Mankato East and Orono missed out on the Class 3A state tournament last season, with Orono losing the Section 6 title game 71-68 to the eventual state champion, DeLaSalle. Both teams are performing well thus far, so this game will be a good litmus test for two squads with state tournament aspirations.
The Cougars (8-0, 6-0) have opened the season on a tear and boast a perfect record going into 2018. This week, however, will be a solid test for No. 7-3A Mankato East, with conference rival Rochester John Marshall, ranked No. 9 in Class 4A, coming to town on Thursday before the Cougars travel to play Orono Saturday afternoon.
Uhana Ochan and Edmon Oyet have stepped up on the offensive side of the ball for Mankato East, with Ochan jumping from almost 10 ppg last season to 15.7 this year and Oyet going from 6.3 to 12 ppg. Ochan and Oyet's production has taken some of the pressure off of last season's leading scorer and fellow senior Damani Hayes (15 ppg), giving the Cougars a number of offensive threats that must be accounted for.
Orono's three losses on the season have come by a total of eight points and have come against No. 1-4A Cretin-Derham Hall (77-76 on Dec. 9), No. 4-3A Marshall (69-65 on Dec. 16) and No. 1-2A Minnehaha Academy (53-50 on Dec. 30). The No. 5-3A Spartans (6-3) boast plenty of talent, including Minnesota-commit Jarvis Thomas Omersa, who averages 19.8 points and 12.1 rebounds per game, and Max Bjorklund (14 ppg) who led the team in scoring last season.