Spring Grove at Rushford-Peterson
7:30 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 4

Rushford-Peterson has captured the Class 1A, Section 1 title in each of the past four seasons, and the Trojans ended last year by hoisting a state championship trophy.

Despite the recent success, No. 6-1A Rushford-Peterson faces a difficult path back to the state tournament this season with No. 2-1A Spring Grove emerging as a legitimate challenger in Section 1.

The Lions, who were eliminated from the postseason play by the Trojans in 2012 and 2014, have 16 wins against section teams and look to pick up another against their top competitor on Thursday.

Victory No. 17 likely won't come easy for Spring Grove (19-1, 6-0), however, as it takes on a well-rounded and well-coached Rushford-Peterson team (13-7, 11-3).

Trojans coach Thomas Vix, who has more than 600 wins, has his squad once again playing unselfish on offense. The result is a balanced scoring attack for Rushford-Peterson, led by senior center Matt Culhane (11.9 ppg) and junior guard Noah Carlson (10.1 ppg).