These triplets are keeping Champlin Park from stumbling.

Marty Hill, J.T. Gibson and Jeremy Johnson have adopted the moniker “The Triplets,” and the three amigos have guided the Rebels down the path of perfection.

"We've all known each other since we were little, so that brotherhood has always been there since the beginning," Hill said. "Coming in to senior year, we all made a promise to each other that we'll give each other our all, put our best foot forward for the team and go as far as we can."

Hill, Gibson and Johnson combined to score 52 points, helping Champlin Park remain undefeated with a 64-61 victory over Robbinsdale Armstrong in a Northwest Suburban cross-divisional matchup on Tuesday night in front of a packed Armstrong gym.

Hill matched his season-high with 25 points, while Gibson had 16 and Johnson added 11 for the North Division leading Rebels (15-0), ranked No. 1 by Minnesota Basketball News.

Champlin Park coach Mark Tuchscherer said the leadership from the trio of senior guards was one of the main reasons the Rebels overcame an 11-point halftime deficit to win.

"They're just competitors," Tuchscherer said. "They work so hard, they play at a high level and they have high expectations for themselves and for each other, and they hold themselves accountable."

Champlin Park was held to its lowest point total of the season on Tuesday night against the No. 5-4A Falcons, the West Division's second place team. But the Triplets led the second-half charge, as the Rebels knocked off their fifth top-10 ranked Minnesota team. They also defeated Rice Lake (Wis.) in the Timberwolves Shootout on Jan. 10.

Hill is Champlin Park’s second-leading scorer (16.7 points per game), but contributes in other areas. He is third in rebounding (5.8 rpg) and steals (2.4 spg), and fourth in assists (2.4 apg). 

Gibson, a Nebraska-Omaha commit, leads the Rebels in scoring (18.7 ppg) and is second in assists (4.1 apg) and steals (2.6 spg). Johnson is fourth in scoring (12.1 ppg) and third in assists (3.1 apg).

To put it simply: they do whatever needs to be done to keep Champlin Park from losing.

Hill said sharing the ball has been another big factor into the Rebels' incredible run.

"Whoever is hot gets the ball; we're not selfish," Hill said. "If someone is hot, we tend to get them the ball. Just simple basketball. So we just get them the ball and let them score."

The target on the Rebels' backs grows with each win, and Tuchscherer said his team loves the pressure that grows as victories pile up and expectations soar.

"We talk about the target and we think it's a good problem to have," Tuchscherer said. "Our guys are pretty mature and they understand as the target gets bigger, we have to dig deeper and play harder, smarter and play better, and we love that challenge."

With the season past the midway point and the Rebels successfully navigating a tough schedule thus far, Champlin Park has emerged as the best team in Minnesota's top class. However, Hill said his team has more to achieve.

"Our main goal from the start of this season was to win a state championship and that's what we plan on doing," Hill said. "We're going to continue to work hard, but it's just one step at a time and one game at a time."

Marty Hill scored a game-high 25 points as Champlin Park knocked off another top-10 ranked team, beating Robbinsdale Armstrong 64-61 Tuesday night in a Northwest Suburban Conference cross-division matchup at Armstrong High School.

J.T. Gibson notched 16 points for the Rebels, who lead the league’s North Division and are ranked No. 1 in Class 4A by Minnesota Basketball News, as Champlin Park overcame an 11-point halftime deficit to remain undefeated (15-0) and improve to 6-0 in division play.

Sean Burns scored 14 points for the No. 5-4A and Falcons, who fell to 11-2 overall and are in second place in the West Division.

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