Moose Lake-Willow River hopes its holiday hangover is over. The Rebels lost all three of their games at the St. Cloud Cathedral tournament last week after a 7-0 start.
To stop the losing, however, the Rebels (7-3, 2-0) will have to defeat a tough No. 7-2A Esko squad.
If the Rebels' shooters are on target, they could cause problems for Esko. Mason Olson, a junior, set his school's record with 99 three-point baskets made last season, and is averaging 23.2 points this season. Michael Olson (9.8 ppg) is another three-point shooter and junior Brady Watrin averages 17.5 points.
Esko (6-2, 1-0) comes into Friday's matchup on a four-game winning streak, with its only losses coming to Class 3A St. Paul Johnson (75-72 on Dec. 7) and Class 4A Duluth East (84-76 on Dec. 13).
Esko is led by seniors Payton Wefel (23.8 ppg), Trevor Spindler (18.6 ppg) and James LeGarde (15.4 ppg).
Friday's game could set the tone for the conference race to come. The Eskomos have had the upper hand most years and they've reached the state tournament six of the past seven seasons.