In years past for the Helias Crusaders, the road to a district championship has often gone through Rolla.
But tonight, in more ways than one, the road to a spot in the state quarterfinals will go through Rolla.
The Crusaders, winners of the District 10 championship, will take on the District 9 champion Rolla Bulldogs in the Class 4 sectional round at Missouri S&T in Rolla. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:45 p.m.
"It's definitely in their backyard," Helias coach Joe Rothweiler said. "They'll have a nice crowd down there. We're hoping to have a nice crowd too.
"It'll be more like a true road game."
Helias and Rolla met for a district championship in four straight years from 2015-18. Rolla won in 2015 and 2018, while Helias claimed back-to-back titles in 2016-17.
The two teams have also faced each other in the regular season for the past six years. Helias won this year's meeting 62-47 on Feb. 20 at Rackers Fieldhouse.
"They were missing one of their key players in that first time we matched up with them," Rothweiler said. "But we can definitely take away the strengths that we think we have when we play against them."
One of those strengths was Helias' defensive pressure, which contributed to 15 Rolla turnovers. The Crusaders never trailed in that game, leading 21-9 after the first quarter.
But Rothweiler also knows the Bulldogs are capable of getting hot from 3-point range, which they did in the first half of Friday's 54-49 district championship win against Salem.
"They seem to live and die by the 3," Rothweiler said. "In the district championship game, they hit seven or eight 3s in the first half, but I don't think they hit one in the second half."
Rolla shot 5-of-19 from 3 last month against the Crusaders. Seven different players attempted at least one 3.
"We have a few mismatches when it comes to guarding them in a half-court game," Rothweiler said. "They always have five shooters on the floor, which means our bigs have to extend out and contest the 3-point line a little bit more than we'd like to."
Rolla (12-16) is led by 6-foot-5 junior guard/forward Trey Brown, who averages 12.3 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. He scored a game-high 15 points last month against the Crusaders.
"He's one of the areas where we're mismatched at," Rothweiler said. "He likes to play on the perimeter, but he's their biggest guy."
Colby Shivers, a 5-10 senior, averages 10.5 points, while Danny Foster, a 6-5 junior, averages 10.0 points. Muluken Pritchett, a 6-1 senior who didn't play last month against Helias due to injury, is next at 9.2 points per game.
"They're very balanced," Rothweiler said. "Most nights, they have a different guy who gets going for them.
"We have to be solid at all five positions."
Helias (21-6) won 70-63 last Thursday against Boonville to claim its first district title since 2017.
Marcus Anthony, a senior, leads the Crusaders with 19 points and six rebounds per game. Malcolm Davis, a sophomore, is next in scoring with 10.8 points per game.
All five Helias starters scored in double figures against the Pirates.
"I think we're a better team when that happens," Rothweiler said of the balanced scoring.
The winner of today's game will play either Logan-Rogersville (20-8) or Webb City (16-9) in the quarterfinals at 2:45 p.m. Saturday at Southwest Baptist in Bolivar.
Helias last made the state quarterfinals in 2016, when it placed third in Class 4.
"If you're going to win in the playoffs, then you've got to come in with 32 minutes of intensity and pressure on the defensive end," Rothweiler said. "No matter what happens offensively, you'll give yourself a chance to win."