Quantcast
skip navigation

Hopkins ruins conference foe Wayzata's perfect season with blowout win

By Adam Holt, SportsEngine, 02/16/18, 10:00AM CST

Share

Paige Bueckers led the Royals with 28 points.


Hopkins sophomore Paige Bueckers (1) steals the ball from Wayzata's Jenna Johnson (22) in the Royals' 69-38 win over the Trojans Friday night. Photo by Trevor Squire, SportsEngine

Click photos to view the entire gallery from the game

The difference was stark.

The Royals had a poor second half against the Trojans in their first meeting, back on Jan. 12. Friday, there was no such letdown, and it led to handing their rivals their first defeat of the season.

The key to it all? Effort and work, especially on defense.

Hopkins built a big first-half lead, then expanded on it in a 69-38 win over Wayzata on the Royals’ senior night.

It was technically an upset, as the Trojans are ranked No. 2 in Class 4A by the Minnesota Basketball News, and the Royals are No. 3; but Hopkins was relentless on defense and made a very good Wayzata squad look helpless much of the night.

“I thought it was a really good win for us,” sophomore guard Paige Bueckers said. “They beat us the first time, we took that pretty personal. We knew this game we had to come out with a lot of energy, we had to strike them first. So we got momentum from the start.”

In the first meeting, a 70-66 Wayzata win, the Trojans overcame a 15-point halftime deficit to get the comeback victory. In their second meeting, the Royals (22-3, 6-1) led 41-19 at the break, and pushed the lead up to as much as 35 in the second half. 

Wayzata didn’t score its first points of the second half until the 12:35 mark, on a pair of free throws, and turned the ball over on its first four possessions of the period. The first Trojan basket of the second half came with 9:40 to play.

“I think our kids played really hard,” Hopkins coach Brian Cosgriff said. “We put together two good halves, defensively especially. They’re a really good basketball team, really well coached; it’s a huge rivalry.”

Wayzata’s size advantage was largely negated by Hopkins pressuring the Trojan guards into turnovers.

Wayzata’s Kallie Theisen, Annika Stewart and Jenna Johnson — all at least 6-foot-1 — entered the game averaging a combined 35 points per game. This time, they had 14 total.

“They’re big, so pressuring their guards so they can’t get inside,” Bueckers said. “When we front the post and there’s backside help, it makes it hard for them to get it inside, which is their strong suit. When we stop that and we pressure the guards, it gives them no option to do anything.”

Bueckers is 5-11 and has the athleticism and smarts to guard every position, which she did. She was just as versatile defensively as she was offensively in scoring a game-high 28 points. The sophomore missed some time with an injured ankle, but certainly looked up to speed against the Trojans.

“She’s special,” Cosgriff said. “I’m glad she’s playing for me, because she plays extremely hard, she’s got a great basketball IQ. We’re really glad to have her back. We’ve got to keep her healthy now.”

The effort on defense came from everyone. Eighth-grader Amaya Battle was impressive against the Trojan guards, and Cosgriff said she’s as good a person as she is a defender.

It was a big sign of progress for the Royals, against a quality opponent, and on a big night. Not only were the seniors honored, but Cosgriff was given a commemorative ball for notching his 500th career win at Hopkins earlier this week, a milestone he downplayed.

What seems more important to Cosgriff and his team is where they can go from here. The performance against the Trojans (23-1, 6-1) was excellent, and the Royals will need excellence the rest of the way if they want another state title. A third matchup with Wayzata could come to fruition in section play.

“We’ve gotta continue to get better, continue to work hard and grind it out. It’s not easy. It’s just not easy, especially in our section this year,” Cosgriff said.

“We have to keep this up,” Bueckers said. “We’re not satisfied at all. This is far from our finished product. The steps we took tonight were really huge for us. And just getting better from here, it will be hard to stop us.”


Annika Stewart (30) searches for a teammate in the Trojans' loss. Photo by Trevor Squire, SportsEngine

First Report

When the Trojans faced the Royals on Jan. 12, they were able to overcome a big halftime deficit to win. That didn't happen this time.

Hopkins, ranked No. 3 in Class 4A by Minnesota Basketball News, sped away in the first half and never stopped Friday in a 69-38 win over Lake Conference rival Wayzata at the Lindbergh Center.

Paige Bueckers had 28 points as the Royals handed the No. 2-4A Trojans their first loss of the season.

The game was tied at 7 early on, but Hopkins went on a 17-2 run to take control, eventually going up by 24 points before carrying a 41-19 lead into halftime.

The Royals’ defense pressured the Trojan guards into turnovers, helping negate Wayzata's size advantage.

Bueckers had 21 of her 28 points in the first half, scoring from everywhere on the court and adding six steals. Raena Suggs added 14 points and Dlayla Chakolis had 12 for Hopkins (22-3, 6-1).

The lead was as much as 35 for Hopkins in the second half.

Wayzata (23-1, 6-1) struggled offensively, and was led by Jasmine Smiley, who scored seven points. Jenna Johnson had six points and 13 rebounds before going down with injury late in the first half. Mimi Schrader and Lydia Hay added five apiece.

Royals senior Raena Suggs (right) posted 14 points in Hopkins' win at the Lindbergh Center. Photo by Trevor Squire, SportsEngine

Royals senior Raena Suggs (right) posted 14 points in Hopkins' win at the Lindbergh Center. Photo by Trevor Squire, SportsEngine

The MN Girls' Basketball Hub poll is for entertainment purposes only.

Girls' Basketball Hub Headlines

Feed for https://www.startribune.com/sports/index.rss2