MANKATO — If there’s one common trait the Mankato East and Waseca boys basketball teams share, it’s their willingness to amp things up during a typical practice session.
With some of their practices as intense as a regular-season game, the two teams have turned in remarkable years heading into this week’s state basketball tournament. No. 1-ranked and top-seeded East (27-1) is facing St. Paul Harding (18-10) in a 10 a.m. Class AAA quarterfinal contest Tuesday at William Arena, while the No. 2-rated and second-seeded Bluejays (30-0) take on Pequot Lakes (23-7) in a 6 p.m. Class AA game Tuesday at Target Center.
Mankato East
East has reeled off 26 straight wins since a loss to Class AAAA power Hopkins. Brogan Madson, a 6-foot-1 senior guard, was named the Big Nine Conference Player of the Year after averaging 21.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game. Madson, who will play at Sioux Falls next season, shot 55% from the field and 37.3% from 3-point range in helping the Cougars to their fourth straight state tournament appearance.
While Madson is the centerpiece for a talented Cougars’ outfit, 6-5 senior forward Ganden Gosch and 5-11 junior guard Lucas Gustafson have also put up some impressive numbers to compliment him. Gosch, who is slated to play at Minnesota State next year, is a matchup nightmare with his ability to score from anywhere on the court. Gosch is averaging 14.7 points, 7.1 rebounds and 4.3 assists an outing while Gustafson, a 39.8% shooter from beyond the arc, tallies 14 points, 2.9 boards and 3.1 assists a game.
“We really got after it in practice today,” East coach Joe Madson said after Friday’s practice. “We really got up and down the court and that’s the way we like to play. Going up to Williams Arena is something they’re used to doing. I think that’s a huge advantage because we won’t spend much time staring around and looking up at the rafters. Our expectations are high and I love our mindset.
“Marshall gave us all we could handle but then we went into another gear which is what you need to do when teams are coming after you like that. Our decision making has really been good all year. Our assist to turnover ratio right now is remarkable. It’s almost 3-1 which is not normal for a high school team. When you’re doing that, typically good things are going to happen. “
Amari Nobles, a 6-5 junior guard, is averaging 9.3 points, four rebounds and 2.4 assists while playing ball-hawking defense. Braden Petzel, a 6-9 junior, is the fifth starter, putting up 5.9 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. Senior guard Dwuan Reliford, another stingy defender, averages 7.2 points and 2.5 rebounds off the bench. while senior Thokwech Puoch (3.9 ppg, 1.3 rbg) has been improving steadily.
“With our style of play, we can use the bigger court to our advantage,” Gustafson said. “Our scout team does a really good job of helping us at practice. At times, our practices are tougher than games. Each player loves one another and everyone on the team has a role. We try to make each other better and that’s what you need at this time of the season. You have to stay focused and keep going. … We all enjoy each other and since we’ve been playing so long, it’s like a brotherhood.”
Waseca
The Bluejays are led by the Russell brothers — 6-0 senior guard Damarius and 6-2 junior guard Deron — and senior guard Carson Ohnstad. Deron Russell averages 23 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists while shooting 57% from the field and 45% from 3-point range. Damarius Russell is at 14.4 points, 4.1 rebounds and seven assists per outing, while Ohnstad totals 15.2 points and 3.5 boards a game.
“A lot of people had high expectations for us, but we didn’t really know where the role players would come from,” ‘Jays’ coach Seth Anderson said. “Our biggest question mark was where was our post play going to come from? Isaac Feldkamp has been one of those fun stories for us. The game was really hard for him as a 5-9 freshman, so he took two years off. He grew to 6-5 and all of the sudden, he came back out and holy smokes, he has really been the piece we needed so we could fire on all cylinders.
“We talk defense more than anything. Offense can come and go but defense is an area where you can be consistent. Our guys have been good all year on the defensive end, so that has given us that consistency all year. We’ve really been good in practice all year. That’s an area we’ve dominated in, and our guys come to practice with good intentions. They work hard and get game-speed repetitions.”
Feldkamp, a 66% shooter from the field, averages 7.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. Senior guard Ethan Hiller (6.6 ppg, 5.2 rpg) is the other starter, while senior guard Caden Danner (6.3 ppg) is the Bluejays’ top reserve.