With the playoffs about to take place, conference champions are being crowned and playoff positions are being set. Here is a look at some of the newsmakers and developments in Minnesota high school boys basketball:
THE STARTING FIVE
1. BEWARE OF THE BISON: Buffalo has slid into the 4A rankings, and is ranked No. 9 in the state. Buffalo is on pace to win the Mississippi 8 Conference (13-1) and is 17-6 heading into the final two regular-season games. Aaron Duske leads the team with 15.3 points per game, while Brent Kettenacker is contributing 11.6. Andy Ortmann (9.8) and Erik Starr (8.3) have also played key roles for the Bison this season.
2. CENTRAL CRUISING: Undefeated Johnson (St. Paul) (23-0) is the top-ranked team in 3A and gets the majority of the headlines when it comes to St. Paul City Conference teams. However, another City conference team is having a pretty good season. St. Paul Central is 17-5 and ranked No. 7 in the state in 3A. The Minutemen have a number of players contributing this season. LeDarian Horton leads the team in scoring at 16.6 points per game while Taylor Smaller is averaging 13.9 and Marlon Speed 10 per game. William McDonough (9.2), Martin Smith (9.0) Earnell Barner (7) and Eric Grice (7) are also among the leading scorers this season. Of Central's five losses, two were to Johnson, one was to 4A Wayzata, and the other two to Wisconsin schools in non-conference games.
3. MINNEHAHA MOVING UP: Minnehaha Academy (Minneapolis) moved into the 2A rankings recently. The Redhawks are 8-1 in the Tri-Metro Conference West and 20-4 overall. They average 73.8 points per game, led by Taylor Hanson (19.3), Parker Hines (15.6) and Austin Brown (14.2).
4. HVL TITLE GAME SET: Byron (11-1/22-2) will play host to Cannon Falls (9-3/16-9) in the Hiawatha Valley League championship game Saturday. Byron tied with LaCrescent for the Hiawatha Gold title and was picked to play in the game because LaCrescent played in the game last year. Cannon Falls won the HVL Blue division. On Dec. 15, Byron defeated Cannon Falls 64-56.
5. TOURNAMENT TIME: The regular season is about to conclude and tournament action is about to take place. Minnesota March Madness culminates with the state tournament March 24-27 at the Target Center in Minneapolis.
THREE TO WATCH
1. Isaiah Zierden: Zierden, son of former Minnesota Timberwolves assistant coach and Minnesota Lynx head coach Don Zierden, was on fire in a recent stretch of victories for the highly-ranked Red Knights. He scored 31 points in a 97-75 win over Totino Grace, added 28 in a 83-73 win over St. Louis Park and combined for 30 points in wins over Minneapolis South and Columbia Heights. Only a sophomore, Zierden averages 17.6 points per game.
2. Marcus Alipate, Bloomington Jefferson: Alipate scored 35 points in a 89-86 win over Duluth East on Feb. 20 and then 17 in a 58-51 win over Burnsville on Feb. 23. Alipate, whose brother Marcus is a football player at the University of Minnesota, is averaging 19.6 points per game.
3. Bryan Sprang, Irondale: Sprang, only a junior, is averaging 26.2 points per game for the Knights. He has scored over 30 points three times in February, and over 25 four times. He has a season high of 39 points, which he has done twice. Irondale is 10-4 in the North Suburban and 15-9 overall.
TWO HOT TO HANDLE
1. Jace Whitcomb, Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted: Whitcomb scored 20 points in a win over Holdingford and then made six 3-pointers and scored 34 points in a win over Milaca. He then scored 31 points in a 65-61 loss to Maple Lake. Whitcomb is averaging 18.5 points per game.
2. Michael Lindsay, Becker: Lindsay is averaging 17.9 points per game and has scored 21 points in two recent Becker wins over Monticello and Princeton. Lindsay has a season high of 30 points in a loss to St. Michael-Albertville on Jan. 26.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
40 - The number of points scored by Sam Kingbird of Red Lake in a 101-85 win over Fond du Lac Ojibwe on Tuesday.
21.5 - The number of points per game Kingbird averages. Red Lake is 18-5 this season, 11-2 in the Northland Conference.
16 - The number of 3-pointers Kingbird shot in that win over FDLO.
8 - The number of 3-pointers Kingbird successfully made in that win.
