Our Top Game of the Week takes us to the Big 9 Conference, a league in which Northfield and Owatonna remain in the hunt for a title — and both must keeping winning to catch Austin.
Northfield's final 10 games of the season are all Big 9 contests, while Owatonna faces a league opponent in 10 of its last 11.
The Raiders (12-4, 9-3) are two games back of conference-leader Austin and one game behind a triumvirate of teams, which includes the Huskies, with 10-2 conference records. If Northfield can defeat Owatonna on Tuesday and take a game off of Austin Feb. 13, the Raiders will have a shot at winning the conference.
Northfield, ranked No. 9 in Class 3A by Minnesota Basketball News, is led on offense by Alex Rasmussen (16.1 points per game) and Mason Zick (14.5 ppg), although the other end of the floor has proven to be the Raiders' strong suit.
In the Dec. 12 matchup between these teams, Northfield held the Huskies to 44 points to come away with the win. That sort of defensive performance has been the road to success for the Raiders; every win has seen the opponent score fewer than 70 points, while every loss has come when the opposition breaks that 70-point mark.
Owatonna has scored less than 70 points only five times this season, and only once during its current eight-game winning streak. The Huskies (11-4, 10-2) have rocketed into a tie for second place in the conference standings after starting league play 2-2.
Experience leads the way for Owatonna, with seniors Dalton Kubista (14.5 ppg) and Nolan Malo (10.9 ppg) heading the offense, along with junior Jason Williamson (10.7 ppg). Now that the offense is humming after a stuttering start to the season, the Huskies will have a solid chance to break through Northfield's defense and stay within striking distance of the top of the conference.