Hutchinson, ranked No. 4 in Class 3A, fell from the top spot it held last week after losing to Glencoe-Silver Lake 79-72 on Dec. 8. And the Tigers' fall from grace will likely continue after suffering yet another defeat, a 63-54 decision at the hands of Buffalo this past Saturday.
Now, the Tigers (5-2) will need to reverse course quickly against No. 2-3A Holy Angels on Thursday, if they want to stay in the discussion of being a postseason favorite.
The Stars (6-1) opened the season with 62-41 loss to Dowling Catholic but haven't lost since. Riding a six-game winning streak, Holy Angels has momentum on its side heading into its showdown against Hutchinson.
The Stars are led by Destinee Oberg, who is building on a stellar sophomore season. Oberg is fourth in the state with 15 rebounds per game and she's a threat to score too, averaging 19.1 points per game. She’s played varsity since her seventh-grade year, and earlier this month, she committed to the University of Arkansas.
The Tigers may not be able to stop Oberg, so they’ll try to outscore her and the rest of the Stars. MaKenzie Rensch will be in charge of that. Rensch leads the Tigers in scoring with 18.4 points per game.