In a highly-anticipated showdown between two of the top 10 teams in Class 4A on Tuesday, No. 2 Osseo (22-2, 17-1 Northwest Suburban) stormed back from 13 down in the second half to beat No. 10, 4A Champlin Park (18-4, 14-3) on a tip-in at the buzzer by senior Terez Vanpelt. The win — the second victory for Osseo over Champlin Park this season — clinched the Orioles’ seventh conference title in 10 years.

The Rebels came out strong on defense, limiting the Orioles offense to just 24 first-half points. Osseo coach Tim Theisen gave credit to Champlin Park for having a strong game plan and keeping their composure, despite being the visiting team.

“Champlin really controlled the tempo of the game throughout. They were the ones who wanted to slow the game down, and they played stifling defense,” Theisen said. “Whether it was a 2-3 zone, 1-3-1, or man-to-man, we were struggling in the early moments to score.”

Though they held a six-point lead at halftime, Rebels shot-blocker T.J. Okafor was in foul trouble from the get-go, picking up three fouls before the break. Okafor entered the game averaging 2.9 blocks per game, but he did not start the second half and played sparingly down the stretch before fouling out with two minutes to play.

His absence had an impact on the final sequence. With 13 seconds left, Osseo took the ball out underneath the basket and got the ball to Vanpelt. The senior missed a shot, but the ball was tipped out and rebounded by sophomore Bridge Tusler. Tusler missed another shot attempt before Vanpelt came crashing in for the tip-in in the final seconds.

Had Okafor been in the game, Theisen is unsure his squad would have managed the two critical offensive rebounds.

“Obviously having [Okafor] not on the court in the last seconds, it really helped [Osseo],” he said.

Champlin was 5-for-12 from three-point range, while the Orioles struggled to a 2-for-16 performance from deep. With Okafor on the bench for stretches in the second half, Osseo tried to attack inside, making up for their poor perimeter shooting with an 18-for-21 effort at the free-throw line.

“The heart, the fortitude that our kids displayed down the stretch— making free throws and battling back — it’s a win and we’ll take it,” Theisen said. “Champlin outplayed us for most of the game, but what’s really a credit is the way that our kids hung in there. Being down 13 with 10 minutes to go is not a favorable situation to be in , especially against a top 10 team in 4A.”

Barring any upsets, the Orioles and Rebels could meet again in the Section 5 playoffs in March.