The #7 (2A) Grundy Center boys basketball team is one win away from its second consecutive state tournament appearance. In order to accomplish that feat, they’ll need to beat Northeast in the 2A Substate 4 Final Saturday at Wartburg College. It’ll air on 99 The Wave.
“We’re excited about having the short trip up to Waverly,” Head Coach Brent Thoren says. “Great venue. I anticipate a lot of people from Grundy Center and beyond come up there to watch that game. Should be a really good Grundy Center following. We’re excited to be in that position again. My guys love to be in these kinds of games, and it’s just it’s just a great time to be Spartans right now. We just rolled out from football and now we just keep rolling into basketball, and just enjoying the ride. and I’ll enjoy it with these guys as long as I can.”
The Spartans (21-2) are coming off a decisive 61-44 win over Iowa City Regina in Tuesday’s district final, where they led the entire way with key contributions from several players. Thoren says being mentally locked in amid an electric environment will be a key to success.
“We gave up quite a few offensive rebounds, and that’s something that we’ve got to get fixed in a relatively short amount of time. But going against really good players on the inside, we knew that. I think the encouraging thing for us is how well our defense played Tuesday. And it just gives us a chance even if we’re maybe a little lethargic offensively. But there’s a couple things we want to fine tune. But for us right now, honestly, it’s about keeping our mind, body, and spirit in a good place right now, because we’ve got a lot of stuff going on on the home front at school, with the end of the trimester finals, new classes starting on Thursday. And then also just getting ready for a basketball game on Saturday.”
Northeast (18-5) has won five straight, including a 64-56 comeback win over Monticello in Tuesday’s district final at Dubuque Hempstead. Four players average in double figures, led by Gavin Kramer with 18.6 points per game.
Coverage will start at 5:40 p.m., followed by the tipoff at 6:00.
