Pine River-Backus
vs. Cass Lake-Bena

6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 15

No one from Pine River-Backus, which has appeared in only one state tournament, can tell you what it feels like to win a state championship. But you couldn’t blame the Tigers for thinking they had done something pretty special if they can pick up a victory on Tuesday at No. 3-1A Cass Lake-Bena.

Pine River-Backus has lost the past seven games to Cass Lake-Bena, including an 86-61 decision on Dec. 13, by an average of more than 20 points. It's enough to make a good team like the Tigers (8-1, 4-1) feel inferior.

The Tigers, who are battling Cass Lake-Bena for the lead in the Northland Conference standings, last defeated the Panthers on Dec. 19, 2014. To win on Tuesday, they will need the best efforts of junior guard Brady Raph (19.5 ppg), junior forward Louis Bueckers (14.6 ppg) and senior guard Torry Hirschey (13.7 ppg).

Cass Lake-Bena is chasing its eighth state tournament appearance since 2001. Junior guard Jarell Jacobs (28.0 ppg) leads the Panthers (13-0, 4-0), while senior guards Ethan Brown (15.3) and Jared Brown (12.0 ppg) are other top scorers.