McCool Junction hasn't had much luck against Cross County recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The McCool Junction Mustangs will take on the Cross County Cougars at 8:15 p.m. Both teams are coming into the matchup red-hot, with McCool Junction sitting on eight straight wins and Cross County on ten.
McCool Junction saw some tournament action on Tuesday. They managed a 53-49 victory over East Butler.
| 01/28/25 vs East Butler | 18 |
| 01/27/25 vs Twin River | 14 |
| 01/23/25 @ Osceola | 12 |
| 01/21/25 vs Bruning-Davenport/Shickley | 12 |
| 01/17/25 @ Deshler | 11 |
McCool Junction's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Mapieu Kouchinin led the charge by dropping a double-double on 14 points and 18 rebounds. Kouchinin is crushing it when it comes to boards: he's pulled down at least nine every time he's taken the court this season. Carson Mcdonald was another key player, putting up 24 points.
McCool Junction smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive boards. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their offensive board total in three consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Cross County took their contest on Tuesday with ease, bagging a 75-37 win over Osceola. The Cougars have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won ten matchups by 25 points or more this season.
Cross County's win came from a few key players McCool Junction will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Thatcher Hanson, who went 7 for 10 on his way to 17 points and three steals. What's more, he also racked up two blocks, the most he's had since back in January of 2024. Another player making a difference was Kole Crawford, who made all 6 shots he took for 19 points.
Cross County has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won 11 of their last 12 games, which provided a nice bump to their 15-2 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 63.2 points per game. As for McCool Junction, their record now sits at 14-3.
Friday's contest will pit two of the most dominant centers against one another: Kouchinin and Wyatt Hengelfelt. Kouchinin has been dynamite this season: he has averaged 21.8 points, 13 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks on 66.2% shooting. For his part, Hengelfelt has averaged 9.9 points and 1.2 steals.
McCool Junction came up short against Cross County when the teams last played back in December of 2024, falling 55-47. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Hengelfelt, who dropped a double-double on 26 points and 13 boards. Now that McCool Junction knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.
