Fridley at Delano
7 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 1

Fridley entered last season's playoffs with a sub .500 record, but behind a strong senior group, the Tigers pulled off a series of upsets in the Class 3A, Section 4 playoffs to earn its first state tournament berth since 2002.

Whether Fridley needs another improbable playoff performance to return to state after losing its top four scorers from last season remains to be seen, but Tigers begin the year with a solid nucleus of senior guards in Tirik Reeves (7.1 ppg), Tenzin Sopa (6.9 ppg) and Michael Crandall (6.1 ppg).

Delano welcomes back three of its top five scorers who led the team to a 22-7 record and an appearance in the Class 3A, Section 6 title game, where the Tigers fell to DeLaSalle (the five-time defending Class 3A state champion).

Calvin Wishart (18.7 ppg) returns as the team’s leading scorer. The junior posted 34 points in Delano’s 76-67 win over Fridley a season ago.