January 31’s undoubtedly been circled by the Melrose Dutchmen, the Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa Jaguars, and by basketball fans of all stripes in central Minnesota. While the game between the Dutchmen and the Jaguars is a non-conference game, there’s plenty on the line for both schools. Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa’s currently on a 49-game winning streak and they’ve won 81 of their last 82, with their only loss in that stretch coming in the 2011 Class 1A state championship game. They haven’t lost a regular season game since February 4, 2010- 77 games in all. If they defeat Eden Valley-Watkins on Tuesday night, they’ll almost certainly hang on to their #1 ranking in Class 1A. There’s a pretty good chance that Melrose will also be a #1 ranked team when they tip it up on Thursday night- if the Dutchmen get by Pierz on Tuesday, they’ll likely move from #2 to #1 in Class 2A as the current #1, St. Peter, was defeated last Friday night. Melrose is trying to snap a five-game losing streak to the Jaguars- the Dutchmen haven’t beaten Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa since 2007.
Conference play is finally getting started in the Lake Conference, the five-school west metro league that features three of the top six teams in Class 4A. Each team will take their turn running the ranked team gauntlet, and this week it’s Eden Prairie’s turn; the fifth-ranked Eagles will start their conference season on the road against #6 Minnetonka Tuesday night, then host perennial power #3 Hopkins on Friday night. Hopkins has lost just one conference game in the last five seasons- to Eden Prairie back in 2011.
In the Southwest Conference, 3A #8 Marshall has a chance to essentially lock up the 2013 title this week. They sit atop the conference with a 7-0 mark and play 6-2 Redwood Valley on Tuesday and 5-2 Luverne on Friday; wins in both those games would give the Tigers at least a three game lead over everyone in the conference. Both games are rematches from earlier in the year; Marshall picked up a 69-62 home victory over Redwood Valley back in December- their second game of the season- then defeated Luverne by 19 on the road in early January.
The schedule for the Minnesota Basketball News Top 10 in each class, along with last week’s results:
Class 4A
1. Park Center (15-1; Last week- #1)
Last week: d. Champlin Park 98-61; d. Maple Grove 73-69
This week: at Robbinsdale Armstrong, 7pm Tuesday; vs. Centennial, 7pm Thursday
2. Apple Valley (14-1; Last week- #2)
Last week: d. Rosemount 74-53; d. Prior Lake 81-67
This week: at Lakeville South, 7pm Tuesday; at Bloomington Kennedy, 7pm Friday; vs. Madison Memorial (WI), 8:30pm Saturday @ Prior Lake
3. Hopkins (12-2; Last week- #4)
Last week: d. 3A #4 Blake 64-59
This week: at Wayzata, 7pm Tuesday; at #5 Eden Prairie, 7pm Thursday; vs. TBD, Saturday @ Prior Lake
4. Osseo (13-2; Last week- #5)
Last week: d. Elk River 86-72; d. Anoka 74-34
This week: vs. Blaine, 7pm Tuesday; at Andover, 7pm Thursday; vs. Hudson (WI), 11am Saturday @ Prior Lake
5. Eden Prairie (12-3; Last week- #6)
Last week: d. Owatonna 66-49; l. to 3A #1 DeLaSalle 77-60
This week: at #6 Minnetonka, 7pm Tuesday; vs. #3 Hopkins, 7pm Saturday; vs. TBD, Saturday @ Prior Lake
6. Minnetonka (14-2; Last week- #7)
