Minnesota Valley Lutheran escaped with a 78-76 victory over Springfield in a Jan. 11 contest that easily could have gone the other way.
Springfield guard Isaac Fink's 21-foot jump shot in the last seconds in overtime hit the rim, bounced off the backboard and landed in an opponent's hands as the final buzzer sounded.
How this week’s rematch at Springfield goes likely will play a large role in determining who will win this season’s Tomahawk Conference championship. Minnesota Valley Lutheran suffered its first conference loss last Friday, falling 94-87 to New Ulm Cathedral and re-opening the door for Springfield to secure the league title outright.
To rebound from Friday's loss and reassert themselves in the conference race, the No. 3-1A Chargers will need another strong performance from senior guard Jake Kettner, who averages 20.3 points and 5.8 rebounds. It was his pass that led to Matt Munsen's game-winning layup in the first game. Kettner had 29 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and four steals in the mid-January tilt.
Junior guard Dunwa Omot (15.2 ppg), junior forward Mason Cox (12.5 ppg) and junior forward Jace Marotz (10.1 ppg) provide plenty of help. "This team has the best chemistry I've ever had with any team," Chargers coach Craig Morgan said.
Tigers coach Lance Larson assumed earlier in the week his team would need to beat Minnesota Valley Lutheran (17-2, 10-1) to have a shot at a shared title, but now he and the team have more motivation for a crucial week of games.
The Tigers will have little time to celebrate a victory or absorb a loss. No. 4-1A Springfield (17-2, 11-1) takes on No. 2-1A BOLD just two days later.
"It's nice to have two good competitive games back to back," Larson said in an email. "It's almost a tournament-type atmosphere."
The 6-4 Fink, who reached 1,000 career rebounds earlier this season and was on pace last week to reach 3,000 career points, leads the Tigers with 31 points and 12 rebounds per game. Junior guard Decker Sheffler, another 1,000-point scorer, averages 22 points and seven rebounds and junior forward Mitchell Buerkle averages 11 points and five rebounds.