Three weeks ago, Northwest Suburban Conference rivals Maple Grove and Champlin Park participated in the Midwest Players Classic in Lacrosse, WI.
 
Both teams got a glimpse of their league opponent that weekend and have anticipated the matchup at Champlin Park High School ever since.
 
“It was a really hard-fought win,” senior Reed Nikko said following the Crimson’s 65-58 road win over the Rebels. “A lot of the guys on both teams knew each other, so we knew it was going to be a fun one.”
 
Reminiscent of the offseason when members of both teams play pickup basketball together, the game featured plenty of talented players in the north metro.
 
Junior Brad Davison battled back and forth with Rebels senior McKinley Wright, as both led their teams in scoring with 26 and 20 points, respectively.
 
With under three minutes left in the game, Davison broke away from McKinley, gained the edge and laid in a finger roll while drawing a foul.
 
At the line, Davison sank the and-one to set a new school record for career points and put Maple Grove (19-3, 12-2) ahead by nine points.
 
“(Davison's) a leader, first and foremost, and has taken on the role of putting this team on his back and willing us to victory,” Crimson coach Nick Schroeder said.
 
As the program’s all-time leading scorer, Davison sank his final four free throws of the game with a veteran demeanor, even behind an animated Champlin Park super fan section.
 
“When you’re at the free throw line or shooting you just try to zone them out and focus on the rim,” Davison said. “They have a really great fan section here, which makes it fun to play them for that reason.”
 
While both team’s guards handled the scoring duties, it was their big men who held down the paint as centerpieces of their defenses.
 
Standing at 6-foot-10 and 240 pounds, Nikko, a Missouri commit, was matched up with 6-foot-9, 210-pound Theo John.
 
With not many other athletes their size in the area, the two big men train together in the offseason and have benefited from facing an opponent of similar stature.
 
John ran into foul trouble early, picking up his third of the game and sat out the final five minutes of the opening frame.
 
“(John’s) one of the best shot blockers in the state, bar none,” Nikko said. "Any time you can get a guy like that out of the paint and allow guys like Brad (Davison) and Taron (Pickford) to drive the lane, that opens up the whole offense. So that was a very crucial turning point of the game for us.”
 
A few minutes later Davison lasered a pass to Nikko in the air for a two-handed alley-oop jam which garnered the attention of the Rebels defense.
 
Ranked No. 4 by Minnesota Basketball News, the Rebels (17-4, 13-2) found themselves in a quandary between focusing their efforts on Davison or Nikko in the post.
 
“We got into some foul trouble and took us out of the game a bit,” Champlin Park coach Mark Tuchscherer said. “That was tough for us but we gotta step up and defend.”
 
Regardless, the Rebels continued to fight through the adversity and pulled within six points with 41 seconds left in the game after Wright completed a three-point play.
 
Wright crashed into Nikko driving to the net on Champlin Park’s following possession and drew a controversial charging call, his fifth foul of the night, as the Rebels lost their leading scorer for rest of the game.
 
“That was a tough call. Obviously I’m happy and we’re fortunate that went our way,” Nikko said.
 
John drained a three from the wing to bring the Rebels within five points with 25 seconds remaining, but Davison continued to sink shots at the free throw line to secure the win.
 
No. 6-4A Maple Grove won’t see the Rebels in the playoffs after being realigned into Section 8, but the rivalry has only brought benefits for both schools who have held rankings in the top five this season.
 
“This is the first time I’ve beaten Champlin Park in high school, but we don’t see it as an upset,” Davison said. “We had to assume we would win this game and it gives us a lot of confidence heading into playoffs.”

Maple Grove senior post Reed Nikko throws down the first of two second-half slam dunks Friday night at Champlin Park. The Crimson defeated the Rebels 65-58. Photo by Drew Herron

First Report

Maple Grove junior Brad Davison posted 26 points to lead the Crimson to a 65-58 victory over Champlin Park Friday night.
 
Ranked No. 6 in Class 4A by Minnesota Basketball News, Maple Grove (19-3, 12-2) took its first lead late in the first half and closed the opening frame on a 13-4 run.
 
The No. 4-4A Rebels (17-4, 13-2) cut the Crimson lead to one possession several times in the final half, but were stiffled by Davison, who scored nine points in the final four minutes of play.
 
Senior McKinley Wright tallied a team-high 20 points for the Rebels.

Champlin Park junior guard McKinley Wright drives for a layup attempt in the first half Friday night. Wright finished with 20 points in the Rebels' 65-58 loss to Maple Grove. Photo by Drew Herron

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