Basketball Game Preview: Minnewaska Area Lakers vs. Pipestone Arrows

The Minnewaska Area Lakers and the Pipestone Arrows will round out the year against one another at at 5:45 p.m. on Monday. Minnewaska Area knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 55 points or more in their past five matches -- so hopefully Pipestone likes a good challenge.

Minnewaska Area will bounce into Monday's contest after beating Melrose, who they had gone 0-9 against in their nine prior meetings. Minnewaska Area enjoyed a cozy 61-45 victory over Melrose on Friday. While the Lakers didn't have the best season last year (they finished 2-26), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past.

Meanwhile, Pipestone might have been a little too into the holiday spirit, gifting Marshall an easy 68-47 win. While losing is never fun, the Arrows can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Minnesota basketball rankings (they are ranked 308th, while the Tigers are ranked 65th).

Pipestone's defeat was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season, which dropped their record down to 1-6. As for Minnewaska Area, they have been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five games, which provided a nice bump to their 6-2 record this season.

Minnewaska Area ended up a good deal behind Pipestone in their previous meeting back in January, losing 68-49. Will Minnewaska Area have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more basketball content.