It came down to the final seconds, but DeLaSalle, seeking its sixth consecutive state title, avoided an upset.
The No. 1-ranked Islanders defeated No. 4-ranked Orono 71-68 in the Class 3A, Section 6 championship Thursday at Chanhassen High School. The Islanders (24-3) held the lead for much of the game before Orono nearly came all the way back.
Islanders coach Dave Thorson said he expected this kind of close game.
"The intensity and the atmosphere of this was like a state semifinal or a state championship," Thorson said.
His team missed five of its last six free throws in the final minute, but senior Goanar Mar hit the last one for his 25th point of the game.
The Spartans (23-6) led early before the Islanders found their rhythm and went on a 17-0 run. Nine of those points came from junior guard Gabe Kalscheur, who scored 21 of his 28 points in the first half, when he made three three-pointers. The ball movement and up-tempo play helped the Islanders a lot, Kalscheur said.
The Spartans, who trailed by 10 at halftime, came back with solid three-point shooting and an 8-0 run to keep it close. Junior Jarvis Thompson finished with 20 points and junior Max Bjorklund had 19.
"I thought we really battled back," coach Barry Wohler said. "When you have a section with five teams ranked in the top 10, you're going to get a game like this."
