CNOS Invitational Preview: Top Games to Watch

The 14th annual CNOS Basketball Invitational will take place this Thursday through Saturday. There will be a total of 22 high school games consisting of both boys and girls teams at the Tyson Event Center. Over the span of three days, there will be key matchups that pit schools from Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota. Here are the top games to watch each day of the invitational:

Thursday, January 9th

Dakota Valley (5-0)  vs. MOC-Floyd Valley (8-1)  7:15 pm 

While both teams are off to a good start, the main storyline heading into Thursday night's contest is 13th year Dakota Valley head coach Jason Kleis facing off against his alma mater for the first time. Kleis, who starred at MOC-Floyd Valley back in the early '90s was a 2x all-state selection and was on state championship teams in 1987-88 and 1988-89. Kleis' squad, who has not suffered a loss yet this season, is led by Paul Bruns and his brother, Isaac. Bruns recorded his 1,000th career point on Tuesday night in a 74-68 win over Sergeant Bluff-Luton. MOC-Floyd Valley is off to an impressive 8-1 start and has been spearheaded by Alex Van Kalsbeek and Kyle Christy, who are both averaging double digits. It should be a heated contest between two longtime friends in Kleis and MOC-Floyd Valley head coach  Loren De Jong. 

Friday, January 10th

Sioux City East (7-1)  vs. Omaha Central (7-1)  9:00 pm 

Friday's nightcap will be the top matchup of the CNOS Invitational Classic, as these top-ranked teams will faceoff in this highly-anticipated showdown. Sioux City East lost an overtime thriller in Yankton on Tuesday night and will be looking to bounce back. It will be the second of a three-game span that will be against a highly ranked opponent. Senior Jaleque Dunson is averaging 21.5 points per game, while Sayvion Armstrong and Danny Callahan have been strong in their senior season thus far. On the other hand, Omaha Central will come into the Tyson Event Center off a tough loss as well. The Eagles are led by talented senior point guard Latrell Wrightsell Jr, who is averaging 21.3 PPG and 3.2 steals per game. Wrightsell is also joined by senior Max Polk. The guard play in this contest will be fun to watch. 

Saturday, January 11th

Sergeant Bluff-Luton (3-4)  vs. Omaha Skutt (8-0)  11:00 am 

SB-L has had a difficult start to the season, while Omaha Skutt has been rolling through its opponents. Adam Vander Schaaf's Warriors have lost three of their last four contests in overtime and by an average of 5.3 points. With the senior leadership of Daniel Wright (17.9 PPG), along with the playmakers and the height SB-L possesses, it's hard to imagine this team losing four straight games. This would be a good win to break its current losing streak. Skutt is coming off a blowout 82-52 victory over Sioux City West, which is the same team SB-L needed a buzzer-beater against to take down. The SkyHawks are defeating teams by an average of 28 points. Kyle Jurgens' bunch is led by Charlie Fletcher (15.6 PPG) and Tyson Gordon (13.2 PPG). This has the potential to be a good matchup, but will SB-L be able to hang with Skutt the entire second half?

Bonus Game: Saturday, January 11th

West Sioux (9-0)  vs. Spencer (3-3)  8:00 pm 

West Sioux is on a mission to take home a state crown this season.  The number one team in Iowa's Class 2A took down the top Class 1A team in Remsen, St. Mary's on Tuesday night, 72-58. The Iowa State football recruit, Hunter Dekkers, has averaged 23.5 PPG while teammate Bryce Coppock has been impressive with 24.7 PPG. In a majority of the Falcons wins, they've dominated their opponents. After being one of the favorites to contend for a league title in the Lakes Conference this season, it's been a tough start for Spencer. The Tigers' last three losses have come by a combined total of eight points and they're hoping that fate will change. Sophomore Karter Petzenhauser, the preseason Lakes Conference Player of the Year, is currently averaging 19.5 PPG and leads the team with 14 total steals. A win over Cherokee on the road Friday and win on Saturday against a top-ranked West Sioux squad may be just the boost this team needs heading forward.