There's a lot to be excited for about Cambridge-Isanti's game Tuesday at Duluth East. It involves two of the best teams in Class 4A, Section 7, a rematch of a section semifinal last season that was decided in overtime, and it features the state's hottest scorer in Bluejackets guard Henry Abraham.
It's enough in itself to make this our Top Game of the Week.
So why is Cambridge-Isanti coach Mike McDonald as excited about this game as he would be waiting for a root canal?
"It's just kind of a no-win situation," he said.
That's because McDonald's son, Rhett, coaches Duluth East. And while Mike McDonald relishes winning basketball games — something he has done 471 times in his 33 years at Cambridge-Isanti — he doesn't enjoy doing it at the expense of his children.
This will be the 10th meeting between father and son, and Rhett has the upper hand, winning six of seven regular-season meetings. But Mike's Bluejackets have eliminated Rhett's Greyhounds in the past two section tournaments. As Rhett somewhat bitterly admitted, his dad has won "the ones that counted."
"Last year we played them two times," Mike said. "During the season, we were down 19 and came back to take the lead before losing on a three-point play. And then we won in overtime in the section tourney. We made it to state and he didn't, and it was tough."
Tough is exactly what Tuesday's game will be for the players on the floor, too. Duluth East (2-0) will have its hands full trying to slow the Bluejackets' frenzied pace and the red-hot Abraham, who scored 50 points on Dec. 14 in an 85-70 victory over Chanhassen. Abraham has 131 points in his team's 2-1 start.
A fifth-year starter for the Bluejackets, Abraham began the season with more than 2,200 career points. He and fellow senior Micah Ladd, who averaged 17.5 points last season and is on that same pace this season, give Cambridge-Isanti (2-1, 0-0) a potent backcourt. Connor Braaten, a 6-5 junior averaging seven points and 8.5 rebounds, and 6-3 Hunter Melander will have to contend with the Greyhounds' taller lineup.
Noah Paulson, a 6-8 junior who averaged 12 points and 10 rebounds as a sophomore, and 6-6 guard Mattie Thompson (12.5 ppg) give the Greyhounds the size advantage. Guards Will Van Scoy (16.5 ppg) and Noah Winesett (13.0 ppg) will try to slow the Bluejackets' high-scoring backcourt.