No. 1 Champlin Park boys hoops stay unbeaten, take down Totino-Grace

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The No. 1 (Class 4A) Champlin Park Rebels boys basketball team defeated No. 2 (Class 3A) Totino-Grace Eagles 75-65, Thursday evening at Champlin Park High School.

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It was a back-and-forth first half where Champlin Park jumped out to an early lead behind senior forward Francis Nwaokorie dominating the paint. But, the Eagles would hang around behind the play of junior guard Demarion Watson and sophomore forward CJ O’Hara. The Rebels would wind up leading 34-30 at the break.

Champlin Park took over the game in the second half. The Rebels had swarming defense all night, forcing numerous turnovers, leading to easy points. The Rebels were able to shutdown Totino-Grace’s stud sophomores Taison Chatman and Tommy Humphries. Chatman finished with 13 points, while Humphries finished with eight.

Champlin Park’s senior guard Joshua Strong controlled the game throughout, along with senior guard Dylan Gichaba. Strong and Nwaokorie both finished with 16 points, while Gichaba finished with a game-high 18 points for the Rebels. Champlin Park wins 75-65, improving to 9-0 on the year.