The 101st boys’ basketball tournament was one to remember. TYUS JONES (Apple Valley), regarded by many as the nations’ top junior prospect, scored 28 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in leading the Eagles past Park Center, led by Mr. Basketball finalist QUINTON HOOKER (18 points, nine rebounds), 74-57 to capture their first Class 4A state championship.
REID TRAVIS scored 17 points and LUKE SCOTT chipped in 12 as DeLaSalle repeated as Class 3A champs, defeating Austin 50-33.
MARCELLUS HAZZARD scored 14 points in leading Minnehaha Academy past Litchfield 56-54 for the Class 2A title, a first for the Redhawks.
Maranatha Christian earned runner-up honors in Class 1A, losing to Southwest Minnesota Christian 81-73, despite 24 points from ISAIAH HANSEN, 16 from JOSH GOLDSCHMIDT with a nice floor game, and 14 points from GARRISON GILLARD.
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Other outstanding players
DENNIS AUSTIN (Apple Valley): The junior forward was hard to stop inside.
HARRY SONIE (Apple Valley): Throughout the tournament, the senior displayed leadership and was the team’s defensive stopper.
DUSTIN FUNK (Apple Valley): Senior guard gave his team a basket whenever they needed it.
TREYTON DANIELS (Park Center): The senior forward displayed athleticism with an array of dunks.
DEVIN BUCKLEY– (Park Center): Senior guard was clutch and was outstanding defensively.
ISAIAH MCKAY (Park Center): Junior guard lit it up from three-point range and drove to the hoop when teams defended the three.
REGGIE LYNCH (Edina): Senior center shot-blocker dunked so hard against Andover that the rim continued to shake long after.
GRAHAM WOODWARD (Edina): His 32 points in the first half of the quarterfinal game had observers wondering why the Mr. Basketball finalist was second team all-metro.
JP MACURA (Lakevillle North): His 25-point performance against Park Center was so impressive that he was named to the all-tournament team despite his team losing in the first round.
GRANT SCHAEFFER (Eden Prairie): Unquestioned leader of the team, taking them to a fourth-place finish.
ANDRE WALLACE (Eden Prairie): Junior athletic point guard played well for the Eagles.
ANTHONY ANDERSON (Eden Prairie): The junior forward showed some smooth inside moves and timely rebounding during the tournament.
JARVIS JOHNSON (DeLaSalle): The sophomore guard displayed athleticism, outstanding floor game, and timely defense.
GENO CRANDALL (DeLaSalle): The junior came off the bench and provided a clutch basket each time he entered the game.
JAMES LAWSON (DeLaSalle): The junior forward scored easily once receiving the ball inside, and also displayed great outside shooting range.
JALEN MOBLEY (St. Paul Johnson): The sophomore guard played well in his second straight tournament appearance.
QUASHINGM SMITH-PUGH (St. Paul Johnson): The forward played every position as the Governors finished fourth in Class 3A.
KEBU JOHNSON (The Blake School): Senior guard played well in first round of the tournament.
BLAINE CRAWFORD (The Blake School): Senior forward’s inside play got the Bears to their first Class 3A tournament appearance ever.
KAHARRI CARTER (Minnehaha Academy): His 29 points in the semifinals and 11 points in the title game propelled the Redhawks to champions.
THOMAS GIDEON (Minnehaha Academy): The senior forward’s steady inside play stabilized the Redhawks when things got tough.
GRANTHAM GILLARD (Maranatha Christian): The sophomore guard showed excellent poise in leading the Mustangs.
Final thoughts
This was one of the best tournaments in recent memory. Close to 14,000 attended the 3A and 4A title games. Jones showed why he was the best junior prospect in the country. Hooker showed why he is worthy of his Mr. Basketball nomination. Travis proved to be the state’s most dominant big man in recent history. St. Paul Johnson made its fifth consecutive state tournament appearance. Apple Valley and DeLaSalle appear to be the teams to beat next season. A great tournament!
Mitchell Palmer McDonald welcomes reader responses to mmcdonald@spokesman-recorder.com.
Photos by Mitchell Palmer McDonald
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