Grand Rapids coach Dan Elhard knows he's going to get a bunch of points from senior forward John Sutherland. But he's never really sure where the rest of his team's offensive production will come from in any given game.
And that, at times, has been a problem for the Thunderhawks and Sutherland, their prized senior who is committed to Minnesota Duluth. He averages 31.8 points and 12.9 rebounds per game.
"If we can, we like to spread it out more," Elhard said. "But we take what the defense gives us. And John is such a good passer that it cuts down on double-teams."
Sutherland set a school record with 51 points in an 80-78 loss to Hermantown on Jan. 21. But Sunderland craves victories more than points, and the Thunderhawks (11-7, 1-1) enter this week on a four-game losing streak.
After playing Virginia on Tuesday, Grand Rapids is off to Greenway (8-4, 2-1) where it'll face the Raiders' high-scoring forward Dylan DeChampeau.
DeChampeau averages 27.8 points a game and gets consistent help from Grant Hansen (15.2 ppg) and Gordon Skaar (12.7 ppg).
Having the two high-scoring players on the court will be fun for the fans, less so for the coaches, Elhard said.
"For the fans, it's kind of cool to look at them and compare their games," he said. "As a coach, it's a challenge to scheme."