Tuesday Showdown: Cheboygan-Harbor Springs; Kingsford-Iron Mount.

A lot at stake tonight. Some recent college signees. Conference bragging rights. Nagging sicknesses and injuries. It's the dog days of January for many basketball teams all over the state, and coaching and conditioning is what helps them grab another gear and make it over the hump into late February. Each one of these teams has a solid chance to make a deep tournament run, and games like this will condition them for such. I want to take a look at some coachable kids who have stepped up on each team, let's roll:   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Cheboygan (8-1) @ Harbor Springs (9-1) </h2>   Cheboygan suffered its first loss on January 7th to a surging Elk Rapids team, Coach Friday's Chiefs suffered a few small mental mistakes at the beginning of the game that he surely worked on in practice as he prepared for a very quick Harbor Springs team. These two teams match up very well in the guard position with [player_tooltip player_id='2430549' first='Gavin' last='Smith'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2724009' first='Landon' last='Gahn'] for the Chiefs and [player_tooltip player_id='2112170' first='Braeden' last='Flynn'] (featured image) and [player_tooltip player_id='2218043' first='Rider' last='Bartel'] for the Rams. You could almost do a copy and paste on all four of these players as they all shoot well, play site-down defense, and can run the floor. Let's look at a couple of other players who must contribute big for their respective teams.    Nolan Schley is listed at 6'3", but he's often tasked with guarding the opposing teams big. He did that well against Elk Rapids and he will need to do it again tonight. Boxes out well and is fundamentally sound. Can also step up in breaking a press as he is a good ball handler and passer with a nice wing span.     The Rams muscle down low. Braeden a Rider are always on the move, so Aaron does well on the low block boxing out and setting screens. Also functions well on the high block whenever faced with a zone. Contributes big on defense guarding those taller or shorter than him. Harbor's defense will need to play lock-down to shut down Cheboygan's aggressiveness.    I asked Harbor Springs Coach John Flynn what were some things he was doing to prepare his team down the stretch as he prepares for districts, and this is what he had to say:   We are halfway through the year now, and my guys are really playing well together, they continue to have that growth mindset and always looking for ways to improve both individually and as a team. With common goals of winning a conference championship, a district championship, and a deep tournament run, it's a fun group to coach.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Iron Mountain (7-2) @ Kingsford (9-1)</h2>   The UP's "tobacco road" rivalry. Kingsford has been rolling. They lost a close one to Marquette on January 3rd, but they were on a long road stretch and without their big down low, [player_tooltip player_id='1504837' first='Morgan' last='Sleik']. They are close to becoming fully healthy and are welcoming some home stands where their local crowd is a great 6th man. Sleik recently inked a next-level deal with Carroll Univeristy, so we're looking forward to his return to the Flivvers down the stretch. Iron Mountain lost a couple of back-to-back games to Marquette and Westwood, but have been on a two-game winning streak since that time. [player_tooltip player_id='1441371' first='Oskar' last='Kangas'] just signed his LOI with UW-OshKosh and his supporting staff--most notably his seasoned backcourt--have really been performing well. Here's a run-down of some performers from both respective squads.    While Kingsford worked through some sicknesses and injuries, Matt has stepped up tremendously. He's got a slender frame at 160 pounds, but don't let that fool you. He did well going toe-to-toe with Marquette's MacPhee--who easily has 30-40 pounds on him. Coach Olsen does a great job with rotations of his wings and forwards and Sundquist, Olkkonen, and Erickson all do well against anything the opposing offense throws at them.     A beast in the paint. Along with other tall kids from Kingsford, can be almost impenetrable down low. Erickson also stepped up huge in the absence of Sleik. Will look to see how these bigs handle a powerful [player_tooltip player_id='1441371' first='Oskar' last='Kangas'] who has very quick footspeed and can sometimes be frustrating to guard.     Iron Mountain's go-to ball handler. Assists-to-turnover ratio has to be one of the best in the state as this kid is a top-notch ball handler who can slice through a press with ease. Gerald should definitely be getting next-level looks for coaches looking to fill the floor general role.

A lot at stake tonight. Some recent college signees. Conference bragging rights. Nagging sicknesses and injuries. It's the dog days of January for many basketball teams all over the state, and coaching and conditioning is what helps them grab another gear and make it over the hump into late February. Each one of these teams has a solid chance to make a deep tournament run, and games like this will condition them for such. I want to take a look at some coachable kids who have stepped up on each team, let's roll: