There will not be a conference championship at stake or a postseason berth on the line, but the atmosphere still promises to be special when Aberdeen Roncalli and Warner square off in a girls' and boys' basketball doubleheader Saturday night.
The twinbill at the Aberdeen Civic Arena will be this week's American News Games of the Week. The girls will play at 6:30 p.m., followed by the boys around 8 p.m.
"There's a lot of factors involved," said Roncalli boys' coach Todd Neuendorf of why the games have a bit of added meaning.
One reason is that Neuendorf's two assistants have strong ties to Warner. Kendall Hoellein is a Warner alum, and Derek Hoellein's brother currently attends school there. Plus, many of the players know each other well.
"A lot of Warner kids come and play with us in the summer in our Summer League," Neuendorf said.
The proximity of the two sides certainly lends itself to many story lines as well.
"Anytime you have two schools that are 9 miles apart, there's going to be common ties," said Warner boys' coach Matt Mackner. "I think that's why it draws so much interest."
There are also interesting ties in the girls' game. Warner coach Stew Bohle was once part of the Roncalli coaching staff and his daughter, Emily, currently plays for the Cavaliers.
Of course, the drama on the court should be entertaining as well.
"Last year was a great ball game," Bohle recalled.
The girls' game will match Warner's size against Roncalli's quickness.
"We play completely different styles," said Roncalli girls' coach Derek Larson. "Who does the better job in their own game is who is going to win."
Warner has four girls at least 6-feet tall, but will have to contend with Roncalli's non-stop pressure defense.
"Sometimes you look around and you think, 'Are there seven out there?' They just wear you down," Bohle said. "They keep coming at you and coming at you."
Larson is well aware that the Monarchs blitzed the competition on their way to the State B volleyball championship last falls and have lost just one game so far this basketball season.
"With the athletes that they have and them running the table in volleyball and having a successful basketball season so far, it even makes it more intense than it normally is," Larson said.
The boys' game will also be an intriguing matchup.
Much like the girls' contest, Roncalli will try to force problems with a full-court pressure defense, while Warner will try to take advantage of its size, namely 6-foot-4 brothers Jarrod and Derrek Tuszka.
"I think we're going to have our hands completely full," Neuendorf said. "They have two big athletic kids that are going to be a handful to guard."
Mackner understands that his team will be in the pressure cooker against the Cavaliers, but also knows that it will benefit his squad in the long run.
"That's one thing that they're known for. They're going to start guarding you when you get off the bus," Mackner said. "It's a great growing opportunity for our team."
Games of the Week
Who: Aberdeen Roncalli vs. Warner in a girls' and boys' basketball doubleheader.
When: Girls at 6:30 p.m. and boys around 8 p.m. Saturday.
Where: At the Aberdeen Civic Arena.
At stake: These games pit Class A power Roncalli against Class B power Warner in both games. Roncalli is 8-2 in girls' basketball while Warner is 12-1. Meanwhile Roncalli is 8-3 in boys' hoops while Warner is 8-1.
Watch it live: Both games will be live-streamed at www.aberdeennews.com/sports. The boys' game will have commentary by Will Elkins of the American News starting with his pre-game show 15 minutes before the start of the game. Fans can Tweet scores and updates of the games they are at with the hashtag #ANscores, so they can be seen on AberdeenNews.com.