On Tuesday night, Minneapolis North coach Larry McKenzie returned to Patrick Henry High School, where he had a hand in helping secure five of the seven state tournament banners on the gymnasium wall. 

The former Patriots coach guided the team to its last rise to prominence (1998-2003), which included six straight Class 3A state tournament appearances and four championships (2000-03).

Still acclimating to the fresh view from the opposing team's bench, McKenzie continued his winning ways in the gym but said North's matchup with Patrick Henry was just another game.

It was the same message he sent to his three standout guards - seniors Patrick Dembley and Tyler Johnson and junior Isaac Johnson - who combined for 81 points in the Polars’ 106-91 win over the Patriots Tuesday night.

The trio, however, was unable to hold the same nonchalant demeanor.

“This is my little brother and he was eating tonight. We didn’t let up,” Dembley said of Isaac Johnson. Both left the game satiated after each posted a season-high 29 points in the win.

Tyler Johnson followed with 23 points as the Polars' backcourt pushed the pace on the Patriots' home court en route to North's highest point total in a game this season.

But the Polars also allowed the most points in a game against a Minnesota team this year.

“I thought we gave up way too many points,” McKenzie said. “We were a little off-kilter.”

The energy surrounding the game was a definite cause of the high-scoring, turnover-riddled affair as North, ranked No. 1 in Class 1A by Minnesota Basketball News, traveled just three miles up the road to face the No. 8-3A Patriots in a battle between the top two teams in the Minneapolis City Conference standings.

“It’s a very emotional game - it’s the championship for the north side. They’re ranked in 3A, but we haven’t lost yet in the conference. So we didn’t have much to prove,” McKenzie said.

A brawl broke out midway through the first half as Tyler Johnson and JaQuan Sanders-Smith double-teamed Henry’s Randolph Jackson, who then fell to the ground while the defenders tried locking up the ball.

After order was restored, both teams channeled their frustration into their play and the Patriots (10-4, 4-2) took a brief lead before the Polars (12-2, 6-0) sped off to regain a 49-40 advantage heading into halftime.

Isaac Johnson was cold from three-point range in the first half but knocked down back-to-back threes in the opening minutes of the second half, giving North a 12-point cushion that it never relinquished.

The Polars are 27-3 in conference play under McKenzie, who turned the program around after it posted a 0-10-1 league record just three seasons ago.

In 2003, North won the Class 4A title while McKenzie and Henry won the Class 3A title. Enrollment declined at North through the decade, and school officials considered closing the doors in 2010 before revamping it into a college preparatory school.

Dembley was one of many student-athletes who took flight to the new North, leaving Richfield after his sophomore year.

He returned to play with many of his current teammates in hopes of capturing a state title for the community. Dembley and Isaac and Tyler Johnson, who all play football and baseball for North as well, nearly accomplished their goal this fall, leading the Polars to the Class 1A football state title game, where they fell to Minneota.

“The ride's been great. We keep improving day by day and game by game,” Tyler Johnson said. “Our bond is growing stronger, and we all just want one thing and that’s (a state title).”

The school’s polished curriculum and recent athletic success has increased enrollment numbers to nearly 400, an encouraging trend considering North had just 67 students in 2012.

Isaac Johnson has played with Tyler his entire high school career, and with the return of Dembley, the Polars' backcourt bond remains intact as evidenced by the way they ran the floor untethered against Henry.

Off to the best start in McKenzie’s tenure, North continues its pursuit of a state title. The Polars lost to Maranatha Christian Academy by two points in the last two Class 1A, Section 4 championship games. 

McKenzie understands what lessons a tough loss can teach a team. His Henry team's lost twice in the state tournament, including in the 1998 championship, before winning four consecutive titles.

He now uses his team’s misfortunes as fuel for higher achievement.

“It means a lot to us, losing in the section finals my freshman and sophomore years, and then losing in the state championship for football,” Isaac said. “It just gives us that extra fire to win.”