With 23 victories and the No. 2 ranking in Class 1A, another state tournament berth might seem like a forgone conclusion for Henning.
But Parkers Prairie (20-5, 10-2) nearly knocked the defending state champion out of the playoffs in last season's Section 6 final and the Panthers once again will provide a formidable hurdle for the Hornets (23-1, 13-0).
Parkers Prairie won 77-74 in overtime at Henning in the regular-season finale a year ago before the Hornets rallied from a 52-44 deficit with 4:30 to play to win 60-58 in the section championship.
Friday's game could be a preview of a section tournament game.
Sam Fisher, who led the section final rally last season, has graduated. But younger brother Isaac Fisher is back and scoring 17 points a game for the Hornets. Blake Wallevand is the Hornets' leading scorer at 17.3 points per game and Parker Fraki adds 14 points a contest.
Spencer Yohnke, who gave the Hornets trouble a year ago, is a senior forward who averages 13.5 points for the Panthers. Senior guard Alex Koep (13.8 ppg) and junior guard Micah Arens (10.8 ppg) are also key contributors.