Most nights, the story would have been about Hopkins. 

Likely it would have been about one of its stars, perhaps Siyani Chambers. 

For Cal Bloom, Thursday’s 87-86 triple-overtime victory over Hopkins wasn’t like most nights.

The senior had a game to remember, muscling past the interior of Hopkins' defense and scoring big buckets in both the second and third overtimes for Osseo.

He finished with 17 points on 7-for-13 shooting, 11 rebounds and three free throws. 

“Cal Bloom was phenomenal for us off the bench,” Osseo coach Tim Theisen said after the game. “Tonight was Cal Bloom’s night. He is somebody who has the ability to score both inside and out, he had considerable size advantage on the player that he was going up against and was able to take it to the rim pretty easily tonight. Cal’s time to shine and he made the most of it.”

In the overtime periods, Bloom scored 11 points, mostly by pushing his way toward the rim and using the size advantage that his coach mentioned. He drew a trio of three-point plays and picked up five rebounds. His 17 points also were an integral part of the 21 that Osseo had off the bench, compared to Hopkins, which had only one point from a sub.

“We had a lot of good penetration from our guards and I was trying to backdoor, just kinda find holes in their defense,” Bloom said. “I always hang around the hoop, that’s the main thing. Pick up garbage points even. Just whatever it takes.”

For a player who averaged 4.3 points per game heading into Thursday’s matchup, the performance was truly remarkable.

“I just tried to come out, play my hardest play my best. It was a good team effort, definitely was the game of my life. On varsity, state tournament, can’t get any better than this and I’m just really looking forward to the next one.”

1. Cal Bloom, Osseo
Bloom was huge off the bench for the Orioles, scoring big buckets in the second and third overtimes while also hitting key free throws. The senior finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds on 7-13 shooting. He hit three of his four free throw attempts and even had three steals.

2. Siyani Chambers, Hopkins
Chambers was lights out, straight up unbelievable for the Royals. He hit shot after shot to finish with 31 points in 48 minutes of play. He shot 10-19 from the floor including 4-9 from deep and 7-10 from the free throw line. Efficient and deadly, he did everything but win the game for Hopkins.

3. Ian Theisen, Osseo
Theisen found success throughout the whole game, dominating mismatches down low in the Hopkins defense. He picked up buckets with nice little hook shots and put-backs, piling up points in the paint. The sophomore ended with 21 points on 8-13 shooting, 13 rebounds, and a near perfect 5-6 night from the charity stripe.