After stumbling early in the season, both Minnehaha Academy and DeLaSalle have course-corrected and each is now playing some of its best basketball.
When they collide on Saturday in their regular-season finale (and our Top Game of the Week!), each has an opportunity to enter the postseason with more confidence with a win over an opponent of the caliber both will face in the playoffs. A victory for the Redhawks, however, may be more significant.
Minnehaha Academy started the season 3-5 while playing through its nonconference schedule, but mid-December brought a thaw to the losing. The Redhawks (18-5, 7-0), the No. 4 team in the Class 2A rankings released by Minnesota Basketball News on Feb. 13, haven't lost since Dec. 14, falling to St. Louis Park 56-39 and they start this week with 15-game winning streak that help them wrap up another Independent Metro Athletic Conference title. If they can defeat nonconference foe Orono on Tuesday, they'll have the chance to hit high note — one that actually may be up an octave.
For all of the Redhawks' success, they have not been able to sing a victory tune in recent games against DeLaSalle. The dirge has lasted two years with Minnehaha Academy losing one game to their rival in each of the past two seasons. The teams didn't play in the 2014-15 and 2015-2016 seasons and the Redhawks' last victory came in the 2013-14 season.
Minnehaha Academy has the talent to change the notes against DeLaSalle this season, with Mia Curtis commanding the spotlight with an impressive performance on the year. She's averaging 17.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game.
DeLaSalle lost three of its first four matchups, but has gone 14-2 since. The Islanders (15-5, 5-0) bring a six-game winning streak into the week, putting them atop the Tri-Metro Conference West Division standings.
If the No. 8-3A Islanders are going to quiet the Redhawks for a third consecutive season, they’ll need to stay focused and motivated after playing three games prior to Saturday's showdown. That stretch includes a Monday tilt against Tri-Metro West rival Holy Angels (16-6, 2-1) and a Thursday contest against a Maranatha Christian Academy (17-7, 8-0) program that has been a regular at the Class 2A state tournament the past decade.
With low energy a possibility, DeLaSalle will need sparks from scoring leaders Nurjei Weems (16.2 ppg), Nora Francois (11 ppg) and Mya Williams (9.9 ppg). Francois had 20 points and Williams added 13 in a 75-59 victory over Cretin-Derham Hall on Feb. 16. Other potential dynamos for the Islanders include Leah Dengerud, who had 15 points against the Raiders and Mary Claire Francois, who finished with 10 in the victory.