Lakeville South coach Joe Janquart saw the good in the gloom of his team's postgame gathering in the corner of the Rosemount gym on Jan. 26. A 65-63 South Suburban Conference loss to Rosemount had left the Cougars shocked and distraught.
"We needed to be humbled," said Janquart, whose team is ranked No. 8 in the Class 4A Minnesota News Basketball rankings from Jan. 27. "Growth comes from being humbled."
The Cougars, who returned largely intact a team that reached last spring's Class 4A, Section 1 championship game before the COVID-19 pandemic wiped out the balance of the postseason, entered the new season with high expectations. But without the muscle and imposing figure of Riley Mahlman. The 6-9 senior graduated early and began classes a few weeks ago at the University of Wisconsin, where he will play football.
Suddenly a Lakeville South team that "played from the inside out the last couple of years" found itself with a big hole in the middle. Rosemount took advantage of that crack in the armor by forcing the Cougars into a half-court game.
In a shortened season in which coaches and players have less time to groom and grow, Janquart's Cougars (4-1) are having to adjust.
The Cougars begin their quest for better days this week against a pair of ranked rivals. By the end of Friday's game at No. 6-4A Eastview, the Cougars should have a pretty good idea of just how steep that climb will be.
But it's not all gloom. Janquart likes that his players were shaken by the loss to Rosemount. He wants them competing at their best, especially this week against No. 4-4A Shakopee on Wednesday and Eastview (5-0) on Friday. And a couple of players have shown promise in filling the void left by the mammoth Mahlman.
Holden Mueller is averaging 8.2 points per game and "playing really hard," Janquart said. "At times, he's playing out of position." Sophomore Chase Androff, a 6-6 tight end gathering Division I interest from football coaches, is averaging 4.6 points as he learns his role. Androff is coming off a 14-point performance in a 73-57 defeat of Prior Lake on Jan. 29.
The Cougars' perimeter play and defense remain among the conference's best. Seniors Reid Patterson (18 ppg) and Avery Mast (14 ppg) are sure shooters and solid defenders, and Janquart has a bench full of support for those two led by Trystan Ressler (8 ppg) and Sam Fliehe (9 ppg).
Eastview also lost its big presence in the middle as Steven Crowl is now playing basketball at Wisconsin. But with 6-6 forward Henry Shannon III (15 ppg), 6-5 guard Jackson Purcell (16.4 ppg) and 6-1 guard Kenji Scales (12.6 ppg), the Lightning are again Class 4A, Section 3 title contenders.