Last week: d. Minneapolis Henry 76-64; d. St. Thomas Academy 61-57; d. Minneapolis Southwest 98-78
This week: vs. #5 Eden Prairie, 7pm Tuesday; at Edina, 7pm Friday
7. Lakeville North (13-3; Last week- #8)
Last week: d. Prior Lake 66-65; d. Lakeville South 81-54
This week: at Bloomington Kennedy, 7pm Tuesday; vs. Eastview, 7pm Friday
8. Tartan (13-2; Last week- #9)
Last week: d. Simley 96-69; d. Mankato East 67-35
This week: at South St. Paul, 7pm Tuesday; vs. Mahtomedi, 7:30pm Friday; at Waverly-Shell Rock (IA), 4:30pm Saturday
9. Woodbury (13-3; Last week- not ranked)
Last week: d. Park of Cottage Grove 72-25; d. Mounds View 67-62
This week: vs. Cretin-Derham Hall, 7:15pm Tuesday; vs. East Ridge, 7:15pm Friday
10. Roseville (14-3; Last week- #3)
Last week: d. White Bear Lake 79-73; d. Hastings 99-59
This week: vs. Forest Lake, 7:15pm Tuesday; at Mounds View, 7:15pm Friday
Class 3A
1. DeLaSalle (13-1; Last week- #1)
Last week: d. Providence Academy 88-54; d. St. Anthony Village 95-40; d. 4A #5 Eden Prairie 77-60
This week: at Minnehaha Academy, 7pm Thursday; vs. Appleton West (WI), 7:45pm Saturday
2. Austin (17-0; Last week- #2)
Last week: d. Mankato East 75-53; d. Owatonna 67-46
This week: at Rochester Mayo, 7:30pm Friday
3. Blake (10-4; Last week- #4)
Last week: l. to 4A #4 Hopkins 64-59; d. Minnehaha Academy 64-48; d. St. Paul Academy 62-39
This week: at Breck, 7pm Tuesday; vs. St. Croix Lutheran, 7:30pm Friday; vs. #8 Marshall, 2:30pm Saturday
4. Delano (15-1; Last week- #7)
Last week: d. Holy Family Catholic 93-56; d. New London-Spicer 81-61
This week: at Hutchinson, 7:30pm Tuesday; at Litchfield, 7:30pm Friday
5. Holy Angels (11-5; Last week- #3)
Last week: d. #9 New Prague 70-56; d. Northfield 71-54
This week: at Shakopee, 7:30pm Tuesday; vs. Chanhassen, 7:30pm Friday; vs. Richfield, 7:30pm Saturday
6. Grand Rapids (11-3; Last week- #5)
Last week: d. Bemidji 61-46
This week: vs. Hermantown, 7:30pm Tuesday; at Forest Lake, 2:30pm Saturday
7. Columbia Heights (11-5; Last week- #6)
Last week: d. St. Francis 85-72; l. to Totino-Grace 53-51
This week: at Robbinsdale Cooper, 7:15pm Tuesday; vs. Benilde-St. Margaret’s, 7:15pm Friday
8. Marshall (14-2; Last week- #10)
Last week: d. Jackson County Central 86-63; d. Sioux Falls Washington (SD) 48-40
This week: at Redwood Valley, 7:30pm Tuesday; vs. Luverne, 7:30pm Friday; at #3 Blake, 2:30pm Saturday
9. Waconia (13-4; Last week- #8)
Last week: d. Orono 67-62; d. Litchfield 48-47; d. Shakopee 65-55
This week: vs. Holy Family, 7:30pm Tuesday; at Annandale, 7:30pm Friday
10. New Prague (10-5; Last week- #9)
Last week: l. to #3 Holy Angels 70-56; d. Chaska 62-57
This week: vs. Red Wing, 7:30pm Tuesday; at Northfield, 7:30pm Friday
Class 2A
1. St. Peter (13-2; Last week- #2)
Last week: d. Blue Earth 80-53; l. to #10 Fairmont 64-59
This week: vs. Tri-City United, 6pm Monday; at Blue Earth, 7:30pm Thursday; vs. Norwood-Young America, 7:30pm Saturday
2. Melrose (14-1; Last week- #3)
Last week: d. Sauk Centre 85-62; d. Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 38-26; d. BOLD 78-48
This week: vs. Pierz, 7:30pm Tuesday; vs. 1A #1 Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa, 7:30pm Thursday; vs. Yellow Medicine East, 6pm Friday
3. Byron (15-1; Last week- #5)
Last week: d. #7 Hayfield 62-45; d. Winona Cotter 63-41
This week: vs. Kasson-Mantorville, 7:15pm Tuesday
4. Hawley (14-1; Last week- #6)
Last week: d. #1 Pelican Rapids 79-51; d. Breckenridge 69-40; d. Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton 75-45
This week: at Barnesville, 7:30pm Thursday; at Crookston, 7:30pm Saturday
5. St. Cloud Cathedral (13-3; Last week- #4)
Last week: d. Zimmerman 86-84; d. Princeton 77-59
This week: at Milaca, 7:30pm Tuesday; vs. Foley, 7:30pm Saturday
6. Pelican Rapids (11-4; Last week- #1)
Last week: l. to #6 Hawley 79-51; d. Barnesville 73-48; l. to Perham 53-40
This week: vs. Pequot Lakes, 7:30pm Tuesday; vs. Frazee, 7:30pm Thursday; vs. Staples-Motley, 7:30pm Saturday
7. Hayfield (13-4; Last week- #8)
Last week: l. to #5 Byron 62-45; l. to Stewartville 52-42
This week: vs. Winona Cotter, 7pm Friday
8. Rochester Lourdes (12-4; Last week- #8)
Last week: d. Lake City 83-58; d. Kasson-Mantorville 74-59
This week: at Stewartville, 7:15pm Tuesday; at La Crescent, 7:15pm Friday
9. Maple River (14-3; Last week- #9)
Last week: d. Granada-Huntley-East Chain 76-56; d. Cleveland 70-45; d. Mankato Loyola 72-64
This week: at St. James, 7:30pm Tuesday; vs. Alden-Conger, 7:30pm Friday
10. Fairmont (13-3; Last week- #10)
Last week: d. Ellsworth 75-55; d. #1 St. Peter 64-59
This week: vs. St. James, 7:30pm Thursday; at Pipestone, 6pm Saturday
Class 1A
1. Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa (16-0; Last week- #2)
Last week: d. Pierz 75-42; d. Holdingford 65-32
This week: at Eden Valley-Watkins, 7:30pm Tuesday; at 2A #2 Melrose, 7:30pm Thursday
2. Maranatha Christian (15-1; Last week- #1)
Last week: d. Lester Prairie/Holy Trinity 99-80; d. Southwest Christian 53-45
This week: vs. Bethany Academy, 7pm Tuesday; vs. Legacy Christian, 8pm Friday
3. Southwest Minnesota Christian (13-1; Last week- #43
Last week: d. Edgerton 78-38; d. Adrian 77-35
This week: vs. Ellsworth, 5pm Tuesday; vs. Red Rock Central, 6:15pm Friday; vs. Sisseton (SD), 5pm Saturday
4. Upsala (14-0; Last week- #4)
Last week: d. Royalton 78-44
This week: at Holdingford, 7:30pm Tuesday; at Long Prairie-Grey Eagle, 6pm Thursday
5. Russell-Tyler-Ruthton (16-1; Last week- #5)
Last week: d. Edgerton 89-61; d. #10 Dawson-Boyd 74-69; d. Ortonville 83-50
This week: vs. Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg, 7:30pm Tuesday; at Minneota, 7:30pm Friday; vs. Fulda, 2:30pm Saturday
6. Heritage Christian (15-1; Last week- #6)
Last week: d. Trinity School 69-37; d. New Life Academy 78-56
This week: vs. Lester Prairie/Holy Trinity, 7:30pm Tuesday; vs. PACT Charter, 8pm Friday
7. Browerville (12-1; Last week- #7)
Last week: d. Parkers Prairie 88-69; d. Osakis 75-29; d. Eagle Valley 85-42
This week: vs. Pillager, 7:45pm Friday
8. Rushford-Peterson (14-2; Last week- #8)
Last week: d. St. Charles 70-54; d. Lewiston-Altura 51-44
This week: at Chatfield, 7:30pm Tuesday; at Wabasha-Kellogg, 7:30pm Friday
9. West Lutheran (14-3; Last week- #9)
Last week: d. New Life Academy 74-59; d. Lester Prairie/Holy Trinity 76-62; d. MetroTech Career Academy 89-70
This week: vs. Southwest Christian, 7pm Tuesday; vs. Providence Academy, 7:30pm Thursday
10. Dawson-Boyd (12-3; Last week- #10)
Last week: l. to #5 Russell-Tyler-Ruthton 74-69
This week: at Minneota, 7:30pm Tuesday; at Central MN Christian, 7:30pm Friday
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