The Grundy Center boys basketball team will make its first state tournament appearance since 2003 when it takes on #2 (2A) Hudson in a 2A quarterfinal Tuesday in Wells Fargo Arena.
The Spartans enter the state tournament 20-3 and on the heels of a dominant run through the district and substate bracket. In the substate final win over #9 (2A) Kuemper Catholic, the Spartans owned the boards by a 41-17 margin to limit their opponent’s extra possessions. In addition to the stellar rebounding performances, Head Coach Brent Thoren likes how balanced the team has been during the postseason.
“We have, in this postseason, one person has 36 points total, we’ve got four that have between 26 and 22 points, we’ve got another that has like 18 points and another with 16 points,” Thoren says. “I mean we have tremendous balance right now and I think that has to continue. That’s what makes us go, our ability to really be balanced with player personnel and really be able to do things both inside and out, not to be just one-dimensional. Anytime you get down to the state tournament, you gotta take care of the basketball. That’s what it comes down to is limiting possessions of the other team. Can’t give them extra possessions and not beating yourself. That’s coach speak, but that’s just the reality of things also.”
Jalen Kirkpatrick scores 16 points per game on 54 percent shooting while also leading in rebounds per game. Tate Jirovsky has 62 blocked shots, the most among the state tournament field. The team leads Class 2A in assists.
Hudson is making their first state tournament appearance since 1994. At 23-2, their only losses are to the top-ranked teams in Classes 3A and 4A, Decorah and Cedar Rapids Kennedy. The top-scoring team in Class 2A, their closest win was a 66-55 win over Grundy Center on December 1. Four players average in double figures, led by Camden Davis with 19.5 per game. Thoren says the Pirates are deep and versatile.
“The thing with Hudson is that how versatile they are as well. They’ve got a lot of guys that can play a lot of positions, but they have such a strong presence about them from all positions. They’re all seniors except for one. They have great team chemistry. They’re just very difficult to guard because so many guys can beat you. They play such good team defense. It’s not just singular man defense. It’s really great team defense. For us, it’s going to be obviously a huge challenge. From our standpoint, our ability to limit their possessions, I think that’s probably going to be a big thing. They really do a good job of gaining extra possessions or utilizing their possessions that they have.”
The game will tip off at 10:30 a.m. with pregame coverage beginning at 10:00 on 99 The Wave. The winner will advance to Thursday’s semifinal against either Underwood or Unity Christian.
