Rochester Lourdes is coming off one of its best seasons in years. The Eagles finished behind Kasson-Mantorville in the Hiawatha Valley League Gold Division last season but won the Class 2A, Section 1 tournament, giving them a berth in the state tournament.
Lourdes (12-7, 4-1) if off to strong start and has a chance to win the division this year, but there's still work to do, starting with a showdown against Stewartville (16-3, 6-0) on Monday in our Top Game of the Week.
The Tigers haven't had Eagle-like success recently. Since the 2012-13 season, they have finished at or near the bottom of the standings, including last year when they went 9-15 overall and 2-7 in the division.
However, a new season has brought about a resurgence, and Stewartville is undefeated in the division, including a win against the Eagles — a 68-48 victory at home on Dec. 14. All five Tigers starters scored more than 10 points, including Erin Lamb's team-leading 17 points, in the victory.
And similar to Rochester Lourdes, Stewartville is aiming for the Hiawatha Valley Gold Division title (and a trip to the Class 2A state tournament).
To overcome the Tigers on Monday and position themselves to win a division title, the Eagles need big performances from Wynter Bergner and Alyssa Ustby, who have combined to average 36.8 points per game this season.