With a victory over Eagan last Thursday night, the Apple Valley boys’ basketball team clinched a spot in this week’s state tournament, and a chance for a third state title in the past four years. As with any state tournament, the road to glory is no cakewalk—the Eagles, 29-1, were seeded only third.

Apple Valley kicks off its tournament at 4pm Wednesday against Blaine. The Bengals come in with a record of 19-10 following a middle-of-the-road finish in the North Suburban Conference.

The Eagles ride into Target Center as South Suburban Conference champions for a fourth consecutive year, and finished the season winning 22 straight.

Apple Valley’s strong starting five is led by junior guard Gary Trent, Jr., who has averaged a whopping 34.3 points per game in the playoffs. Sophomore guard Tre Jones averages a double-double, with 12.0 points and 10.7 assists per game.

As a team, the Eagles are averaging 96.0 points per game in the postseason, and are shooting nearly 57 percent from the field. The Bengals, meanwhile, are scoring at a much lower clip, averaging just 53.3 points per game in the playoffs. Benjamin Scherer leads Blaine with 13 points per game.

It seems as though the Eagles’ high powered offense is just too good for Blaine, and Apple Valley heads in as the heavy favorite. Should the Eagles advance to the semifinals, their likely opponent would be Hopkins—the lone loss on Apple Valley’s record.

The Royals come in with just one loss as well—they fell to Wayzata on January 29. Led by University of Minnesota signee Amir Coffey, Hopkins averaged 88.6 points per game during the regular season. Supplementing Coffey are guard Vinnie Shahid, as well as Division One recruit Ishmael El-Amin, both of whom average double-digit scoring numbers.

During their first meeting, Hopkins’ three-point shooting gave Apple Valley fits—the Royals made nine from beyond the arc to the Eagles’ three. The matchup to watch will again be Trent, Jr. against Coffey, as the state’s two top prospects each look to lead their team to victory, and cement a legacy in state tournament lore.

This matchup could very well be the top game of the tournament, and at this point a favorite is not clear. Both teams have the firepower to win a title—this one should be fun to watch.

The state title game is a long ways away, so speculation is perhaps best kept to a minimum. The likely representative from the top of the bracket is Osseo, which at 29-0 earned the tournament’s top seed. The Orioles have been on fire all year, beating fellow tournament qualifier (and major rival) Maple Grove twice, as well as knocking off the likes of Champlin Park, Blaine, and Robbinsdale Armstrong.

This year’s tournament field is loaded with talent, as fans will get to see many Division One recruits go head to head with one another. It certainly will be fun to watch.