Sports

North beats Goodhue for Class 1A title

The Polars did as expected but had to subdue stubborn Goodhue in the second half.

By Jim Paulsen

March 13, 2016 at 2:29AM

Minneapolis North guard Tyler Johnson dunked the ball off an alley-oop pass in the first half against Goodhue on Saturday. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

The championship that had been dreamed about, talked about — even expected — across Minneapolis' north side was in jeopardy.

Minneapolis North, a team so talented that its coronation as Class 1A state champions seemed predetermined, had blown a 13-point lead and trailed unheralded Goodhue by one point at halftime of the championship game Saturday.

A buzz rippled throughout Target Center:

Could North actually lose?

Turns out, the game wasn't as up-for-grabs as it may have seemed.

North unveiled an airtight zone defense in the second half and forced Goodhue to make mistakes it hadn't made in the first half. The Polars pulled away for a 68-45 victory to win the sixth boys' basketball championship in team history.

It was North's first title since 2003, when it won the Class 4A championship.

Goodhue (24-10) committed 14 turnovers in the second half after making just five before halftime.

"They switched defenses on us and that gave us problems," Wildcats coach Matt Halverson said.

"What's our motto about halftime?" North coach Larry McKenzie asked of his players following the game.

"The first half is exhibition," replied North senior forward Jamil Jackson Jr. "Actually, he was pretty patient with us [at halftime]. Not crazy like he usually is."

"For the first time," senior guard Tyler Johnson chimed in.

The Polars (29-5) opened the second half with a 10-2 blitz and never looked back. Senior point guard Patrick Dembley, held scoreless before halftime, was dazzling, scoring all 14 of his points and collecting three assists in the second half.

"The point guard has the keys to the car," McKenzie said. "I told him at halftime, if we pass the ball two, three times, there's an opportunity to drive to the basket. When you see it open up, take it to the lane.

''He listened."

When Dembley wasn't creating, junior guard Isaac Johnson was getting up and down the court, running past and finishing over the Goodhue defense. Johnson scored a game-high 18 points, 11 of them in the second half.

"I told our guys at halftime, it was a tempo game," McKenzie said. "We came out with the intent to push the ball up the floor."

The victory was a salve for a North team that has six players on its roster who played in the Prep Bowl, losing in the Class 1A final to Minneota.

"That motivated us a lot," said Tyler Johnson, the quarterback on that team. "We have been thinking about this since [losing] that day. We wanted to bring something back. We couldn't go back empty-handed."

Minneapolis North coach Larry McKenzie celebrated his team’s 68-45 victory in the Class 1A title game. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)