DeLaSalle Wins 6th Straight Class 3A Basketball Championship
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Goanar Mar led DeLaSalle with 28 points, Gabe Kalscheur added 20 and the Islanders beat Austin 72-44 on Saturday night for their sixth-straight Class 3A boys state title.
The Islanders held off a couple of rallies from the scrappy No. 2-seed Packers, but otherwise cruised for most of the night thanks to the George Mason-bound Mar. The senior forward keyed an early second-half run with a fast-break dunk and layup that put the top-seeded Islanders (27-3) ahead by 18.
Mar — who finished 9 of 15 from the floor and 8-for-8 from the free-throw line — walked off the floor with just over a minute remaining to a standing ovation and into the arms of coach Dave Thorson, who won his ninth state title.
The Packers (29-3) never seriously threatened in their attempt to win Austin's first state title since 1958. Both Gach had 14 points to lead the Packers, who entered the game averaging 73.8 points per game and had lost to only one other team this season.
The Islanders led by 13 in the first half, mostly thanks to Mar's ability to hit from anywhere on the floor. Gach had eight first-half points to help Austin slowly creep back into the game before heading to the bench with his third foul with 2:14 left in the half. The Islanders led 31-23 at halftime.
(© Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
