The Winter Lakes Preview

<p>The Winter Lakes event is this weekend in Alexandria matching some of the better programs from the outstate areas in Minnesota. Here is our preview!</p> <p dir="ltr">Eden Valley Watkins (10-7)  vs Sauk Centre (11-5)</p> <p dir="ltr">Sauk Centre started the year with seven straight wins, laying the foundation for their 11-5 record.  They had some bumps in the road mid-year but have won three of their last four.  Meanwhile, Eden Valley-Watkins has played better than many expected having lost their top player to the division one level (Joshua Streit, at NDSU).  They are 10-7 and recently went on a five game winning streak. Senior all-conference guard Alex Haag leads the team in scoring and assists while keeping his team balanced.  Sauk Center is led by one of the state’s top sophomores [player_tooltip player_id="1284153" first="Jay" last="Neubert"].  Jay is scoring nearly 25 points a game.  </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p dir="ltr">Redwood Valley (12-6) vs Perham (8-5)</p> <p dir="ltr">Both Redwood Valley and Perham have Class AA State Tournament dreams and were picked to be top contenders in sections 3AA and 8AA respectively.  The Cards were in great shape and a top ten level team but they then lost 4 of 5 games with injuries setting them back at times.  Charles LaChapelle and [player_tooltip player_id="958649" first="Carson" last="Woodford"] (headed to Jamestown next year) have consistently led Redwood Valley.  Perham has had an eventful year.  Postponed games, overtime contests, a tough schedule, and all around something different every week.  What they also have is the talent to make a run and this is a big game for them as they want to avoid 8-6.  [player_tooltip player_id="1339995" first="Soren" last="Anderson"] and [player_tooltip player_id="1288685" first="Micah" last="Thompson"] are a versatile pair.  </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p dir="ltr">Morris Area (17-0) vs Osakis (14-2)</p> <p dir="ltr">Morris Area has lived up to their expectations and then some.  [player_tooltip player_id="850706" first="Jackson" last="Loge"] is a legit final five Mr. Basketball candidate with his 25 points and a dozen rebounds a game leading his team into the top three of Class AA.  The Tigers have been more than just Loge (who signed with Augustana) as [player_tooltip player_id="958758" first="Thomas" last="Tiernan"] and Brandon Jergenson have stepped up to have big seasons.  Osakis has played like a top ten team themselves.  Over the holiday Osakis lost to Rockford but they have since won ten straight games.   [player_tooltip player_id="958770" first="Bauer" last="Klimek"] has been on fire all season with the jumper while [player_tooltip player_id="1284168" first="Kyle" last="Mages"] is having another all-conference campaign.  Osakis also has a pair of experienced 6’5 bigs that they will put on Loge.  </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p dir="ltr">Alexandria (11-4) vs Marshall (12-6)</p> <p dir="ltr">Alexandria is a top ten team hoping to make a run back to the Class AAA state title game.  They have speed (Kris Hoskins), the playmaker (Hoskins), the shooter ([player_tooltip player_id="850732" first="Erik" last="Hedstrom"]), the young up-and-comer ([player_tooltip player_id="1284138" first="Grayson" last="Grove"]), and several veteran workers (Myles Sansted is one).  The pieces are there for another run but they need wins over traditionally strong teams like Marshall.  Marshall has struggled to put points on the board against some of the better teams on their schedule but they defend and they are tough.  </p>