Crossover Classic Preview

***Photo Credit: Dave Samson/Fargo Forum*** The Crossover Classic hits Perham Saturday where a handful of highly successful programs across Minnesota will be in attendance for a day full of what figure to competitive matchups. Here’s the slate: Zimmerman vs. Detroit Lakes - 10 a.m. The first matchup of the day features a pair of teams trying to find their ways early in the season as Zimmerman takes on Detroit Lakes. Zimmerman’s struggled to defend with any consistency as the Thunder have allowed more than 80 points per game over the first third of the season or so. Carter McEachern, a 6-foot-4 junior is the team’s top offensive option and Jeg Schottenbauer is a solid senior guard. Detroit Lakes leans heavily on senior guards Ben Stearns and Jacob Bettcher and those two guys have been steady so far this season. The Lakers head into the event playing good basketball over the last couple weeks. St. Cloud Cathedral vs. Breckenridge, 11:30 a.m. This might be the game of the day as Breckenridge and Cathedral are both state-tournament caliber teams with high-end talent at the Class AA level. Breckenridge’s Noah Christensen is one of the best players in the state and a matchup nightmare especially for a team like Cathedral that often plays downsized. At 6-foot-8, he’s got the skillset to abuse teams inside but also handle the ball on the perimeter and make plays for his teammates. Tyson Piechowski and Caden McGough give the Cowboys solid perimeter scoring options too. Returning starters for Cathedral Jackson Jangula and Nick Schaefer have raised their games in big ways this year. The senior duo is combining to average better than 35 points per game. Jangula leads the team in assists while Schaefer leads the team in rebounds and both guys have provided big plays in big spots early in the year. Andrew Weisser and Jacob Stoltzenberg have been good to start the year too, as both guys are averaging double figures and providing long-range shooting in spades. Bemidji vs. Minneapolis Southwest - 2:45 p.m. Bemidji’s off to a very good start to the season and looking like a legitimate contender in Section 8AAA. The Lumberjacks are undefeated with several impressive wins to their name. Spencer Konecne is a go-to guy inside and he’s got very good support from perimeter players like Kade Peterson and Ryan Bieberdorf. Colten Jensen is a productive player up front too. Minneapolis Southwest has struggled out of the gates this season as the Lakers have just one win. Christo Polydorou is their leading scorer though he hasn’t shot the ball as well as he’s capable so far this season. Owen Dean and Casey Peterson give the Lakers a solid interior duo, combining to average about 16 points and 16 rebounds. Tartan vs. St. Cloud Apollo - 4:15 p.m. This one pits a couple really good guards against each other as Mike Gravelle of Apollo and Antwan Kimmons of Tartan are two of the best in their respective classes. Tartan is off to an awesome start on the season and just picked up several really good wins over the holiday break. Kimmons is one of the best scorers in the state, averaging better than 23 points per game. Joseph Kearney is starting to pick things up as well, averaging 13 points per game in his last five games. Apollo is having a resurgence of sorts to start the year though this will be quite a test for the Eagles as it is the third game in as many nights. Gravelle is the engine for an offense that hasn’t been great, averaging 17 points and nearly four assists. He’s smart with the ball and very good when he can get downhill and attack. Deng Diew, Clifton Patterson and Nasrudin Mohammed all provide athleticism in the frontcourt, which could be an area they had an advantage against an undersize Tartan team. Perham vs. East Grand Forks - 7:30 p.m. The final game of the night features teams contending in Section 8 as East Grand Forks faces off with Perham. The Green Wave is off to a strong start at 6-1 but hasn’t faced a test like the one it’ll get when it faces the Yellowjackets which is one of the best teams in Class AA. Julian Benson’s been excellent for EGF and Nathan Willett is an experienced and talented perimeter player as well. They’ll have their hands full as Jenson Beachy and Carter Cresap are as good as it gets in the backcourt in Class AA. Josh Jeziorski is another guy to watch as he’s a matchup nightmare and potential double-double guy for the Yellowjackets.