Thursday's matchup between nonconference foes Moorhead and Alexandria features teams hoping for long postseason runs, and for one, time's running out to gain some all important momentum before the end of the regular season -- adding a sense of urgency for our Top Game of the Week.
Alexandria, ranked No. 8 in Class 3A by Minnesota Basketball News, is playing its best basketball of the year, as they’ve won 12 games in a row by an impressive average of 17.1 points per game.
But the Cardinals have shown they can win the close games as well, recording a 55-51 victory at Willmar in mid-January behind 13 points from both Courtney Gould and Emily Jones.
Alexandria (18-3, 11-1) also eked out a 45-43 win at No. 10-3A Fergus Falls on Feb. 2, and followed with a clutch 58-56 win over Henry Sibley the next day thanks to 16 points from senior Emma Schmidt.
Moorhead has been in and out of the Class 4A top-10 rankings this season and begins the week at No. 12. The Spuds (12-8) started the season 7-1, with their only blemish a 57-51 loss to No. 2-4A Wayzata on Nov. 25.
Moorhead has since cooled, losing seven of their last 13 games, including to section foes No. 5-4A St. Michael-Albertville (64-61 on Dec. 21) and No. 8-4A Maple Grove (70-35 on Jan. 12).
As the regular season winds down, Moorhead is looking to regain some confidence, and the Spuds could receive a boost with a win at Alexandria on Thursday.
After beating No. 13-4A Minnetonka 63-61 on Friday, the Spuds are showing their early season form may be manifesting again and that they could be a threat in the postseason, especially if Sam Haiby can continue to perform at a high level against talented foes. The senior put up 23 points in a 65-58 loss to No. 3-4A Hopkins on Jan. 27 and had 35 in the loss to the Knights. She also scored 46 in a 54-49 victory over White Bear Lake in early December and had 45 in a 76-66 victory over Brainerd in late November.
Haiby tallied a game-high 18 points the Spuds' 64-51 victory over the Cardinals last season.