Owatonna Boys basketball recently wrapped up this season with a record of 14-14. The season ended on Saturday, March 8 when they lost to Lakeville North in the 1AAAA Section semifinals.
The boys basketball team placed sixth in the section which meant they had to face #3 Lakeville South in the section quarterfinals. The game went to the final seconds. Owatonna needed a bucket to win the game and looked to senior captain Nolan Ginskey for the shot. He ended up scoring a buzzer beater layup to take Owatonna to the section semifinals where they had to face Lakeville North.
The semifinal game ended in a loss to Lakeville North. Ginskey and senior Cole Kruschke both had 19 points each in their last Owatonna Boys Basketball game.
Ginskey had a memorable season being the second player in Owatonna history to get a triple-double, reaching double digits in points, rebounds and assists in a single game. Ginskey’s triple-double took place against the Faribault Falcons. This puts him with the likes of his former teammate Colin Vick. Ginskey said, “A lot of credit goes to my teammates because they’re the ones who knock down the shots.” Ginskey also became first in all time steals in Owatonna Boys Basketball history.
Kruschke and Ginskey were both selected for the Big 9 all conference. Kruschke stated, ”Being All-Conference in basketball feels incredible. It’s a validation of all the hard work, dedication and countless hours in the gym. It’s even more special knowing that my performance helped my team succeed.”
OHS Boys Basketball had a roller-coaster season with ups and downs, but they played hard every time. Ginskey said, “We had some winning streaks against some really good teams and some losing streaks with some not so good teams.”
Head coach Joshua Williams stated, “It was a solid season with a great bunch of guys! The kids competed every night and we had some exceptional games during the course of the year.” Coach Williams specifically mentioned Ginskey’s buzzer beater against Lakeville South as a highlight of the season.
With the end of the season, the team has seven graduating seniors this year: Nolan Ginskey, Cole Kruschke, Darian Stransky, Jackson Mottl, Lajaed Robinson, Zach Haarstad and Terell Miller. Their postseason run was a memorable way to finish their senior seasons.
