After losing to the Owatonna Huskies the last time they met, the Mankato East Cougars decided to demonstrate that turnabout is fair play. Mankato East rang in the new year with a 64-51 win over Owatonna on Thursday. Given Mankato East's advantage in MaxPreps' Minnesota basketball rankings (they are ranked 107th, while Owatonna is ranked 226th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Owatonna's loss came despite strong showings from Morgan Fisher and Jersey Coleman. Fisher scored 16 points, while Coleman scored ten points along with seven rebounds. Fisher also posted two blocks for the first time this season. Another player making a difference was Carsyn Brady, who scored five points along with seven steals.
Mankato East now has a winning record of 6-5. As for Owatonna, they are on a five-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 4-7.
Mankato East will head out on the road to face off against Mahtomedi at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. As for Owatonna, they will look to defend their home court on Saturday against Lakeville North at 1:00 p.m. Lakeville North has been dominant on offense recently, as they've racked up an incredible 477 points over their last seven contests.
