The Kingsland Knights will take on the LeRoy-Ostrander Cardinals at 7:15 p.m. on Friday. One thing working in Kingsland's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points in their last three matches.
Two weeks ago, Kingsland came up short against Southland and fell 65-58. While losing is never fun, the Knights can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Minnesota basketball rankings (they are ranked 264th, while the Rebels are ranked 69th).
| 12/19/24 @ Southland | 4 |
| 12/17/24 vs Mabel-Canton | 1 |
| 12/13/24 vs Spring Grove | 2 |
| 12/09/24 vs Medford | 2 |
Loss or not, Kingsland got some senior leadership from Max Erdman and Parker Johnson. Erdman dropped a double-double on 22 points and 11 rebounds, while Johnson dropped a double-double on 16 points and 12 boards. With that strong performance, Johnson is now averaging an impressive 2.1 steals per game. Another player making a difference was Zach Reiland, who posted six points and four steals.
Even though they lost, Kingsland smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in three consecutive games.
Meanwhile, it was a proper cat-fight when LeRoy-Ostrander faced off against Goodhue on Saturday. LeRoy-Ostrander took a blow against Goodhue, falling 86-50. The defeat continues a trend for the Cardinals in their matchups with the Wildcats: they've now lost four in a row.
Kingsland will have to keep a close watch on Reid Hungerholt and Camden Hungerholt, a pair of players who had a big impact on LeRoy-Ostrander's prior game. Reid went 7 of 15 on his way to 17 points in addition to five boards and four steals, while Camden put up 14 points and five rebounds. That's the most steals Reid has posted since back in December of 2023.
Kingsland's loss dropped their record down to 5-4. As for LeRoy-Ostrander, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-5.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Kingsland has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 32.1 boards per game. However, it's not like LeRoy-Ostrander struggles in that department as they've been averaging 27.5 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Kingsland strolled past LeRoy-Ostrander in their previous meeting back in January by a score of 88-70. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Hungerholt, who dropped a double-double on 38 points and 11 rebounds. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Kingsland still be able to contain Hungerholt? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
