BOYS BASKETBALL: Caledoniaís boys basketball season came to an earlier-than-anticipated end on March 4 with a 61-53 loss to Chatfield in the Section 1AA East-Subsection finals.

It was a gut-wrenching loss for a team that many people thought was capable of a state tournament berth. Chatfield will now play Dover-Eyota for that right on Thursday.

Last Fridayís game, played before a loud crowd from both schools in the Mayo Civic Auditorium, looked like it would be close all the way. The teams traded baskets as they raced back and forth in the first half, which ended 28-28.

In the second half, Chatfieldís 2-3 zone defense stifled the inside game. They double-teamed Matt Frank, and the outside shooting for Caledonia never clicked.

Chatfield guard Nathan Neis did a good job of controlling the ball, driving for lay-ups, breaking the press, and shooting free throws.

Chatfield led 42-40 going into the last quarter, but then scored the next seven points to secure the win. Caledonia had to foul to get the ball, and Chatfield converted well from the free-throw line. Caledonia could get no closer than five points at the end.

ìWe got beat by a team that played better than us on Friday night,î coach Dave Meyer said on Monday. ìAfter looking at the film, they played a very, very good ball game.î

Caledonia had trouble stopping their penetration, and the Gophers got scoring from everybody, with four players in double figures.

Neis took over the game, Meyer felt, and when Caledonia fouled him, he was 7 for 7 in free throws in the fourth quarter. Caledonia missed seven free throws, making it a 14 point spread right there, Meyer said.

Chatfield was playing without 6-4 senior Hunter Scott, an injured Chatfield player who was averaging 18 points per game. That spread out the Chatfield scoring more. ìIt sounds crazy but they played more like a team,î Caledonia senior point guard Bob Burmester said of Scottís absence.

ìAnd they got to sit in a zone defense and we werenít able to hit from the outside to bring them out,î Meyer said.

Meyer praised the play of junior Lucas Nelson, who went to the boards hard on offense for four rebounds. He led the team with 15 points, and played good defense against Nick Bernard.

Senior Matt Frank was phenomenal, Meyer said, and Burmester only had two turnovers.

ìIt was a great disappointment because their goals were a lot, lot higher than this,î Meyer said of the loss.

But he thinks people need to remember what a great season they had. ìWe canít take anything away from these guys,î Meyer said. They were 25-2 and went undefeated in a fabulous conference.

Burmester gave Chatfield credit for the win. ìThey stepped up and made bigger shots,î he said. ìWe didnít shoot that well that (second) half.î

A two-three zone didnít usually give the team trouble, he added. ìWe were kind of off from the outside too. It was just one of those games.î

It was a sweet win for Chatfield, which had lost only twice all year, both of them to Caledonia. For Caledonia, ranked third in the state entering the contest, it was a very disappointing loss, as the stricken faces of the players clearly showed. The team was heavy with experience, featuring seven seniors, all of whom were legitimate starters. They had the total team: good height, great outside shooting, defense, ball control, and a lot of poise.

ìBut then you have to remember, we only lost two games,î Burmester said, putting the season in perspective two days after the loss. ìItís been a lot of fun.î

You canít base a season on one game, he added. ìWeíre all really close. That made it more fun.î

Other graduating seniors are Phil Guillien, Michael Schiltz, Nate Kinstler, Kyle Welscher, and Jacob Hoscheit.

GIRLS BASKETBALL: The Warrior girlsí basketball team met Dover-Eyota in quarterfinal tournament play on Saturday, February 19, easily defeating the Eagles by score of 66-41.

GYMNASTICS: The Caledonia/Spring Grove gymnastics team ended its regular season on a positive note with a win over Byron on February 14. Team scores for varsity were 120.500 to 111.50. For the JV squad, a more complete Caledonia/Spring Grove team scored 90.50 to 35.80 for Byron.

WRESTLING: Nine wrestlers ñ eight of them underclassmen ñ placed in the Section 1AA tournament last Saturday at the Rochester Civic Center.

Seven wrestlers had a chance to qualify for the state tournament this weekend, and four ended up doing just that.

Collin Pitts at 103 and Avery Becker at 135 won Section 1AA championships at the Mayo Civic Center on February 19. Alex Burg at 125 and Karl Klug at 215 took second. (The top two place winners advance to state.)

Michael Pitts at 112 and Kaleb Schmitz at 119 finished third, Josh Gavin was fourth at 140, Justin Conway was fifth at 171, and Kevin Klug was sixth at 189.

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