Forest Lake vs. Roseville

7 p.m., Friday, Jan. 4

Two stout defenses clash Friday when Forest Lake takes on Roseville in a Suburban East Conference showdown.

Forest Lake’s defense has been a bit stingier than Roseville’s, allowing a mere 38.9 points per game. The No. 7-4A Rangers have allowed 40 points or less in 10 of their 13 games this season, including holding Woodbury to a season-low 26 points on Dec. 14.

The Rangers will need a standout performance on the other end of the floor from Abigail Groeneweg (13.3 ppg), who scored a season-high 21 points in a Dec. 4 victory at Anoka. Fellow senior Abby Leach (9.4 ppg) also posted a season-high 21 points against Anoka and could be key in breaking through a stout Roseville defense.

The No. 8-4A Raiders allow just 44.8 points per game and have routinely limited opponents to 40 points or less this season. They have given up more than 50 points only twice.

On the offensive end, Roseville (10-2, 2-1) has options with three players having scored 19 points or more in a game this season. Tamia Ugass and Rai’Janee Meadows each average under 11 points per game, but they’ve both had 19-point performances this season. If they can catch another hot hand against a tough Forest Lake defense and become viable scoring threats to complement Raiders leading scorer Jayda Johnston (14.3 ppg and a season-high 20 in a victory over Woodbury), Roseville has a good chance of picking up a vital conference win.

A conference win for Forest Lake (11-2, 3-1) would help it keep pace with Stillwater, which sits atop the Suburban East standings with a 4-0 conference record.