Totino-Grace outlasts DeLaSalle in Minnesota High School Boys Basketball Class 3A Championship

MINNEAPOLIS — Totino-Grace head coach Nick Carroll texted his seniors before the Class 3A championship against DeLaSalle on Saturday.

He said: “Seniors run this thing.”

Carroll felt good about the matchup and game plan against the Islanders, but he felt the Eagles’ biggest advantage over the Islanders was experience. Totino-Grace has four seniors, and DeLaSalle has one.

“That matters when it’s the last game of your career and you want to go out on a certain note,” Carroll said.

The Eagles seniors played in tune, and No. 1 Totino-Grace defeated No. 2 DeLaSalle 72-70 at Williams Arena in a game where experience made a difference. It’s the fourth championship in program history for Totino-Grace, and it’s the third time in five seasons they’ve defeated the Islanders for it.

“There is a standard here,” Totino-Grace senior forward Dothan Ijadimbola said. “For me to go out on that standard, it means a lot to me. I couldn’t have done it without these guys and the guys in the locker room. These guys meant so much to me the entire year.”

Totino-Grace went on a 10-0 run late in the first half to separate from the Islanders, and they had a 10-point lead at halftime that proved to be critical.

The Islanders outscored the Eagles in the second half. They drove to the basket and moved the ball better compared to the first half. They earned trips to the free throw line, but they went 18-for-27.

“Some of those misses are a little out of character for us,” Anderson said. “We figured it out, but we got ourselves in a hole before we decided to start doing that. That’s more credit to Totino than anything else.”

Totino-Grace can throw waves of players at opponents. The Eagles had nine players play more than 10 minutes, and while the experience of the seniors matters, the Eagles trust their youth, too.

“We know we have guys on the bench for us, who would not only start, but potentially be the best player on some of the teams that we’re playing against,” Carroll said.

The Eagles had roughly 16 different starting lineups this season. The underclassmen push the upperclassmen in practice, and the seniors on the team don’t feel that there is a dip in quality even when it's their time to sit on the bench.

“We know everyone in that locker room can meet that standard,” Ijadimbola said. “There’s nothing that crosses my mind that something is going to go wrong.”

On the other bench, many of the Islanders were working through the pressure of a state championship game.

“We were a little erratic,” Anderson said. “We were a little emotional at times today. We were up, we were down, but our guys are very resilient.”

The Islanders gained momentum throughout the second half, but Totino-Grace was always ready to respond. The Eagles led 72-70 with seconds remaining, and DeLaSalle had to inbound the ball, so Totino-Grace wanted to make sure they could not inbound on the run.

Islanders guard Deon Wallace-Johnson caught the inbounds pass and dribbled up the court. Totino-Grace defenders Malachi Hill and Tian Chatman double-teamed him at half court, and he lost his dribble. Chatman grabbed the ball, and the Eagles won.

“We just couldn’t get over the hump,” Anderson said. “I thought there were a couple situations where we had some momentum and they had a couple offensive rebounds, put-backs and a couple good finishes. They hit a couple timely 3s.”

The Eagles have been the Islanders’ road block to a 13th state title. All three championship games between the Islanders and the Eagles have finished within a 10-point margin.

“We start every season with one goal,” Anderson said. “Winning this was obviously the big goal being at [DeLaSalle]. This will always be the goal. That’s one of the great expectations of being at [DeLaSalle]. We’re experiencing some pain of that process.”

The Islanders will have plenty of senior experience returning next season. They lack seniors this season, but they will have six next season. Given recent history, there is a good chance they face the Eagles again.

“There are fortunate pressures that you can have,” Carroll said. "[…] To earn the right to feel pressure in these situations, and not just feel like you’re lucky to be here, is a privilege that very few are afforded. We try to help these guys embrace it and make each season its own.”

Totino-Grace vs. DeLaSalle: Live Score Recap of Minnesota High School Boys Basketball Class 3A Championship

First Half Updates

Totino-Grace wins the opening tip, and we're underway.

The Islanders nail two 3s to start the game — DeLaSalle 6, TG 0 - 15:13

Tian Chatman gets the Eagles on the scoreboard. DeLaSalle is still off to a good start, and the Islanders lead 13-7 — 13:00 remaining.

AJ Taban gives the Eagles the lead with a layup after a pass from Shay Jackson — TG 14, DLS 13 — 9:58

DeLaSalle forward Kamar Thomas finished a breakaway with a dunk to tie the game, but he was then called for a technical foul while running back on defense. The Eagles made both free throws — TG 22, DLS 20 — 8:30

Islanders are cold, and they have gone 1-for-7 with their last seven 3-point attempts. Totino-Grace leads 25-21 — 5:30

Totino-Grace is on a 10-1 run in the last five minutes. The Islanders offense continues to sputter. The Eagles lead 32-21 — 3:46

HALFTIME: Totino-Grace 37, DeLaSalle 27

Jaylan Hynes of Totino-Grace leads all scorers with 14 points. He's 4-of-4 from 3-point range.

The Eagles are 7-of-12 from 3. DeLaSalle is struggling to shoot the ball. The Islanders are 10-of-28 from the field and 3-of-11 from 3.

Ichima Idoko leads the Islanders with 10 points.

Second Half Updates

The second half is underway.

Totino-Grace maintains its 10-point lead in the opening minutes of the second half. Both teams have shot well to start the second half — Totino-Grace 48, DeLaSalle 38— 13:00

DeLaSalle guard Deon Wallace-Johnson hit a 3 to cut into the Eagles' lead. Then Ichima Idoko hit two free throws — TG 52, DLS 48 — 9:28

DeLaSalle's run cut the Eagles' lead to two points, but Tian Chatman hit a 3-point shot for the Eagles to slow the Islanders' momentum. Right after, Eagles' sophomore Kaiden Deveaux was called for a technical foul from the bench. Jaeden Udean made the two free throws for the Islanders — TG 55, DLS 52 — 6:10

Five minutes remain, and Totino-Grace leads 64-60.

Kamar Thomas makes a layup for DeLaSalle, and Totino-Grace leads 70-65 with 2:47 remaining.

Ichima Idoko makes two free throws for DeLaSalle — TG 70, DLS 67 — 1:00 remaining.

Tian Chatman misses a 3-point shot for the Eagles. The islanders get the rebound and call a timeout. They will have the ball with 22 seconds remaining down by three points.

Deon Wallace-Johnson tries a contested layup and misses it. The Eagles grab the rebound, and Dothan Ijadimbola makes one free throw to give the Eagles a 4-point lead with 14 seconds remaining.

Udean is fouled while shooting a 3-point shot. It almost went it, but instead he makes all three free throws. Totino-Grace has possession of the ball with 7 seconds remaining. The Eagles lead 71-70.

Malachi Hill makeds 1-of-2 free throws for Totino-Grace. The Eagles lead 72-70, and DeLaSalle will have the ball with 5.9 seconds remaining.

Deon Wallace-Johnson turns the ball over as he is trying to dribble up to court, and Totino-Grace wins the game. They pressured him and double-teamed him, and he lost his dribble.

FINAL: Totino-Grace 72, Totino-Grace 70

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