The Jordan boys basketball team is being challenged in its first season in the Wright County Conference.

The Hubmen endured a stretch where it lost five straight league games after a 4-1 start. But the losing skid was snapped Feb. 17 with a 50-43 home win over Delano, getting 10 points apiece from sophomore Mack Schmidt and senior Reagan Koch.

Jordan won the Minnesota River Conference title last year with a 13-1 mark. The WCC is a bigger step up for the program this season.

"This is a very good conference and there is never a night off," Jordan coach Matt Urbanek said. "I think every team in the conference is capable of beating every other team. That makes it fun, and it will also help to prepare us for the playoffs.

"Our goal is to continually improve throughout the season and play our best basketball in the postseason," Urbanek added. "Our conference schedule will certainly help us with that."

The Hubmen will end the regular season March 12 with a league game at Hutchinson. The Tigers won 84-82 over Jordan in the first meeting between the two teams Feb. 16.

Last winter, back on March 13, Jordan was all set to take on Waseca in the Section 2AA championship, but the Minnesota State High School League ended the winter sports season the morning of the title game due to the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Waseca looks to be the team to beat again this season. The Bluejays are ranked No. 1 in the state.

The Section 2AA tournament will start March 16. The title game is set for March 26.

State quarterfinal play for boys basketball will be March 30-31, followed by the semifinals April 6-8 and the title games for all four classes April 9-10. The Target Center in Minneapolis has been tentatively set as the venue.

Jordan made the state field in 2018, finishing sixth.

Meanwhile, in the loss to Hutchinson, Koch led the Hubmen with 32 points. Junior Isaac Young finished with 18 points, while senior Jojo Kloeppel and junior Owen Montreuil were also in double figures with 15 and 10 points, respectively.

Jordan also lost 85-73 at home to Orono Feb. 12. Koch again led the way with a season-high 33 points. He leads the team at 20.1 points per game.

Young scored 16 points for the Jordan in the loss, while Kloeppel finished with 11 points and Montreuil added 10.

"We've been very competitive in every game," Urbanek said. "We feel like we are right there. In the last few games we have been hurt by a big run from our opponents in each of those games.

"We need to play with more consistency and be able to stop those runs when they start," Urbanek added. "Overall, our players are confident and they've brought a great attitude every day."

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Hubmen trying the meet the challenges in the new conference - SW News Media