Cross County has gone 10-0 against McCool Junction recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Friday. The Cross County Cougars will square off against the McCool Junction Mustangs at 8:15 p.m. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Cross County comes in on ten and McCool Junction on eight.
Cross County saw some tournament action on Tuesday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Osceola 75-37. The Cougars have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won ten contests by 25 points or more this season.
| 01/28/25 vs Osceola | 2 |
| 12/30/23 vs Wilber-Clatonia | 2 |
| 01/04/24 @ Sutton | 2 |
| 01/18/24 @ Hampton | 1 |
| 02/20/24 vs Twin River | 1 |
Cross County's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Thatcher Hanson, who went 7 of 10 on his way to 17 points and three steals. What's more, Hanson 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 to post 19 points.
Meanwhile, McCool Junction didn't have too much breathing room in their game against East Butler on Tuesday, but they still walked away with a 53-49 win.
McCool Junction's win came from a few key players Cross County will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Mapieu Kouchinin, who dropped 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. The team also got some help courtesy of Carson Mcdonald, who posted 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 matches.
Cross County is on a roll lately: they've won 11 of their last 12 contests, 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 victory bumped their record up to 14-3.
Friday's game will pit two of the most dominant centers against one another: Wyatt Hengelfelt and Kouchinin. Hengelfelt has been dynamite this season: he has averaged 9.9 points and 1.2 steals. For his part, Kouchinin has averaged 21.8 points, 13 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks on 66.2% shooting.
Cross County beat McCool Junction 55-47 when the teams last played back in December of 2024. Will Cross County repeat their success, or does McCool Junction have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
