Eden Prairie withstood a roaring second half comeback by Minnetonka to defeat the Skippers 60-49 on Tuesday and win the Class 4A, Section 6 championship .
 
The Eagles (18-9) had lost to the Skippers twice in the regular season in Lake Conference play. Last Saturday, however, they startled basketball observers by knocking off top-seed and defending champion Hopkins.
 
"I told the girls all week we were not supposed to be here and that we had to make the most of it," coach Chris Carr said. "I think they did that."
 
The Eagles surged to a 23-15 lead In the first half of the game played at Minneapolis Roosevelt High School. Junior forward Martha Kuderer was the catalyst on offense, scoring 11 of her team-high 19 points before halftime. She also made her presence known on defense, grabbing a number of key rebounds. 

"We know Minnetonka is great team and what kind of game they play," Kuderer said, "This tournament was a big chance for us after we had rough end to the regular season."

Minnetonka (23-4) started strong in second half, led by Hannah Hedstrom. She scored 15 of her game-high 23 points in the second half to spark the comeback and give the Skippers a 32-30 lead.

That would prove to be Minnetonka’s only lead of the game. The Eagles roared back to take a 50-43 lead with two minutes to play and held on.

With the victory, Eden Prairie advanced to the girls' basketball state tournament, which begins Tuesday at Target Center.