1. Northwest Suburban Conference team to watch - Champlin Park is 15-4 overall and 10-1 in the Northwest Suburban Conference. The Rebels are tied with Osseo for first place (Champlin beat Osseo 61-53 on Jan. 19) and ranked No. 2 in the state in 4A. CP has four players averaging between 11.1 and 12.8 points per game, including Josh Pella (12.8), Brandon Davis (12.4), Kyle Zimmermann (12.3) and Jasper Duberry (11.1). Jordan Riebling leads the team with 23 3-pointers made, while Dillon Hager has 22. Pella also leads the team in rebounds, assists, steals and blocks.
2. Northwest Suburban team to watch - Osseo, at 16-3 overall and 10-1 in conference action, is again among the best teams in the Northwest Suburban Conference and ranked third in the state in 4A. Despite the loss of big man Sam Dower, who graduated last year and is now playing at Division I power Gonzaga, the Orioles are getting it done. Leading the way is Aaron Anderson (13.1 ppg, 6 assists, 3 steals), John Rowland (11.1 ppg), Chris McMorris (10.9) and Joey Sonnenfeld (9.9). Also contributing are John Bailey (6.5 ppg, team-leading 34 3-pointers) and Dalton Graff (18 3-pointers). Osseo plays at Champlin Park Feb. 16 in a game with serious conference title implications.
3. Cooper in control with win - Robbinsdale Cooper, ranked No. 5 in 4A, is now a game ahead of Benilde-St. Margaret, ranked No. 3 in 3A, in the North Suburban Conference after defeating BSM 93-89 Thursday night. Darry Jones scored 28 points for Cooper - including a 25-foot 3-pointer at the buzzer to send the game into overtime, and Calvin Godfrey scored 22 in the win. Terrace Averyheart and Elijah Swen each added 11 for the winners. Peter Crawford poured in 24 points and Isaiah Zierden added 22 in the loss. This game may have been the best regular-season game of the season to date.
4. Crosby-Ironton cruising - The Rangers, ranked No. 4 in 2A, are 18-1 overall (8-0 conference) and in first place in the Mid-State Conference standings, one game ahead of Staples-Motley. The Rangers have won nine straight games and have circled Feb. 26, when they travel to Staples to play No. 10-ranked Staples-Motley in a clash for the conference title. Mark Hoge has 17 points for Crosby-Ironton in its last win, a 64-48 win over Detroit Lakes.
5. Hiawatha Valley Blue watch - Cody Lodermeier scored 30 points and grabbed 13 rebounds as Zumbrota-Mazeppa earned a 70-65 win over Kenyon-Wanamingo Thursday. The win helped the Cougars improve to 11-6 overall and 5-4 in the Hiawatha Valley League Blue standings. Five of the 7 teams in the HVL Blue have 11 or more wins this season. Even with four losses, ZM is one game out of first place.
THREE TO WATCH
1. Brandon Schaust, Lester Prairie/Holy Trinity: Schaust is averaging 13.7 points and just under 12 rebounds per game for the 15-6 Bulldogs. Schaust is second in the state in total rebounds.
2. Minneota: Ranked No. 10 in 1A, the Vikings are in first place in the Camden Conference South standings at 6-1 (15-2). Will Kurka, Shane Hennen and Zac Corbin have been the leading scorers for the Vikings.
3. Lomumba Ismail, Anoka: Ismail leads the Tornadoes with 15.4 points, 10 rebounds and almost 3 steals per game.
TWO HOT TO HANDLE
1.Jonah Travis, DeLaSalle: The junior has scored 23, 22 and 24 points in the last three Islanders wins. He leads DLS in scoring at 19.3 points per game
2. Spencer Nelson, Norwood-Young America: NYA has won two of its last three thanks to the hot hand of Nelson. The junior averages 18.6 points per game and scored 26 in a 68-62 win over Kimball Area and then scored 24 in a 56-53 win over Glencoe-Silver Lake. In-between those wins was a Feb. 4 loss to LeSueur-Henderson, a game in which Nelson was held to 16 points.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
52 - The number of steals by Drew Stangler of Rogers, which ranks 15th in the state.
18.4 - The average points per game for Rosemount's Zach Vraa, who earned the honor of Mr. Football Minnesota in the fall. Vraa has committed to play football at North Dakota State
17 - The average points per game of Jalen Jaspers, a senior on the DeLaSalle basketball team.
