The Russell-Tyler-Ruthton Knights will return to Southwest Minnesota State University tonight to take on Central Minnesota Christian for the Section 3A boys basketball championship.

The game comes as a rematch of the 2022 section championship, in which the second-seeded Knights defeated the No. 1 Bluejays 62-59 to earn a trip to the state tournament. Drew Werkman, then a freshman, posted a 12-point, 12-rebound double-double in the overtime victory.

RTR and CMC, both the No. 3 seed out of their respective subsections, are both familiar with this position. Aside from their 2022 matchup, RTR also won the 2023 section championship en route to a state title while CMC last won the section in 2021, defeating Southwest Minnesota Christian 68-63 before falling to Sleepy Eye St. Mary’s in the Class A quarterfinals.

Both the Bluejays and the Knights got off to relatively rocky starts to the season. RTR started the season 5-4 just a year after an undefeated regular season while CMC went 4-4 through its first eight games.

Still, both teams have grown and developed as the season went on. RTR enters the championship matchup having won each of its last 11 games, including a win over Class A No. 8 Mountain Lake Area-Comfrey, while CMC has won four in a row after dropping three straight at the end of the regular season. The Bluejays have also won each of their last two games by double figures while RTR hasn’t had an opponent come within single digits of them since a 74-72 win over Pipesonte Area on Feb. 10.

CMC got to this point in the season with their ability to space the floor. Aside from Drew Duininck’s 17.7 points per game, Asher Wieberdink has added another 14.7 and has been particularly effective when it matters most. The 6-foot-4 freshman shot 7 of 11 from 3-point range to finish with 23 points in the 3A North championship game and made six of his eight 3-point attempts to finish with 18 points in a subsection quarterfinals win over Lac qui Parle Valley.

For the Knights, defense and ball distribution have been the story of the Knights’ success. RTR was held to just 1 point in the first eight minutes of the 3A South championship game against top-seeded Hills-Beaver Creek. Yet, even with the slow offensive start, the Knights’ defense kept them in the game by holding the Patriots to just 28 first-half points. From there, they continued to hold HBC scoreless for the first six minutes of the second half to storm ahead for the win.

On the offensive end of the court, the Knights have three scorers averaging double figures and another, B.O.L.D. transfer Andrew Meyers, averaging 9.1 points per game.

Werkman, the reigning Independent Player of the Year, leads the team with 19 points per game while Chase Christianson averages 15.9. The two players also have complementary playstyles, Werkman dominating in the post while Christianson has shot 39.4% from 3-point range.

Blake Christianson has also averaged double figures this season but has primarily functioned as a distributor. The senior guard leads the team with 3.8 assists per game and also ties Werkman with a team-leading 2.2 steals per game.

Tipoff for the Section 3A Championship game at Southwest Minnesota State University’s R/A Facility at 5 p.m.