Crosby-Ironton vs.

Pequot Lakes

7:15 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 4

After losing only one game in the regular season last year, Crosby-Ironton has gone .500 so far this season and sits third in the Mid-State Conference standings. The Rangers (5-5, 1-1) won the conference title outright last season, but with only one senior on the roster, a title defense was always going to be a difficult task. A 66-54 loss to Aitkin in the second game of the season has put Crosby-Ironton at a disadvantage, and the young team will have to scramble to get back in the race. 

Sophomore Isaac Burley has proven to be a capable replacement for some of the departed scoring, averaging 16.2 points per game while Jonathan Jacobson has taken a leap from 4.6 to 13.2 ppg. If the youthful Rangers are able to build on the first 10 games of the season and begin to put together a string of performances like their 74-62 victory over Deer River on Dec. 30, there is no reason they can't retain the conference title and get back to the state tournament. 

In many ways, Pequot Lakes is the diametric opposite of Crosby-Ironton this season. The Patriots (6-1, 3-0) have nine seniors on the team, including Zach Sjoblad who leads the offense with 21.3 points per game. Five of Pequot Lakes' six wins have been by double digits, and all three of the Patriots' conference wins have been by at least 16 points. 

Last season ended in the Class 2A, Section 7 playoffs for Pequot Lakes, the section that Crosby-Ironton advanced out of. The experienced Patriots know that a convincing win here will not only tighten their grasp of the Mid-State Conference championship, but it will be a demonstration to the rest of Section 7 that Pequot Lakes has the talent and ambition to reach the Class 2A state tournament.