GROTON – Aberdeen Christian had the size advantage, but Groton’s quickness trumped that Friday night.

The Tigers repeatedly got out in transition to help fuel a 74-55 non-conference boys’ basketball victory.

“We said before the game don’t let it turn into a track and field event, play our game, slow it down,” said Christian guard Ellis Russell, “but sometimes you can’t really help it.”

Groton racked up one turnover after another and each time it was just a matter of seconds before the Tigers were converting those into transition baskets.

“It’s easier for us. Not a lot of teams can run like us,” said Groton senior Jacob Zak. “If you’re going to play zone, we’re not going to let you set back up in zone, we’re just going to go.”

Groton forced eight turnovers in the opening quarter alone that contributed to a 16-4 lead to start the contest. The Knights were unaccustomed to seeing that type of quickness.

“Their defensive pressure is really kind of what sets them apart,” said Christian coach Aaron Moeller. “They don’t have a lot of size, but the speed just really makes up for it. We expected it, but until you feel it, you just don’t know how to prepare for that.”

The Tigers threatened to break the game open in the opening half, leading 33-17 before Christian scored the final six points of the second quarter to close to within 10 at the break.

“We made some poor decisions tonight in the open floor and left a lot of points out there in the first half,” said Groton coach Brian Dolan, “but when we share the ball and we spread the floor in the transition, we’re usually pretty successful. That’s a strength of ours.”

The Tigers immediately regained momentum to start the third quarter scoring four points in the first 16 seconds and the margin never got under a dozen the remainder of the contest.

Groton’s half-court offense was also efficient as the Tigers shared the basketball on the way to collecting 19 assists. The hosts consistently got into the lane where they dished off to teammates cutting along the baseline for high-percentage shots.

“Running baseline, that’s our thing,” Zak said. “That’s what coach has taught us to do and it works. He’s proved it. It’s just what we do. It’s an easy way to beat a zone.”

While Groton’s lead eventually grew to 23 points at one stage, the Knights never quit, closing the margin down to 15 midway through the final period.

“We didn’t have a very clean game, but you have to give Christian a lot of credit,” Dolan said. “They hung around and kept competing.”

In the end, both teams walked away feeling the contest made them better as they prepare to head into regional action next week.

“We’re not used to the catch it, turn, and they’re all up in your face,” Russell said. “It’s really good to have before playoffs so we want that, and the big environment really, really helped us.”

Joey Johnson scored a game-high 26 points for the Knights on a variety of attempts from drives to a 3-pointer. Christian shot the ball well the entire night, connecting on better than 50 percent from the field and making 12 of 14 free throws.

“We had a pretty high field-goal percentage,” Russell said, “and free-throw percentage we were really good.”

Christian takes a 14-6 record into postseason action where they will host Northwestern on Tuesday in Region 1B, and while the Knights lost their final regular-season game, Moeller said the contest was beneficial for his team.

“These are the games that help you get better,” Moeller said. “We get more out of this game in the loss than we do some of those other games in the win.”

Zak topped the Tigers with 24 points. Keegan Tracy and Ryder Johnson each followed with 14, and Lane Tietz contributed 12 points and eight assists.

The Tigers head into Region 1A action with a 16-4 mark where they will host Redfield on Tuesday night. The players are motivated to get back to the state tournament after falling short in that quest last year.

“That’s been a chip on our shoulders for all summer, I feel like,” Zak said, “the whole team.”

ABERDEEN CHRISTIAN (14-6): Ellis Russell 1 3-3 5, Becker Bosma 1 0-0 3, Konnar Furman 3 2-2 8, Brooks Jett 3 0-0 6, Joey Johnson 10 5-5 26, Jett Johnson 1 0-0 3, Luke Kaiser 1 2-4 4. Totals 20-37 12-14 55.

GROTON (16-4): Lane Tietz 4 2-2 12, Keegan Tracy 6 0-0 14, Jacob Zak 10 3-4 24, Ryder Johnson 6 1-2 14, Logan Ringgenberg 3 0-0 6, Kassen Keough 1 0-0 2, Easton Weber 1 0-0 2. Totals 31-53 6-8 74.

Aberdeen Christian 8 23 37 55

Groton 16 33 53 74

3-point field goals – Bosma, Joey Johnson, Jett Johnson; Tietz (2), Tracy (2), Zak, Johnson. Total fouls – Aberdeen Christian 8; Groton 14. Rebounds – Aberdeen Christian 20 (Johnson 6); Groton 18 (Johnson 6, Zak 5). Turnovers – Aberdeen Christian 20; Groton 10. Assists – Groton 19 (Tietz 8, Tracy 3). Steals – Groton 13 (Zak 4, Tietz 3).