On February 20, the Melrose-Mindoro Mustangs traveled to Alma, WI, to face the mighty Alma-Pepin Eagles. The Eagles won the first meeting between these teams and hoped to repeat history.
After Alma-Pepin gave a heartfelt thank you message to the parents, the competition unfolded. The Eagles set the tone with a quick basket from senior, Mason Westberg. The Mustangs quickly responded with two 3’s, taking the lead early in the game. The two teams battled hard against each other and kept sea-saw scoring for most of the first half. With eleven minutes left in the half, the Mustangs led 14-11. With the lead growing, the Eagles knew they needed to score again. Breckin Hullopeter ended the drought with an and-one basket. Alma-Pepin closed the gap and tied the game at 21 with seven minutes left. The Mustangs finished the first half ahead, 42-38. The Eagles were led by junior, Breckin Hullopeter, who recorded 23 points and 16 rebounds. On the other hand, the Mustangs had three out of five starters put up double-digit scoring. During halftime, the 5th and 6th-grade boy's basketball teams entertained the crowd with a quick scrimmage against each other.
The Eagles started hot in the second half; the first two possessions for the Mustangs were turnovers converted into three-pointers for Alma-Pepin. Melrose quickly regrouped and regained their lead. With a three-pointer from Trenton Kzroska, the game was tied up at 47 a piece. The second half consisted of back-and-forth scoring between the two teams. With five minutes left the score was 67-65 with the Mustangs on top. With two minutes left, the Eagles decided to put their scoring into drive. They gained a lead and never looked back. The Mustangs had to foul with a chance to score again, but the Eagles made their free throws, making the game impossible for Melrose to win. Alma-Pepin secured the win 81-71.