Whether on the football field or on the hard-surfaced basketball court at Red Level, senior guard Trey Salter and junior point guard Preston Ryce are a duo that can cause problems for their opponents.

Both have been playing basketball at Red Level since they were in the seventh grade and one thing that sets them apart on the team is they have come to depend on each other.

Salter leads his team averaging 11.5 points per game, 1.5 assists, 1.1 steals and 2.5 rebounds.

Ryce averages 6.5 points per game, 4.5 assists, 2.5 steals and 3.0 rebounds.

Ryce said his time at Red Level has been great, so far.

“It’s been a blast, really,” Ryce said. “You’ve got everybody to depend on and they know what you’re going to do. You’ve got to be creative with what you’re doing.”

Asked what goals they had this year, both simply said to make it to the state finals.

“We set a goal to go all the way this year to the championship,” Salter said.

And both believe they can do it.

“We have the talent and the teamwork and the coaches to get that far,” Ryce said.

Right now, the Tigers stand at 14-11 overall, and 4-2 in Class 2A, Area 1 for this season. On Thursday, Red Level won the right to host its area tournament on a coin flip. The Tigers’ area tournament starts next Friday night. Red Level plays Excel at 7 p.m.

After high school, Salter plans on attending college to play basketball.

Ryce is the son of Cora and Rodney Ryce of Red Level and Salter is the son of Artilda and Oscar Salter of River Falls.