The Morris Area / Chokio-Alberta boys basketball team improved to 9-0 on the season with a commanding 75-42 victory over Redwood Valley on Monday, Jan. 12, at the Tiger Center in Morris.

Tiger coach Jacob Torgerson said, “The first half was truly one of the better halves we played all year.”

While the Tigers dominated from start to finish, Torgerson acknowledged the challenge of maintaining intensity throughout. “The second half was exactly what we wanted, but it is hard to stay focused for 36 minutes when we poured so much energy into the first half,” he said. “That is our goal though in the near future, or at least by March, is to be able to put together as good of a 36-minute performance as we can.”

That complete effort will be tested this week as the Tigers face a challenging two-game stretch. First up is a West Central Conference road game at Sauk Centre on Thursday, Jan. 15, in Sauk Centre. The Mainstreeters (5-5 overall, 2-3 WCC) are coming off a 64-36 win over Kimball, led by Eli Yarke’s 17 points and seven assists.

“[Sauk Centre] is always a tough place to play,” Torgerson noted.

Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta then returns home Saturday, Jan. 17 to host Marshall (6-5), ranked No. 24 in Class AAA. Marshall recently lost to No. 9-ranked AAA team in Mankato East 71-61.

“We kind of went and stole one at their place last year, so I know we have a little bit of a target on our back,” Torgerson said of Marshall. “They are young but talented, and we will need to be at our best.”