Basketball Recap: Upsala Piles Up the Points Against Maple Lake

Two teams were on the hunt for playoff glory, but only Upsala walked away with it. They took their matchup on Thursday with ease, bagging an 88-36 victory over the Maple Lake Irish. The Cardinals have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won nine contests by 26 points or more this season.

Upsala's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Samuel Laliberte, who went 7-for-13 en route to 17 points and six assists. Laliberte is also on a roll when it comes to three-point shooting accuracy, as he's posted one of at least 40% in the last three games he's played. Another player making a difference was Jack Primus, who posted 17 points along with five rebounds and three steals.

Cardinals

Previous 4 Games

03/06/25 vs Maple Lake	88-36
02/28/25 @ Verndale	71-38
02/27/25 @ Parkers Prairie	86-55
02/24/25 vs Long Prairie-Grey Eagle	57-47

Upsala smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 26 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in 56 consecutive games dating back to last season.

Upsala has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won ten of their last 11 matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 21-6 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 71.9 points over those games. Maple Lake's loss dropped their record down to 3-21.

Looking ahead, Upsala will square off against Swanville at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday. Swanville knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 55 points or more in their past five contests -- so hopefully Upsala likes a good challenge. Maple Lake does not have any more games scheduled as of now.