Make time for basketball tonight

It's the winter version of Neighbors Night Out this tonight when local basketball teams hit the floor with schools that are less than five miles from each other door-to-door.

The first game will feature Cloquet from Section 7AAA traveling a couple of miles down Highway 61 to play Section 7AA power Esko at 7:15 p.m. Game two will be another next-door-neighbor rivalry between two teams expected to be in the Section 7A hunt: Carlton and Wrenshall.

Both Cloquet and Esko are coming off tough losses on Tuesday night. The 'Jacks fell to Duluth East on the road 77-64, while the Eskomos were beaten by Superior 54-48.

Cloquet will enter the game with a 2-1 record including wins over Barnum and North Branch. Esko comes in at 0-2 with losses to Superior and Hermantown.

Friday's game in Carlton will feature two teams that met in round two of the sectional playoffs last year when the Wrens bounced Carlton out of the tournament. It will be Wrenshall's first game of the season. Carlton opened play on Tuesday night by beating East Central on the road 63-51. The game starts at 7:15 p.m. Friday, Dec. 7 at Carlton High School.