Marshall vs. Mankato East

3 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 11

Waseca blocked Mankato East's path to the Class 3A state tournament last season, eliminating the Cougars in the Section 2 championship game. 

The Bluejays, now in Class 2A, no longer stand in the Cougars' path. So Mankato East (9-1, 8-0), with four starters and its top three reserves returning from last season's 24-win team, understandably have high expectations for this season.

Senior guard Jax Madson, getting attention from a number of Division II and Division III colleges, once again is the focal point of the Cougars' attack. But he's got plenty of help and his 18.8 points per game is below his career average.

Guard Joich Gong (13.2 points, 4 assists per game) supplements Madson, giving Mankato East one of the state's best backcourts, while center Jordan Merseth (11.8 points, 6 rebounds a game) and forward BJ Omot (11.8 points, 4.7 rebounds a game) provide a strong presence under the basket.

The No. 3-3A Cougars, who are outscoring opponents by more than 25 points per game, get a look at arguably the top threat to their postseason aspirations on Saturday when No. 5-3A Marshall travels to Mankato.

Marshall (10-0, 4-0), too, returns largely intact from a team that won 23 games a year ago before losing 62-48 to Mankato East in the Section 2 semifinals. Leading scorer Matt Onken graduated, but 6-foot-5 senior Noah Peutz (17.3 points, 7 rebounds, 2.5 assists per game) returns, and is getting plenty of help from juniors Josh Baker (14.2 ppg) and Bryce Lance (12.7 ppg).

Senior guard Matthew Hmielewski (10.7 ppg) chips in, while 6-foot-6 senior Yahya Black adds nearly seven rebounds a game for a Tigers team that's outscoring opponents by an average of 26 points per game.