Morgan Park (Ill.) guard Marcus LoVett put up one of the best single-game performances in Timberwolves Shootout history.
De La Salle wasn’t fazed.
The three-time defending Class 3A state champion Islanders trailed by 10 points at halftime but used its stifling defense to keep the Mustangs’ lead from growing, eventually overcoming the Morgan Park for the 74-66 win Saturday at Target Center.
Lovett scored a game-high 39 points and finished with seven rebounds.
The first half was rough for DeLaSalle as it fell behind 15-2 in the opening minutes. Lovett put on a scoring barrage, scoring 26 first half points and shooting 11-for-17 from the field while scoring in a variety of fashions. The performance of the 6-foot-2 guard left DeLaSalle Dave Coach in awe.
“That was the best single effort I’ve seen by a player in 10 years” Thorsen said of LoVett.
The Islanders’ defense clamped down on Lovett and the Mustangs in in the second half, utilizing pressure defense to make a guard-heavy Morgan Park squad uncomfortable.
After cutting the lead to five points on five separate occasions in the second half, DeLaSalle trimmed the lead to 50-48 with 9 minutes to play. Two minutes later, senior Sacar Anim drilled a three-pointer to give the Islanders the lead. They didn’t look back.
“Players like him (Lovett) are hard to keep in front of you,” Islanders guard Jarivs Johnson said. “We had to respect his game at halftime and reset. We adjusted and got out in transition nicely.”
Johnson, a Gophers commit, finished with 18 points, four assists and three steals. His longtime backcourt partner, Sacar Anim, proved to be the perfect complement to Johnson. The 6-foot-4 defensive standout stepped up on offense and finished with 31 points on 10-for-15 shooting.
“This team is so much different than last year’s team,” Johnson explained. “ This year it’s different because we lost so much from last year.”
Johnson said it has been a long, strenuous season. He also said he and Sacar need to play like they did against Morgan Park in the Islanders’ remaining games if DeLaSalle expects to win a fourth-straight state championship.
“Sacar and I are expected to lead our young guys,” Johnson said. “And that’s what we did today.”
First Report
Sacar Anim finished with 31 points as DeLaSalle rallied from a halftime deficit to defeat Morgan Park (Ill.) 74-68 in the third game of the 2015 Timberwolves Shootout at the Target Center on Saturday afternoon.
Jarvis Johnson went 11-for-13 from the free-throw line and added 18 points, four assists and four steals for the Islanders, who are ranked No. 1 in Class 3A by Minnesota Basketball News.
DeLaSalle used sound defense and patient offensive possessions to overcome a 10-point halftime deficit, helping the Islanders take their first lead of the game midway through the second half.
Morgan Park looked like the better team for much of the first half, jumping out to a quick 11-2 lead before DeLaSalle called its first timeout. Marcus Lovett carried the Mustangs most of the way, as Morgan Park’s star guard did whatever he wanted with the ball in his hands. He was particularly deadly from behind the three-point arc in transition and ended the first half with 26 points on 11-for-17 shooting.
The Islanders were more disciplined on defense in the second half, putting an end to Lovett’s one-man show and helping DeLaSalle back in the game. Lovett was 0-for-5 from behind the three-point line in the final 18 minutes and turned the ball over three times down the stretch.
Midway through the second half, Johnson was fouled while making a two-point basket and converted the free throw to bring trim Morgan Park’s lead to 50-48. Following a turnover by the Mustangs, Anim drained a three-pointer to give DeLaSalle a lead it would not surrender the rest of the game.
Morgan Park was never truly out of it, but losing the lead seemed to take the air out of the Mustangs. They fell behind by as many as eight points before clawing back to make it 66-63 on a tough jumper by Lovett. Morgan Park had a few chances late in the game to tie it or take the lead but could not as the Islanders were nearly mistake free in the final 3 minutes.
Lovett finished with a game-high 39 points.
