Most foes struggle with matchups against Aberdeen Christian, but it was Groton that devised a pair of matchups that it used to its advantage at the Aberdeen Civic Arena Friday night.

The Tigers clamped down on Christian’s two leading scorers on the season and walked away with a 60-46 non-conference boys’ basketball victory in the final game of the regular season for both squads.

Groton entered the game focused on trying to contain Malek Wieker and Ethan Russell. The Tigers used a bit of unconventional logic that turned out to be a wise decision as the taller Jacob Zak guarded Wieker and the shorter Kaden Kurtz defended Russell.

“We felt like going with the longer kid on Wieker and the stronger kid on Russell,” said Groton coach Brian Dolan.

Wieker still scored 12 points and Russell had nine, but nothing came easy against the duo of Zak and Kurtz.

“Those two kids really showed up tonight, defensively and played well,” Dolan said. “I knew (Wieker and Russell) were going to get their points, but we made them really, really work for their points, because they’re both really good basketball players.”

Kurtz had his hands full against the 6-foot-6 Russell, but he more than held his own throughout the contest.

“I know that whoever I guard they’re always going to be bigger than I am,” Kurtz said. “I’m only 5-10, so I just try to be physical and try use my strength to my advantage.”

Groton’s defense caused the Knights trouble from the opening tip. Christian managed to make just one three-point field goal and didn’t find life in the lane much easier as Groton contested every shot.

“That’s something that stood out to us every time we’ve watched them. They play very physical for their stature,” said Christian coach David Rohrbach. “They’re in your face. You’re in for a dogfight. You’re in for a battle.”

Groton was able to pull away from a 16-16 tie early in the second quarter by scoring nine unanswered points. Zak scored five points to help key the spurt.

From there the Tigers never relinquished the lead and eventually built the advantage to double digits. Groton moved the ball, cut to the basket and found open looks throughout the contest.

“We know that when we share the ball that we’re really hard to defend,” Kurtz said.

Meanwhile, it was the complete opposite on the other end where the Knights couldn’t get much traction, either inside our outside.

“They made us work for everything,” Rohrbach said. “Open shots were hard to come by. Even inside looks were hard to come by.”

As a result, the Tigers were able to play with a double-digit lead for nearly the entire fourth quarter. Still, Dolan said he was not comfortable until the final horn, knowing the firepower that Christian possesses to score points rapidly.

“I thought they maybe had a 14-point play in their back pocket to tie the game,” Dolan said, “because I’ve seen them do it, and I know they’re capable of doing it.”

On this night, though, Groton proved to be a step quicker and a bit stronger to produce a quality road victory.

“They brought the fight to us,” Rohrbach said. “I was hoping that we would bring the fight a little more and I didn’t think we were at our best tonight.”

Zak finished with 17 points, Kurtz 12, Lane Tietz 11 and Tate Larson nine for the Tigers, 17-3 on the season. Groton will host Sisseton in Region 1A action on Tuesday.

Kaden Clark contributed 12 points to the Christian total and Andrew Brennan added eight.

Christian, 17-3, opens its post season on Tuesday in Region 1B action at the Civic Arena.

Rohrbach is excited to see how his squad will respond to some lessons learned against the Tigers.

“On one level we’re happy to be at the playoffs, because the season is a grind,” Rohrbach said. “I think this game is really good for us because you kind of need that refocus, and what better team to get you ready for the playoffs than them?”

GROTON (17-3): Lane Tietz 2 6-8 11, Jayden Zak 3 0-0 7, Kaden Kurtz 3 3-4 12, Jacob Zak 7 3-7 17, Tate Larson 4 1-1 9, Wyatt Hearnen 1 1-2 3, Logan Ringgenberg 0 1-2 1. Totals 20-45 15-24 60.

ABERDEEN CHRISTIAN (17-3): Andrew Brennan 2 4-6 8, Jackson Isakson 2 1-2 5, Ethan Russell 3 3-5 9, Malek Wieker 5 1-1 12, Kaden Clark 5 2-3 12. Totals 17-54 11-17 46.

Groton 15 31 40 60

Aberdeen Christian 14 22 34 46

3-point field goals – Tietz, Jayden Zak, Kurtz 3; Wieker. Fouled out – Isakson. Total fouls – Groton 16; Aberdeen Christian 18. Rebounds – Groton 36 (Jacob Zak 10); Aberdeen Christian 37 (Russell 15).  Turnovers – Groton 6; Aberdeen Christian 8. Assists – Groton 14 (Jayden Zak 4, Tietz 4).