Boys Basketball 2025: Nolan Groves scores 44 points to lead Orono past DeLaSalle
Posted: Tuesday, March 18, 2025 - 2:01 PM
Whether or not Orono ends the week on top, Nolan Groves and the Spartans wouldn’t let DeLaSalle stand in their way this year.
Groves produced a 44-point, 11-rebound, five-assist masterpiece and No. 4 seed Orono held off No. 5 DeLaSalle 87-71 in a Boys Basketball State Tournament Class AAA quarterfinal game Tuesday afternoon at Williams Arena on the University of Minnesota campus.
Orono came up short against DeLaSalle in last year’s quarterfinals and the 2023 semifinals, both six-point margins. Groves quickly made those previous meetings irrelevant.
Groves made seven of his first eight shots and accounted for the first 23 Orono points via 17 points himself and three assists to big man Brady Wooley. The Spartans raced to a 25-9 lead and were up 46-33 at halftime.
Jaeden Udeen tallied 27 points as DeLaSalle rallied to within 76-71 with 3:32 to go. Orono called timeout and gave the ball to – who else? – Groves. Demonstrating the strength and balance that made him so effective all afternoon, the senior got to the rim for a key bucket that pushed the advantage to seven and the Islanders got no closer.
Groves finished 14-of-25 from the field. Wooley was 10-of-13 in assembling 22 points while also grabbing 11 rebounds.
Up next: Orono takes on No. 1 Mankato East in a noon semifinal Thursday. DeLaSalle will face St. Paul Harding in a consolation game at 2 p.m. Wednesday at Gangelhoff Center on the Concordia University campus in St. Paul.
