DeLaSalle vs. Hopkins

6 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 9

There isn't a player on No. 1-3A DeLaSalle's roster that has ever ended a high school season without the Islanders winning the Class 3A state championship. However, with the departures of head coach Dave Thorson to Drake and Goanar Mar (21 ppg last season) to George Mason, DeLaSalle (0-1) must once again prove that it has the quality to dominate Class 3A. 

The guard duo of Gabe Kalscheur (17.7 ppg last season) and Tyrell Terry (9.5 ppg), along with forward Christian Dickson (11.1 ppg) could be the core for another title run for the Islanders, and an early test against a quality Class 4A opponent will give new head coach Travis Bledsoe the opportunity to begin to piece together the puzzle of what could be DeLaSalle's seventh consecutive state championship. 

Hopkins (0-1) missed out on the state tournament last season, falling to Wayzata 66-51 in the Class 4A, Section 6 final a year after winning the Class 4A state championship. If the No. 4-4A Royals are going to get back to the tournament, they will need to overcome the graduation of leading scorer Ishmael El-Amin (17.5 ppg).

Last season's second- and third-leading scorers Zeke Nnaji (14.5 ppg) and Anthony Davis (10.5 ppg) have the capability to take on more of the scoring burden, and the opportunity to impress against the Class 3A champions could set the tone for the entire season.