Shakopee received its first major test of the season on Saturday at the Breakdown Sports USA Tip Off Classic in the form of Matthew and Michael Hurt and Rochester John Marshall.
The Sabers didn't ace the test but they did pass, defeating the Rockets 94-86. That's all fine and well with Shakopee coach Bruce Kugath.
"I know our defensive coach wasn't too happy with the 86 points," Kugath said. "But as long as we have more (points), I really don't care."
The Sabers, ranked No. 6 in Class 4A by Minnesota Basketball News, came out shooting, with Booker Coplin racking up 20 points by halftime en route to a 54-41 lead at the break.
Then things got a bit shaky.
John Marshall put the Hurt brothers to work in the second half and deployed a zone defense that stagnated Shakopee's offense. As Matthew and Michael hit shot after shot, the Sabers' 14-point halftime lead was gone in a flash.
"I'm glad we won and got a good 'W,' but I'm really disappointed with how we came out in the second half," Coplin said. "We figured they were going to go zone (defense). We were ready for it, but we took some bad shots and let them get back into it."
Matthew finished with 33 points and Michael added 24, but Shakopee's main scoring duo of Coplin and Mitchell (26 and 28 points, respectively) held up their end of the bargain. The Sabers also received 15 points from Drew Hanbury and 12 from Taylor Triplett.
Shakopee is now averaging 85.8 points per game, which Kugath said is rare for his teams this early in the season.
"We've had some very good scoring this early in the year, which is surprising me because generally you don't shoot well until after Christmas," Kugath said. "But we've really been shooting the ball well, and because we are (shooting well), we're pretty tough to defend."
Coplin said having a the roster with five seniors who have played together for so long is one of the reasons for the uptick in offense.
It's also a group that has just come up short of the Class 4A state championship game in back-to-back seasons, with the Sabers finishing third the past two seasons.
Saturday's game against the No. 5-4A Rockets was the first of many tests in a long season, especially given John Marshall's size and talent, Kugath said.
But Shakopee has passed most tests the past two seasons. It's just that tricky state semifinal game.
"There's some sour taste in our mouths after the last two years," Coplin said. "It doesn't need to be said but, we know what we're going for."
