Class AAA title game: It’s #1 DeLaSalle vs #3 Becker in a battle of the young ‘uns

There are plenty of solid high school basketball teams that rely heavily on upperclassmen to get the job done, those reliable veterans who won’t make ill-timed mistakes, won’t turn it over in key moments, won’t panic on the big stage. None of them will be playing for the Class AAA state championship at 6 p.m. Saturday. The two teams that will contest the title at Williams Arena will be relying mainly on sophomores, freshmen and 8th graders to get the job done. Oh sure, there will be a couple of juniors and seniors in the mix and they will be important, too, but the reality is this: When #1 seed DeLaSalle meets #3 seed Becker for all the marbles, the team whose youngsters play best is most likely to emerge victorious. These two teams have more in common than you might imagine. Both are fast and quick, young and talented and hotter than the 4th of July. Here are the details. DeLaSalle Islanders (23-5) DeLaSalle (enrollment 781) is a private Catholic school located on Nicollet Island in downtown Minneapolis. The Islanders, champions of section 4AAA, are coached by Tanysha Scott. It is the team's 10th state tournament appearance. They won titles in 2011, 2012 and 2013. DLS' primary rotation players are: <ul> <li>Mary Claire Francois, 6’0 senior post</li> <li>NJ Weems, 6’0 junior post</li> <li>Nora Francois, 6’0 sophomore forward</li> <li>Savannah White, 5’10 freshman guard</li> <li>Kiani Lockett, 5’7 freshman guard</li> <li>Sydney Runsewe, 5’8 freshman guard</li> <li>Mya Williams, 5’10 freshman forward</li> <li>I’Tianna Salaam, 5’7 freshman guard</li> <li>Leah Dengerud, 5’7 freshman wing</li> </ul> Notable: DeLaSalle started the season missing four of its current rotation players due to injury. Then senior forward Elaina Jones (Idaho State) suffered a torn ACL. Junior guard Alexis Cochrane-Starr is also out. Becker Bulldogs (27-4) Becker (enrollment 822) is a public high school in the city of Becker, located 47 miles Northwest of Minneapolis on Highway 10. The Bulldogs, champions of section 5AAA, are coached by Dan Baird. It is Becker's 3rd state tournament appearance. They won it in 2007. Becker's primary rotation players are: <ul> <li>Julia Bengtson, 5’7 sophomore guard</li> <li>Courtney Nuest, 5’7 sophomore guard</li> <li>Alayna Lindquist, 5’7 sophomore guard</li> <li>Megan Gamble, 5’10 sophomore forward</li> <li>Adeline Kent, 5’7 freshman guard</li> <li>Dani Nuest, 5’5 8th grade guard</li> <li>Lexi Masog, 5’8 senior forward</li> <li>Ayla Brown, 5’5 8th grade guard</li> <li>Maren Westin, 5’6 8th grade guard</li> </ul> A pair of premiere point guards If you scan the rosters with any degree of scrutiny it is not difficult to see the primary difference between the two teams: height and length. DeLaSalle has a lot of it; Becker not so much. The Islanders have three 6-footers in Mary Claire Francois, NJ Weems and Nora Francois, and Savannah White and Mya Williams are not far behind. Becker has Megan Gamble, who is 5’10. Both teams are quick, both teams move the ball exceptionally well, both teams can shoot it from distance. And, most strikingly, both teams have outstanding point guards. Freshman Kiani Lockett of DeLaSalle is a top-20 talent who has been on the prospect radar for a long time. She played a key role on varsity at Minneapolis South as a 7th grader. Back then she was barely 5 feet tall and wore some very distinctive goggles. She began last season in the DeLaSalle lineup before being declared ineligible on a technicality. Then she suffered a torn ACL and disappeared into physical therapy for the better part of a year. When Kiani returned in February the goggles were gone, she had sprouted several inches and the skill level as just as good as ever. After playing restricted minutes at first, Lockett is now in high gear and has averaged 29 minutes in the tournament. Sophomore Julia Bengtson of Becker has also been a known commodity, although not quite as high-profile as Lockett. That’s primarily due to geography, and the fact that in AAU ball she plays mostly in the two guard spot while Albany’s Paige Meyer handles point guard duties for Comets Elite 2021. That’s why Bengtson has been known primarily as an exceptional three-point shooter. This winter, however, her point guard skills have become known far and wide as Julia has been the motor that has driven the Bulldog bus to entirely new heights. In Thursday’s semifinal win over Robbinsdale Cooper, she was stunningly good, shooting 9-for-18 from the field, including 5-for-6 from three-point range, and 6-for-8 at the line. That adds up to 29 points. How they got here Both teams were involved in thrilling games in Thursday’s semifinals as DeLaSalle edged Holy Angels 61-59 and Becker slipped past Cooper 68-66. As a whole, the Islanders did not shoot well against the Stars, but Weems was 9-for-16 and Mary Claire Francois was 5-for-8 plus 5-for-6 on free throws. Weems finished the game with 18 points and 10 rebounds while Francois was 15 and 6. DLS survived a 35-point, 10-rebound performance by Holy Angels’ Frankie Vascellaro. Becker’s game plan against Cooper was to reign in big sophomore post Kierra Wheeler and she still had 21 points, including two huge baskets that enabled the Hawks to pull event in the waning moments. Wheeler had a chance to tie it from close range at the buzzer but the ball bounced off the rim and Becker escaped. Kierra’s older sister Aja Wheeler scored 25 while doing her best to contain Bengtson. Courtney Nuest, who hit the game-winning three as time expired on Wednesday, had 10 points and 8 rebounds for the Bulldogs, while Adeline Kent was 8 & 9. Gamble was 6 for 8 at the line and grabbed 7 rebounds. Bottom line? There isn’t a whole lot that separates these two teams. Both beat Como Park, both lost to Alexandria. The Isles and Dogs each fell by 44 to Hopkins, but there’s no shame in that. On paper, this promises to be great. Let’s hope it gets decided before these precocious kids have to stay up past their bedtime. Top photo: The 2018-19 DeLaSalle Islanders. (Photo courtesy of DeLaSalle High School)