Off an inbound pass with 50 seconds remaining in regulation of the Class 3A, Section 6 semifinal game Saturday at DeLaSalle, Minneapolis Patrick Henry’s Demetress Edwards-Brown drove to the lane while being shadowed step-for-step by the Islanders' Samm Jones.
Junior Goanar Mar saw Edwards-Brown, the Patriots' leading scorer, entering the paint and made the instinctive decision to slide away from Henry’s most dangerous player, 6-foot-5 forward Julian Jackson, to make the stop.
“I’ve playing with Goanar for the past three years,” Jones said. “We’re really close, and I just knew when I jammed (Edwards-Brown) to not foul and the help will come over and make the play.”
Mar left his feet and swatted a layup attempt, grabbed the rebound and hustled down court before being fouled by Jackson. Mar made both free throws to cap a 34-point performance as the top-seeded Islanders defeated the fifth-seeded Patriots 76-69 to advance to the section championship.
“When I saw (Mar) make that block - I don’t have words for it - I was just so happy and so proud of him because he works so hard and deserves this,” Jones said.
Mar's play put DeLaSalle ahead by five points and solidified the comeback victory.
“I just didn’t want to get a foul. But if we were gonna get one, I wasn’t gonna let him get to the glass and get a chance on the And-1,” Mar said, describing his final clutch defensive play.
Ranked No. 1 in Class 3A by Minnesota Basketball News, the Islanders (20-4) locked down their defensive zone in the game's final minutes to deny the No. 6-3A Patriots a chance at ending a 14-year postseason unbeaten streak on Nicollet Island.
“Defense is the culture of our program,” DeLaSalle coach Dave Thorson said. “(The game) wasn’t pretty, but the effort, toughness and intensity for 36 minutes was truly Islanders' basketball tonight.”
Jackson had been on a hot streak for the Patriots (20-8). He averaged 30 points per contest in his past five games, highlighted by a career-high 42 points and 20 rebounds in the quarterfinal victory over No. 4-seeded Benilde-St. Margaret’s.
”It was difficult,” Mar said of his matchup with Jackson. “He hit the glass hard every possession.”
Jackson was held to just 12 points Saturday night.
DeLaSalle fell to the No. 10-3A Red Knights earlier this season, with Mar absent from the game due to an injury. But the loss didn’t keep the Islanders from receiving the top seed for the section playoffs.
“We deserved (the top seed) because we played the toughest schedule,” Thorson said.
Thorson also said WCCO-TV recently conducted a poll of the best basketball environment in the state.
Four-time defending Class 3A champion DeLaSalle took the crown, not only for its recent success but also the program's storied history and countless stars it has produced.
Tom Conroy, the state's 1989 Mr. Basketball award winner and Gophers freshman Jarvis Johnson were two of notable Islanders alumni in attendance Saturday night, helping pack the gymnasium and continued making it one of the state's most difficult places to play.
“That’s part of the reason I came to DeLaSalle,” Jones said. “It’s a special community and tradition that create this environment. I’m just humbled that all these people care so much about us.”
Jones said the test against Patrick Henry gives the Islanders more confidence heading into the section finals.
“They played really hard, it was a tough win,” Jones said. “This game put us under pressure, so now everyone - even the young guys - have experienced the pressure.”
Patrick Henry guard Demetress Edwards-Brown flies through the lane for two of his 28 points in a 76-69 loss to DeLaSalle in the Class 3A, Section 6 semifinals. Photo by Rick Orndorf
First Report
Junior Goanar Mar scored 34 points in DeLaSalle's 76-69 comeback victory over Minneapolis Patrick Henry in the Class 3A, Section 6 semifinals Saturday night at DeLaSalle High School in Minneapolis.
Ranked No. 1 in Class 3A by Minnesota Basketball News, the Islanders (20-4) limited the No. 6-3A Patriots to just five points in the final four minutes and sank six of eight free throws down the stretch.
Senior Demetress Edwards-Brown posted 28 points for Patrick Henry (20-8) and knocked down five three-pointers in the loss.
Senior Samm Jones had 12 points to aid DeLaSalle, while senior Julian Jackson scored 12 points for Patrick Henry.
