Triple Double Online

No. 2 Wildcats vs. No. 8 Gophers
9 p.m. Thursday at Bottineau Park
Admission: $1

After arguably the most competitive season in Triple Double’s six-year history, we have finally reached the championship game. And for only the second time ever, Mac's 5 captain Ryan Stockhaus will have to watch it from the stands. This season’s title is a No. 2 vs. a No. 8 matchup that could go either way.

The Wildcats come in as the favorite, winning three of their last four regular-season games and all four of their postseason games. The Cats haven't been playing their best either. They just know how to close out games. ‘Cats guard Cedric Bates has been solid on offense and tough defensively. Just ask All Stars Robert Pierson (Hoyas) and Walter Power (Razorbacks).  Wildcat center Zach Thurow has looked like a grown man playing with middle school kids; rebounding and blocking shots with ease. The Wildcats have also seen plentiful production from captain Ben Thurow and Joel McComas.

After starting 1-6-1, the Gophers went 6-2 over their final eight games to earn themselves a spot in the play-in game against the Golden Eagles (4-12). They beat the Golden Eagles handily to earn the right to face the top-seeded Mac's 5 in the opening round. Then the Gophers swept the defending-champion Mac’s 5 in two well-fought battles. In the semifinals, the Gophers benefited from a poor shooting performance by sharpshooter Troy Ragland and the No. 5 Ducks for another sweep, this time earning the right to compete in the championship game. The maroon can run and score with anyone. They have a great backcourt of Louis McKelvy and O.J. Riggins, but center Dusty Nelson has been their X-factor so far this postseason. Not only did he handle the task of containing two of the top players in the league (Mac's 5’s Justin Samuelson and the Ducks’ Femi Solaja), but he has also been hitting shots as a focal point of the Gophers’ offense.

This game could easily come down to foul trouble. If the Thurow Towers have to sit much at all, it will be tough for the Cats to hang in there with the run-and-gun Gophers. But brothers Ben and Zach Thurow are both smart enough to avoid that in this crucial of a game and they are too tough to handle down low for the undersized Gophers.

JW’s Prediction: Wildcats 77, Gophers 71