Blooming Prairie Awesome Blossoms boys basketball team edges JWP 61-59 in Gopher Conference championship game Saturday

After avenging an earlier defeat at the hands of Kenyon-Wanamingo Friday night, the Blooming Prairie Awesome Blossoms boys basketball team, champions of the East Division of the Gopher Conference and the No. 7 team in the state in the last Class A poll played host to West Division champion Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton in the Gopher Conference championship game Saturday evening, and it was the Blossoms winding up the regular season with their eighth straight win, 61-59.

Brady Kittleson totaled 17 points, including one of BP’s two 3-pointers in the game to lead the team offensively, Zack Hein tallied 16 points, Gabe Hein chipped in 13 points, Gabe Staloch drained the other 3-pointer for the Blossoms Saturday evening on his way to five points, Cooper Cooke and Kolby Vigeland both scored four points apiece, and Jacob Pauly tallied two points in the game that saw the Blossoms rally back from a 35-26 halftime deficit for the win.

With the win, the Blossoms wind up the regular sesaon with a 14-1 mark in the Gopher Conference and 25-2 overall, and Blooming Prairie was seeded No. 1 Saturday in the Section 1A tournament.  Their first tournament game will be played in Blooming Prairie Thursday night against either No. 16 LeRoy/Ostrander or No. 17 Bethlehem Academy, as those two teams will meet in a first-round matchup in LeRoy Monday evening.