Tuesday's marquee matchup features DeLaSalle (11-4, 3-0) traveling to Hopkins (19-2, 3-1).
Plenty of programs would love to be experiencing seasons similar to the No. 4-3A Islanders or No. 3-4 Royals, but these longtime powerhouses have have had hiccups and proven vulnerable this year.
DeLaSalle stumbled out of the gate, losing its first four games — including two forfeits at the season-opening Thanksgiving Tip-Off Tournament. The Islanders, however, have righted their ship, winning 11 games in a row — a run of success that has been fueled by stifling their opponents' scoring chances.
The most points DeLaSalle has allowed was 58, which was on Dec. 30 against defending South Dakota Class 2A state champion Sioux Falls O'Gorman.
Offensively, Nora Francois leads the Islanders with 10.8 ppg, including a season-high 17 in a 73-46 win over St. Anthony on Jan. 9.
Hopkins entered the season ranked No. 1 in Class 4A, and an undefeated season seemed plausible. However, the Royals have tripped against elite competition. They lost to No. 1-4A Eastview 66-56 just before the new year and fell 70-66 to Lake Conference foe No. 2-4A Wayzata — bruising their record and their chance to win the conference.
However, Hopkins features Paige Bueckers, who's arguably the best player in the state and averaging 22.3 points and 7.2 assists per game. And the Royals aren't used to losing, which could make for explosive results against the Islanders.
While the regular season likely hasn't been up to either team's historically high standards, it's far from being a failure over for both. They've played their best in March, and they’ll both expect to use February to work toward peaking at that time. Tuesday's game could be the spark that each needs.