Henning Races to Victory Over Spring Grove

Spring Grove's basketball team is filled with players who won back-to-back state nine-man football championships. Henning's team is filled with players who look they would make up a good track team. The speed of the Hornets prevailed in Friday's Class A semifinal at the state boys basketball tournament at Target Center with a 67-34 win over Spring Grove. Henning advances to Saturday's state title game at noon with coverage on KDHL AM 920 and the KDHL app.

Spring Grove jumped out to an 8-2 lead four minutes into the game while Henning had three turnovers, a pair of missed shots and committed two fouls. Over the next five-and-half minutes, Henning went on a 21-4 run to take a 23-12 lead with 8:25 to go in the first half.

Henning senior Sam Fisher scored seven points during that critical stretch while junior Parker Fraki hit a pair of triples. The two shared the team lead with 15 points in the game.

The Hornets, appearing at state for the first time since back-to-back trips in 1965-66, led 37-16 at the break.

Spring Grove scored the first basket of the second half, but Henning went on a 7-0 run with Fraki, Blake Wallevand, Isaac Fisher and Adam Lange all scoring to put the Hornets up 47-19 two-and-a-half minutes gone by.

Henning's speed was evident in the way they got into passing lanes, tipped the ball away from Spring Grove dribblers and dashed down the floor on fast breaks, outscoring the Lions 22-0 in the that category. Henning (30-1) outdid Spring Grove 21-8 in points off turnovers. The Hornets shot 56.5-percent and hit 8-of-17 threes, plus went 7-for-7 on free throws.

Spring Grove, in their first-ever state boys basketball tournament and coming off an upset victory over top-seed Springfield, shot just 26-percent overall, went 4-for-23 on three-point tries and hit just 2-of-7 free throw attempts.

The Hornets played in honor of a classmate and teammate who died in a car accident in 2017. Jacob Quam would have been a senior on this Henning team. His #33 jersey hung on a chair court side.