The rim danced and shook, but remained defiantly attached to the backboard as — one-by-one in the pregame warmups — Eastview players did their best to pull it down.
There were a few layups, and even fewer jump shots, as the Lightning prepared to take on Shakopee for control of the South Suburban Conference. Eastview has plenty of deadeye shooters, but on this night, the Lightning players were sending a message to their smaller opponent.
After a tight first half, the No. 2-4A Lightning wore down the No. 4-4A Sabers and sprinted ahead in the second half of an 82-69 victory on Jan. 28.
Eastview has won 20 games and lost just twice — both times at home — to No. 1-4A Eden Prairie (69-61 on Dec. 12) and to No. 10-4A Lakeville South (63-62 on Jan. 16). The Lightning have won eight games in a row and have an opportunity to both strengthen their hold on the conference lead and avenge the loss to the Cougars.
Star 6-foot-11 center Steven Crowl, a Wisconsin commit, said the team's disappointing loss to East Ridge in last season's Class 4A quarterfinals spurred him and his teammates to action. The group, which includes seniors Ryan Thissen, Jaylen James, Tate Machecek and Caden Scales, resolved not to go down as easily in their final high school season.
"We don't care who scores or who hits the winning shot," Crowl said. "We just want to win."
And the more they win, the stronger their bond and their confidence grows.
The defensive-minded Cougars (17-5, 9-5) are versatile, but are better suited to a lower-scoring contest. Juniors Reid Patterson and Riley Mahlman, and sophomore Avery Mast are the heart of Lakeville South's lineup. Seniors Joe Bachinski and Jack Leland add plenty of grit.