It’s been eight years since Mankato West and/or Mankato East did not make it to the championship game of the boys basketball section tournament, but that’s a possibility this season. Both teams are on the road Saturday in the Section 2AAA semifinals, with West playing at No. 2 seed Willmar and East playing at top-seeded Hutchinson.
It might be different if the section semifinals were still played at Minnesota State’s Bresnan Arena, but as a cost-saving measure, only the championship game will be played there. That leaves both Mankato teams with tough road trips.
East (16-11) and Hutchinson (23-3) have already played this season, with Hutchinson winning 72-55 on Dec. 19 at East, just two days after Hutchinson defeated Mankato West 52-51 at Hutchinson.
However, the Cougars are playing much better now, having overcome a 1-7 start to win 15 of the last 19 games. And six of East’s losses have come to West, Winona and Owatonna, who have a combined record of 60-16.
East has the potential of a dangerous inside-outside combo of guard Alex Welter, who hit five 3-pointers in the section quarterfinal win over Worthington, and centers Sam Onsomu and Brody Ziegler.
West’s game at Willmar is trickier to predict, given that the teams had just one common opponent. West (17-8) defeated New Ulm 59-23 early in the season, while Willmar (18-9) downed the Eagles 63-57 in the section quarterfinals.
West is all about defense, allowing only 45.6 points, while Willmar, which won the first 10 games of the season, is scoring 63.4 points. Willmar plays a tough schedule, the equal of the Big Nine Conference.
If West can score, which is sometime a struggle, the Scarlets are dangerous. Preston Brunz, Ethan Tramp and Nick Kaus are all capable scorers, and if another player can chip in eight or 10 points, the Scarlets will be tough. West can score in bunches, and as effective as the defense can be, the Scarlets can put together some nice runs.
The section championship game is Thursday, and Bresnan Arena will be a lonely place if West or East both lose Saturday. History suggests at least one of them will make it.
Chad Courrier is a Free Press staff writer. To contact him, call 507-344-6353 or e-mail at ccourrier@mankatofreepress.com or check out his local sports blog at www.mankatofreepress.com
Sports
Related Photos
-
courrier, chad.jpg
East, West have rough roads back home
- Sports
-
-
Mavericks defeat Alaska Anchorage
Minnesota State stayed ahead of Alaska Anchorage in the WCHA standings with a 3-2 win on Friday night.
-
FBA nips Loyola in overtime
Sam Jensen's free throws in final seconds lift Faribault Bethlehem Academy to 54-53 overtime victory over Mankato Loyola in boys basketball Friday.
-
Gustavus hockey team ties but loses big point
Gustavus was 15.4 seconds away from winning and getting an extra, important point for the MIAC standings. But the St. Mary's Nick Gorup scored a rebound goal on a flurry in front of goalie John McLean to force overtime and the two teams ended up tied.
-
East girls rout Albert Lea
Seniors Ries, Crawford provide the punch
-
Courrier: Mavericks roster due for an offseason shakeup
-
College Basketball Notebook: Zach Romashko's improvement a bright spot for Minnesota State men's basketball
Freshman power forward producing more since break
-
College Hockey Gameday: Minnesota State at Alaska Anchorage
The Mavericks (10-19-1, 6-15-1 in WCHA) will head north to take on the Seawolves (7-17-2, 4-17-1). It will be the second meeting of the year between the two teams.
-
Prep Basketball Notebook: Siemers has memorable game
Minnesota Valley Lutheran's Nate Siemers had a big night Monday in a 70-60 win over Sleepy Eye.
-
Hockey Notebook: Moe still getting after it
Former Gustavus Adolphus College women's hockey standout Sarah Moe is still playing competitively at the age of 31.
-
West duo’s final performance at MSU as Kenny & Shorty
Former Mankato West standouts Kenra Huettl and Amanda Umhoefer enter their final seasons of collegiate softball at Minnesota State University.
- More Sports Headlines
-
