Minnesota Basketball News has Champlin Park slotted No. 1 in the Class 4A state rankings, and it’s easy to see why after the Rebels’ gritty performance against Rice Lake (Wis.) on Saturday in the Timberwolves Shootout.

Senior JT Gibson finished with 24 points and seven rebounds to lead Champlin Park as it fended off a pesky Warriors squad en route to a 75-71 win. The Rebels never trailed in the game, but the win was definitely not easy.

Champlin Park held a comfortable lead for most of the first half and into the second, where the Rebels led 50-31 with 15 minutes to play.

Rice Lake, however, came storming back in the final minutes behind Henry Ellenson, who helped cut the Rebels’ double-digit lead to two points with 9.1 seconds left.

It was as close as Rice Lake would get, as Champlin Park sealed the victory by sinking two free throws in the closing seconds.

Ellenson, who is ranked as the No. 4 overall player in the country by ESPN and committed to Marquette, finished with 39 points and 18 rebounds.

“We had to make (Ellenson) take tough shots. He hit a lot of them today,” said Gibson, who is a Nebraska-Omaha commit. “He’s a great player, and we gave it our all to stop him.”

A courtside student section that didn’t lack attitude – especially towards Ellenson -- bolstered Champlin Park as the Rebels spread out the scoring. Senior Jeremy Johnson had 20 points and sophomore McKinley Wright added 14 points and 11 rebounds. Champlin Park was impressive from the free-throw line, hitting 7 of 8 late in the game.

Champlin Park improved to 14-0 with the win and added a victory over another powerhouse team to an already loaded resume. The Rebels have defeated No. 10-4A Hopkins, No. 1-3A DeLaSalle and No. 2-4A Apple Valley, which has helped Champlin Park cement itself as the top team in the state.

JT Gibson finished with 24 points and seven rebounds, and McKinley Wright had a double-double as Champlin Park survived a furious comeback by Rice Lake (Wis.) and remain undefeated with a 75-71 victory over the Warriors in the final game of the 2015 Timberwolves Shootout at the Target Center on Saturday afternoon.

Wright finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds, while Jeremy Johnson added 20 points and Marty Hill had 10 points and eight rebounds for the Rebels (14-0), ranked No. 1 in Class 4A by Minnesota Basketball News.

Bolstered by a raucous student section, Champlin Park started strong against Rice Lake. However, a sluggish finish nearly derailed the Rebels’ perfect season. 

Champlin Park asserted its will early and often, showing a clear advantage in athleticism and controlling the tempo of the game. The Rebels crashed the offensive glass, forced turnovers and pushed the pace offensively whenever possible, while Rice Lake struggled to get anything going offensively, even when the Warriors ran plays through their star Henry Ellenson, allowing Champlin Park to take a 41-29 lead into halftime. 

The Rebels continued their dominance early in the second half and increased their lead to 52-31.

But just when the game looked like it would end in a blowout, Rice Lake began to chip away. The Warriors went on a 19-6 run to close to within 58-50 before Champlin Park answered with a few quick buckets. 

Rice Lake never went away, and Ellenson was unstoppable down the stretch, scoring from in close and well beyond the three-point arc. 

Ellenson was fouled attempting a three-pointer and made all of his free throws to close the gap to 73-71 in the final minute, but Gibson responded by making two free throws to push the lead to four points. The Rebels then withstood a few failed three-point attempts by Rice Lake and escaped with their record still unblemished.

Ellenson, a Marquette commit, almost singlehandedly led his team to an upset. He went 5-for-7 from behind the three-point line and finished with 39 points and 18 rebounds.

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