Basketball Game Preview: Pine River-Backus Tigers vs. Sebeka Trojans

The Pine River-Backus Tigers will head out on the road to challenge the Sebeka Trojans at 5:45 p.m. on Monday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.

Pine River-Backus took a 30-point loss the last time they faced off against Browerville, but this time they managed to keep it close and that made all the difference. Pine River-Backus skirted past Browerville 65-62. The game was the first time Pine River-Backus has beaten Browerville on their court since March 1, 2021.

Meanwhile, Sebeka came up short against New York Mills on Thursday and fell 75-65. While losing is never fun, the Trojans can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Minnesota basketball rankings (they are ranked 247th, while the Eagles are ranked 116th).

Despite the defeat, Sebeka saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Max Lake shot 42% from the field to rack up 17 points along with five assists and five boards. Lake has been hot for a while, having also posted two or more steals the last nine times he's played. Another player making a difference was Parker Kiser, who posted nine points and six rebounds.

The victory made it two in a row for Pine River-Backus and bumps their season record up to 6-2. Those wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 86.5 points over those games. As for Sebeka, their loss dropped their record down to 10-7.

Pine River-Backus was able to grind out a solid victory over Sebeka in their previous meeting back in December of 2024, winning 77-70. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Lake, who went 13-for-26 en route to 29 points in addition to seven boards and five assists. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will the Tigers still be able to contain Lake? There's only one way to find out.