Benson said.
In the first half though, the Aggies came into the game quickly and while SPA was up for most of the half, they didn’t make it easy for them. The 1000-point holding “trifecta” of captains Mikkel Rawdon, Tysen Hayes and Ethan Carter spent most of the game with a strong presence of defense against them any time the ball was passed to them. Thankfully for the Spartans, this resulted in many fouls called against the opposing team and successful free throws for all three.
With two seconds left in the half, however, there was a quick shot from St. Agnes bringing it up almost to a tie with SPA at 25 pts and St. Agnes at 24 pts.
After halftime, the Spartans were tired. Each point from the Spartans was quickly returned by the Aggies and the team spent the half running up and down the court. Additionally, the fouls that were present in the first half came back just as hard in the second. These fouls, along with high energy from both student sections and many “you can’t do that chants,” made for a chippier, but welcomed, playing experience than usual.
“We had to adjust but I think we adjusted well, especially our big men Mikkel and Tysen. They are used to getting hammered but not [as physical as it was] … overall it played in our favor” Carter said.
With nine minutes left in the game after a few free throws from the Aggies, they made it back into the lead with SPA down two points. While the clock was ticking, the players took their time, calculating their passes and dribbling with ease into each point.
“You have to stay calm to achieve your goals, not getting too much in your head or the moment,” Carter said.
This strategy paid off as Rawdon came into possession of the ball and had two back-to-back shots, putting the Spartans back in the lead.
The lead was growing but the Aggies were putting up a fight. Many subs were put in and two shots brought the teams to a close 48 – 45 with only six minutes left.
Then, starting freshman John Grimsrud came out on a breakaway, was fouled and set up for a free throw. The crowd, filled with parents, teachers, administration and students, went wild. “He’s a freshman” rang through the gym as Grimsrud prepped for his shot with a couple of practice bounces. “I had a bad stretch of games so it felt good for this one to go in with everyone cheering,” Grimsrud said.
With a minute left, the celebrations had already started and the team was smiling as they tossed the ball around to pass the final seconds.
If they win Friday it will mark the first state appearance in ten years for the boy’s basketball team as the last time they made it through sections was in 2014. This team currently has the most games won overall in school basketball history with a record of 22 – 6 – 0.
The Spartans will play the second seed, Minnehaha Academy, in the first round of state today at 8:00 p.m. at St. Thomas Academy.
