West Central Area at Battle Lake
7:30 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 13

Battle Lake entered this season as the favorite to win Class 1A, Section 6. However, a challenger has emerged halfway through the season. 

West Central Area is an impressive 9-0, and the Knights travel to play the Battlers on Jan. 13 in a matchup that could be a preview of the section championship.

No. 4 Battle Lake (11-1) is slotted behind West Central Area in the rankings used for seeding the section. The Battlers' dropped in the rankings after a 68-61 loss to Maranatha Christian Academy on Dec. 29.

The Knights' success is a bit of a surprise after graduating Dakota Kashmark, the school's career scoring leader. But big man Jay Zimmerman has stepped in to fill the void. The senior center has nine consecutive double-doubles, including 16 points and 12 rebounds in a 57-54 victory over Swanville on Jan. 9.