Polar League showdowns ahead

Barnum and Cook County may not decide the Polar League girls basketball title until they meet in Grand Marais on Feb. 26, but it may take even later to decide who wins the season series.
The Bombers (13-2, 6-0) and the Vikings (13-1, 7-0) are chasing Esko (11-2, 5-0) for the top spot in the conference as none of the three rivals have met yet this season. While the Eskomos’ showdowns with the schools come first — next Thursday vs. Barnum and Feb. 19 vs. Cook County — the latter schools will wait until the season finale to play.
But even that might not decide matters. If Barnum wins Section 5A again and Cook County captures 7A, the teams would face off March 18 in a Class A state quarterfinal game at Williams Arena.
The Vikings’ stiffest challenge yet comes tonight against Floodwood (10-3, 5-3), which has split with Esko and lost twice to Barnum. The Polar Bears lost last year’s section title game to Bigfork, which defeated Cook County in the 2009 semifinals.
Esko is a contender in 7AA, meaning if the Eskomos top that section and Barnum and either Cook County or Floodwood win their sections, the Polar League would be well-represented in Minneapolis in March.
“There’s a real good chance, if everyone’s playing well, that we could see three teams from our league in the state tournament," Barnum coach Randy Myhre said.
There’s a big Polar League boys game tonight as well. Esko (8-5, 4-0) is at Moose Lake-Willow River (11-3, 7-0), with the Rebels holding a 10-point lead over the Eskomos.