Park Center hoops wins third consecutive section championship

Park Center boys basketball has earned a historic third-consecutive Section 5AAAA championship following a 63-58 win over Maple Grove in the final, held at Rogers High School on March 14.

The victory also marked Park Center’s third straight title win over district rivals, having won the previous two section championships against Osseo.

The Pirates led early against Maple Grove with a dominant early showing from the likes of Casmir Chavis, Ari Gooch and Aidan Memene, but the Crimson responded with a strong end of the first half and start of the second to keep it a close.

With the section championship on the line and Maple Grove leading by one point with two minutes to go, Park Center turned on the engines, scoring four unanswered points, a Chiang Ring dunk the cherry on top, to secure the section championship.

Park Center will now take part in the MSHSL Class AAAA state tournament, which will begin at the Target Center on March 20.

Look for more reporting on Park Center’s section final win in the upcoming issue of the Sun Post newspaper.