Osseo’s inexperienced boys’ basketball team may be maturing a whole lot faster than Oriole coach Tim Theisen had expected. The Orioles, who return only one varsity regular from last year’s state tournament team, defeated Champlin Park 50-44 and Armstrong 64-55 last week to improve to 6-4 overall.

The Rebels came to the Osseo gym on Jan. 8 ranked sixth in the state and had erupted for 100 points against Anoka four nights ago. But Osseo held them to a season-low 44 points to earn the upset victory. Junior guard Cornell Richardson sparked Osseo by scoring a game-high 17 points.

“Cornell averaged eight points per game last year because his main job was to distribute the ball to Zach Theisen and Emmette Page, who were two of the top scoring guards in the state,” Theisen said. “This year, we are asking Cornell to take on more of the scoring load. We know he is fully capable of that.”

So far, Richardson has responded. In Osseo’s last three wins, Richardson scored 20, 17 and 11 points, respectively. He is averaging 15 points per game and providing solid floor leadership.

Richardson received plenty of help in the win over Champlin Park. Senior forward Eli Barlue and senior guards Chaz Franklin and Terrance Waits each scored eight points, while senior guard Deontae Ferguson and junior guard Tariq Henry added five points. They also combined for 20 rebounds and seven assists.

“We set the tone right at the beginning of the game with tough, tenacious defense that didn’t allow the Rebels clean looks at the basket,” Theisen said. “We forced Champlin Park into 22 turnovers and a low shooting percentage.”

The Orioles followed with a 64-55 come-from-behind victory at Armstrong Jan. 11.

The Falcons were coming off an upset win over then top-ranked Park Center and took it to Osseo in the first half. Osseo was sluggish, shot poorly from the perimeter and trailed 29-17.

Theisen made some adjustments at halftime and the Orioles dominated the second half and outscored the Falcons 47-28 to secure their third straight victory. Again defense was the key.

“We forced 14 turnovers in the second half and really confused the Falcons,” Theisen said. “We are playing inspired defense over the past three games, only allowing teams to score 53 points a game during the stretch.”

Leading the Orioles was Waits, who exploded for 19 second half points en route to a career-high 21. Barlue contributed 14 points and eight rebounds, Richardson added 11 points and Henry nine points. Osseo also received stellar performances off the bench from two freshmen as Benard Omooria and Josh Ola-Joseph combined for 10 points, three assists, and four rebounds.