EDGERTON -- Southwest Christian is one game away from the state tournament.
The boys' basketball team has just one blemish on its entire season and hasn't lost in over two months.
But the Eagles are going up against a similarly tough team in the Section 3A championship game Thursday when they take on Dawson-Boyd.
The Blackjacks have just two losses on the season, the last one coming two months ago.
So who will come out on top is anybody's guess.
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"It's the first team we've faced this season that we've never seen before," SWC head coach Jamie Pap said. "We're going to use that to the best of our advantage. We have a lot of determination right now and we want to win. We've been doing a great job in the tournament so far and we want to keep that going."
On paper, the two teams seem to be neck-and-neck with each other.
SWC has lost only one game this season -- a one-point loss to Worthington on Jan. 6. And Dawson-Boyd has lost only two games this season -- the last being a one-point loss to MACCRAY on Jan. 13.
The Eagles (25-1) have put up 1,963 points through the 26 games they've played, averaging 75.5 points per game. However, the Blackjacks (26-2) have put up 2,087 points through 28 games played, averaging 74.54 points per game.
And as far as points allowed goes, Dawson-Boyd has given up 1,326 points all season, an average of 47.36 points per game. But SWC has allowed 1,281 points this season, averaging 49.27 points per game.
Not much difference between the two teams there.
According to the QRF rankings from March 13, SWC is the No. 5 team in Class A, whereas Dawson-Boyd is the No. 15 team in the state.
"From what I understand, they're a very quick team and they take care of the ball really well," Pap said. "They are good at driving in to the basket and attacking. They won the state title in football, so they know how to win. They're winners and they can get the job done. It's hard to knock off teams like that."
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Dawson-Boyd's best player comes in the form of Nathaniel Huot, a junior guard.
Huot averages over 20 points a game, so the Eagles are hoping to limit him to 15-18 points Thursday.
In the Blackjack's sub-section championship game, Huot had 28 of Dawson-Boyd's 78 points.
"He's, what would you call him? He's their stud player," Pap said. "He's going to be the best guard we face all year. He does a good job, so we're going to need to apply a lot of pressure on him."
But the Eagles have some threats of their own.
There is the obvious threat in Zach Huisken.
Huisken, according to his coach, is a great all-around athlete. On defense, when teams drive in he is quick to block or alter the shot. On offense, he's a force to be reckoned with, capable of scoring in double-digits despite teams double- and triple-teaming him.
But there are plenty of other players on SWC that act as threats to their opponents.
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Andrew Top has emerged as one of those players.
In the sub-section championship game against Ellsworth, Top, a 6-foot-4-inch senior, scored a game-high 26 points. And he has been turning many heads as of late.
"Top has really come on as of late," Pap said. "He's a smart, relentless player who has been in Huisken's shadow for most of his career. He drives in really well and is good at feeding the ball to others. On defense, he is solid and quick on his feet. He is really a reliable player for us."
SWC takes on Dawson-Boyd on Thursday at 8 p.m. at Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall.
The winner will advance to the state tournament, while the losing team's season will end.
But SWC has high hopes that this isn't the end of its season.
"We're confident going in," Pap said. "I'm sure we'll have a few nerves and added excitement to get over early on, but I think we'll be OK. We want to get off to a good start and make them work for every point they get."
Daily Globe Sports Reporter Jocelyn Syrstad can be reached at 376-7335.
