Caledonia Shooting Struggles lead to State Loss

In their third straight appearance in the Minnesota State Boy's Basketball Tournament, the Caledonia Warriors had their sights set at the ultimate prize. After finishing as runners-up in 2015, and entering as the number two seed with a 28-2 record, things were looking good for the Warriors. In the quarterfinal round, Caledonia faced #13 Jackson County Central, a first-year participant at state.

After a strong start, and an 11-4 lead, things rapidly cooled off for the Warriors from outside. Caledonia, shooting 39% from 3-point range, saw shots repeatedly find themselves outside of the basket. They stayed in the game by forcing JCC turnovers and getting extra opportunities with offensive rebounds. There were six lead changes and two ties in the first half, with the Huskies of JCC taking a 35-34 lead into halftime.

Unfortunately for the Warriors, the shooting disparity got worse in the second half. JCC shot 57 percent, missing only nine field goal attempts in the second half, while Caledonia attempted 19 more shots, making only one more and shooting 32 percent. It's a tough way to go, as the Warriors seemingly did everything they had to do to advance. They were +12 on turnovers, +11 on offensive rebounds, and +29 in shot attempts. They had the shots, just not the makes. For the game Caledonia shot just 37%, 22% from beyond the arc. JCC shot 51% total, 42% from three, and 71% from the free throw line.

Caledonia finishes an outstanding season at 28-3, and will graduate six seniors.

The award winners- Players of the Game were Jacob Christopher for Jackson County Central (17 points, 11-13 FT shooting, 3 assists), and Owen King for Caledonia (25 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals). Owen entered the game tied with Aaron Middendorf, a 1997 Cal graduate, as the all-time leading scorer for Warrior boy's basketball. Owen will enter his junior season with 1,351 career points. The Game Ball went to Colton Lampert of the Warriors, who finished an outstanding career as Caledonia's 8th boy to reach 1,000 career points. Colton finished the game with 19 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 steals.

We congratulate the Warriors on a fantastic season!! Next up, we have the girl's Section 1 Championships on KFIL Friday night. Rushford-Peterson faces Goodhue first for 1A, followed by defending state champion Dover-Eyota vs. Plainview-Elgin-Millville for 1AA. Coverage begins at 5:40 on radio and online at kfilradio.com.