No. 1-3A St. Paul Johnson at No. 5-3A St. Paul Central
7 p.m., Friday, Jan. 31

Entering this winter, St. Paul Johnson was looked at as a good team and a great program under coach Vern Simmons. The Governors had been to five straight state tournaments and won a title in 2010 but graduated a strong group of seniors including All-State forward Quashingm Smith-Pugh. Simmons certainly has earned plenty of acclaim for his work at Johnson, although it was thought to be a possible reloading year.

It didn’t take Johnson long to get back to being dangerous. With defending state champion DeLaSalle stumbling against a tough schedule and the early injury to big man Reid Travis, St. Paul Johnson surprisingly vaulted to the top of the Class 3A rankings and have stayed there. The Governors have only lost to Class 4A power Hopkins within Minnesota and fell to Milwaukee Washington in mid-December. Since losing to Hopkins, Johnson has run off seven straight victories, scoring more than 100 points twice and more than 90 in all but one of those seven. Talk about a juggernaut.

Senior captain Peirre Conwell (17.8 ppg) leads five Governors in double-figure scoring, along with Jalen Mobley (16.1 ppg), Mitchell McDonald (12.1 ppg), Eric Elliot (11.0 ppg) and Louis Williams (10.5 ppg). Malik Jones (9.1 ppg) and Justus Murphy (7.3 ppg) aren’t far off that pace, either. Mobley is a versatile player who is comfortable anywhere on the floor, while Conwell is a leader who can handle the ball and attack the basket.

Can Central slow the Governors?

Before losing at Minnehaha Academy in its last game, the Minutemen had won 10 straight and climbed to No. 5 in the Class 3A rankings. The Minutemen aren’t putting up the eye-popping offensive stats of Johnson, but they are an athletic bunch paced by Rayeon Williams (19.4 ppg). He’s just 6-feet tall, but he's athletic and explosive. Sophomore Sam Gubbrud (13.4 ppg) and senior Kalu Abosi (11.2 ppg) also score in double figures.

Neither team has significant size in the post, so expect this to be a run-and-fun, full-court showcase.