Basketball Game Preview: Mabel-Canton Cougars vs. LeRoy-Ostrander Cardinals

A feisty cat fight will be fought when the Mabel-Canton Cougars challenge the LeRoy-Ostrander Cardinals at 7:15 p.m. on Thursday... The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Mabel-Canton has three straight victories, LeRoy-Ostrander has four straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the court.

Mabel-Canton will bounce into Thursday's matchup after beating Schaeffer Academy, who they had gone 2-7 against in their nine prior meetings. Mabel-Canton managed a 67-62 win over Schaeffer Academy on Monday. The Cougars' offense checked out after the first half but had enough points banked to take the game anyway.

Isaac Underbakke continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, going 8 of 15 en route to 23 points along with five assists and five boards. That's the most points he has posted since back in December of 2023. The team also got some help courtesy of Tyler Larson, who went 5 of 12 on his way to 12 points and five rebounds.

Meanwhile, LeRoy-Ostrander suffered their closest defeat since February 26, 2024 on Monday. They fell just short of Kenyon-Wanamingo by a score of 71-68.

Mabel-Canton will need focus on slowing down Camden Hungerholt, one of several LeRoy-Ostrander players who made an impact when they last played. He went 12 of 22 on his way to 34 points and three steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Reid Hungerholt, who posted 20 points and three steals.

LeRoy-Ostrander's loss dropped their record down to 2-7. As for Mabel-Canton, the victory was their first at home , bumping their record up to 4-5.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Mabel-Canton has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 32.9 rebounds per game. However, it's not like LeRoy-Ostrander struggles in that department as they've been averaging 27.1 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.

Mabel-Canton strolled past LeRoy-Ostrander when the teams last played back in February of 2024 by a score of 86-68. Does Mabel-Canton have another victory up their sleeve, or will LeRoy-Ostrander turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.