Fresh but familiar: Four teams that played for big-class boys basketball titles in '22 will do it again

It's Park Center vs. Wayzata in Class 4A and DeLaSalle vs. Totino-Grace in 3A. Get the details here.

March 25, 2023 at 4:26AM
Clockwise from top left: Hayden Tibbits of Wayzata, Casmir Chavis of Park Center, Patrick Bath of Totino-Grace and Nasir Whitlock of DeLaSalle. (Star Tribune and Minnesota Basketball Hub photos/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

The same four teams that played for the Class 4A and 3A championships last season will play for them again in the 2022-23 season. Park Center defeated Wayzata 58-53 in the Class 4A final last season, and Totino-Grace defeated DeLaSalle 50-44. Here's a look at the two title games:

Class 4A championship

Park Center vs. Wayzata

8 p.m. Saturday at Target Center

TV: Ch. 45

Records

Park Center 28-2

Wayzata 26-4

Seeds

Park Center 1

Wayzata 3

Minnesota Basketball News rankings

Park Center 1

Wayzata 3

The season

Park Center won its first 22 games this season, then lost twice in a week, 73-70 to visiting Elk River and 67-64 at Maple Grove. Those six points separate the Pirates from a perfect season.

Wayzata lost the first three games of the season, then won 17 in a row. The Trojans' only loss since Dec. 13 was to Eden Prairie on Valentine's Day.

Style points

Park Center has six players averaging at least nine points per game. Casmir Chavis handles the playmaking, CJ O'Hara, JJ Ware and Jackson Fowlkes run the wing, and Chiang Ring is a powerful 6-8 post.

Wayzata is built on guards, and the best of them is 5-11 senior point guard Hayden Tibbits, a first-team Star Tribune All-Metro selection. Even Wayzata's tallest player, 6-9 junior Jackson McAndrew, is listed as a guard.

Class 3A championship

Totino-Grace vs. DeLaSalle

5 p.m. Saturday at Target Center

TV: Ch. 45

Records

DeLaSalle 26-5

Totino-Grace 23-8

Seeds

DeLaSalle 3

Totino-Grace 1

Minnesota Basketball News rankings

DeLaSalle 3

Totino-Grace 1

The season

Seven of Totino-Grace's losses were to Park Center (twice), to successful programs from other states (three times) and to other Class 4A state tournament teams (twice). The Eagles are on a six-game winning streak, their longest run of the season.

DeLaSalle opened the season with a loss to Park Center and lost four times in the season's first month. Since Jan. 12 the Islanders have lost only once, at Wayzata in the last game of the regular season. They won their section tournament games by an average of 31 points.

Style points

DeLaSalle features Star Tribune Metro Player of the Year Nasir Whitlock, a 6-2 guard who averaged 27.7 points in the regular season and is headed to Lehigh for college. PJ Pounds (6-6) and Isreal Moses V (6-4) contribute serious athletic ability.

Totino-Grace rolls with 6-4 guard Taison Chatman, committed to Ohio State, but three teammates scored more than his 11.1 points per game during the regular season: 6-5 wing Tommy Humphries (11.5 ppg), 6-7 wing Isaiah Johnson (12.7) and 6-9 forward Patrick Bath (16.8).

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Six players plus head coach Garrett Raboin and assistant coach Ben Gordon are from Minnesota. The tournament’s games will be televised starting Monday.

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