Rebels basketball ends season with battle at Osseo

Champlin Park boys basketball saw its 2023/24 season come to an end last week with a 75-50 Section 5AAAA quarterfinal loss against Osseo.

Osseo was one of several promising teams in the top half of the Northwest Suburban Conference this season, ending the regular season with an 11-4 conference record, 18-8 overall, to finish fourth in the NWSC and earn the third seed in sections.

The Orioles took command on March 6 early, finding opportunities for the likes of De’Maari Larkins, Ty Swanson, and Aaron Smith to shine in the opening minutes. Champlin Park’s Amory Peterson, Dominic Mueller, and Kyler Pust provided a spark through the first half, but the team struggled to convert chances.

As the Rebels began to find a rhythm, Osseo maintained theirs and the two teams climbed to a 35-23 scoreline at halftime. Having left a share of points on the court, it was clear Champlin Park had the ability to accomplish something in the second half.

Instead, Osseo answered the challenge of the second half first, building a 20-point lead over Champlin Park. The Rebels continued to create moments with the likes of Kwatamah Silikpoh, Jevon Kiros, and Mo Jalloh getting in on the action, but Champlin Park faced a steep cliff to make a full comeback. Osseo rode out the peaks and valleys of the game, eventually winning 75-50 to earn a rematch with rivals Maple Grove in the semifinals.

Thielke ended the night as Champlin Park’s top scorer with 12 points, while Peterson was close behind with 11 against Osseo. Kwatamah Silikpoh added seven.

Champlin Park boys basketball head coach Aaron Kloeppner explained that the Rebels made clear improvements on Kloeppner’s first two years at the head of the program.

“We made big strides. It’s my third year as head coach and in my first two years we got five and 10 wins respectively,” he said. “This year we jumped up to 14 and were .500. We were an athletic team this season and guys played off one another a lot this year. The major theme was that we were young, started tough, and hit our stride toward the end of the season. Obviously the final game didn’t go our way but overall I’m thrilled with how the team grew this season.”

Champlin Park’s younger roster included just three seniors, Jevon Kiros, Dominic Mueller, and Amory Peterson. The varsity team also included 10 juniors, which served as key leaders this season.

Thielke, a junior, topped the points chart for Champlin Park with 439 overall. Peterson added 296 through the season, while freshman Silikpoh added 269.

Kloeppner spoke to the qualities of the team’s three seniors, explaining that all three provided important influences on and off the court.

“Dominic Mueller hurt his shoulder and had a season-ending injury against Totino-Grace. That was tough on the team,” he said. “He was always ready to do whatever was asked of him for the team and was a bright spot on our team. ... Amory Peterson was probably the guy that kept everyone together the most. He got people focused on players in the offense and he specifically was kind of like a big brother for our freshmen. ... Jevon Kiros had a ton of influence on the team and was just really liked by everyone. He put a lot of work in to keep every player pumped up for any situation.”

Three seniors means the Rebels have a roster packed with players that will be returning next season.

“We have probably about 70 percent of our points coming back next season and a similar amount of our minutes. We’re super excited for what we have,” Kloeppner said. “Our eighth-grade class is really good as well. They won the state traveling championship last year and this year they’re in running to try and repeat that. I don’t know if those kids will be with varsity next year but it’s promising to see both them and our freshmen class excelling.”