Friday's win marks John Marshall's second win over a top 10 opponent in as many days after knocking off No. 3 Columbus (Miami, Fla.) in a 50-47 semifinal thriller on Thursday.
The Justices jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead in the opening minute of the game after a pair of driving layups from Parker.
Top 100 USC signee
Arrinten Page had the answer for the Wildcats, knocking down a 3-pointer from the right corner pocket before finishing around the basket to cut the deficit to 6-5.
The teams traded baskets throughout the first period of play before a 3-pointer from the wing from Parker with five seconds remaining gave John Marshall an 18-16 lead after one quarter.
The second quarter saw a number of runs that started with a 8-0 burst from Wheeler sparked by a
Josh Hill dunk and a corner 3-pointer from
D.J. Mitchell to give the Peach State powerhouse a 25-23 lead.
John Marshall's Dennis Wheeler Jr., seen in a 2020 game, helped the No. 16 Justices to a 68-55 win Friday over No. 7 Wheeler in the Chick-fil-A Class finals. Parker had a game-high 23 points in the victory. (Photo: Jeff Self)
After the two teams traded the lead twice, John Marshall closed the half on an 11-0 run and a 39-29 halftime edge. The Justices run started with a mid-range basket from Rivera, followed by five consecutive points from Parker, a reverse layup
Damon Thompson Jr. and ended with a pair of free-throws from Rivera.
The third quarter opened with an alley-oop finish from Parker to extend the John Marshall lead to 41-29. Following a layup from Marshall freshman
Latrell Allmond, Wheeler sliced the deficit to 50-45 late in the third quarter with a 12-4 spurt that saw top-ranked senior
Isaiah Collier knock down a 3-pointer from the left corner before Page went off the dribble for a monster slam.
Allmond ended the third with a layup and a John Marshall 54-47, which opened the flood gates as the final frame was all Justices. They began the period on a 7-0 run. Parker and Allmond started the fourth quarter with a pair of layups before a 3-pointer from the left wing from Thompson, the tournament's Most Valuable Player.
Thompson finished with 17 points and five rebounds in the win, while Almond chipped in 16 points and nine rebounds.
Page was the top performer for Wheeler in the losing effort, finishing with 19 points and nine rebounds on 8-of-13 from the field.
John Marshall (10-0) returns to the court on Jan. 7 to face L.C. Bird (Chesterfield, Va.), while Wheeler (8-4) takes on Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.) on Jan. 7.
