Two important questions were answered Saturday.
Minnetonka is the best boys' swimming team in the state after its decisive victory in the Class 2A True Team State Meet on Saturday at the University of Minnesota's Freeman Aquatic Center.
And Minnesota boys' high school basketball can claim superiority over its neighbors to the east, having won six of seven games against teams from Wisconsin on Saturday in the Border Battle at Apple Valley High School.
The Skippers swimmers took first place in 11 of 12 events, setting seven meet records, including a new high in team points. Minnetonka rolled up 2,546 points, more than 700 points in front of runner-up Stillwater and breaking the meet record of 2,510.5 points, set by St. Thomas Academy in the Class 1A meet in 2013. Minnetonka seniors Cory Lau and Sam Schilling each had a hand in four victories.
St. Thomas Academy won the 1A title with 2,255 points. Blake/Breck finished second with 2,031.5 team points.
On the basketball front, Wisconsin got its only victory in the opener of the Breakdown Border Battle when Marshfield Columbus Catholic beat Springfield, ranked No. 7 in Class 1A, 96-83.
Minnesota teams rolled after that. No. 1, 2A Minnehaha Academy beat Prescott 81-73, No. 10, 4A Tartan crushed Whitefish Bay 80-53, No. 7, 4A Cretin-Derham Hall got past Stevens Point 71-68, five-time Class 3A champion DeLaSalle blew out Kaukauna 97-65, No. 3, 4A Lakeville North pulled away from La Crosse Central 98-83 and No. 5, 4A Apple Valley cruised past Milwaukee Riverside 66-46.
Of course, the games were played on home turf, and different matchups could produce different results, but for now in this border war, the edge is clearly with the North Star State.
Here's a quick look at the best games ahead this week:
Boys' hockey
Tuesday
• Hill-Murray vs. Wayzata, at Plymouth, 7 p.m.
• Lakeville North vs. Stillwater, at St. Croix Valley Rec, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday
• Holy Family at Lakeville North, 7 p.m.
Saturday
• Duluth East at Elk River, 3 p.m.
• Eden Prairie at Edina, 7 p.m.
Girls' hockey
Tuesday
• Blaine at Centennial, 7 p.m.
• St. Paul United vs. Hill-Murray, at Aldrich, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday
• Elk River at Edina, 7 p.m.
Saturday
• Blaine at Maple Grove, 7 p.m.
Boys' basketball
Tuesday
• Minneapolis North at Minneapolis Henry, 7 p.m.
• Cretin-Derham Hall at East Ridge, 7:15 p.m.
Friday
• North St. Paul at Mahtomedi, 7 p.m.
Saturday
• Sioux City (Iowa) East at DeLaSalle, 12:30 p.m.
Girls' basketball
Monday
• Norwood Young America at Eden Valley-Watkins, 7:15 p.m.
Tuesday
• Minnetonka at Hopkins, 7 p.m.
Friday
• Hutchinson at Orono, 7 p.m.
