A play in the second half of Eastview's game with Hopkins on Saturday night epitomized the Lightning’s offense this season.

Senior guard Madison Guebert drove down the lane and three Royals’ players closed in to defend. Guebert squeezed a pass across the lane to senior forward Samantha Trammel for an easy basket that tied the game.

Trammel’s conversion came in the middle of a 19-4 Eastview run that was sparked by three straight Guebert field goals.

The duo have been a potent 1-2 scoring punch for Eastview from the start of the season, averaging a combined 39.0 points per game after the Lightning’s first three games, and the pair did not deviate from form against Hopkins.

Guebert finished with a season-high 35 points and Trammel matched a season-high with 23 points to spark the Lightning to a 75-70 overtime victory in the Breakdown Sports Tip Off Classic at Hopkins High School.

Guebert leads Eastview in scoring and is fourth in the state with 99 points, while her 13 made three-pointers is tied for second-best in the state. 

Trammel's 76 points ranks her second on the Lightning and eighth in Minnesota.

Trammel and Guebert may have helped Eastview avoid a loss in regulation time, but several of the Lighting’s other players were key in helping clinch the victory in an up-and-down overtime period, including sophomore guard Rachel Ranke.

Ranke, who finished the game with five points, went 2-for-4 from the free-throw line late in overtime to keep the Royals at bay and help preserve the Lightning’s undefeated record (4-0).

"(Trammel and Guebert) may be scoring most of our points, but it seems like the other kids really step up when we need them to, and they always do," said Eastview coach Melissa Guebert, who is Madison's mother.

The defending champs will need those type of composed plays all year if they want a shot to repeat. But Melissa Guebert said her team is focused on the task at hand, not necessarily on another title.

"When you win a state tournament, it's exciting," she said. "But when we started our season this year, I don't really think that's how they went into the year."

Melissa Guebert also said that hard work and keeping things in perspective will help her team stay at an even keel less than a calendar year removed from a championship.

The Lightning know that composure will be key with every opponent wanting to dethrone the Lightning, Madison Guebert said.

"We've known since last season ended and in summer league that we have the target on our back," she said. "We just have to know that whether we're playing a top team in the state, or the worst team…if you don't come and play your game, you're not going to win it."

Madison Guebert scored 20 of her 35 points after halftime as Eastview defeated Hopkins 75-70 in overtime at the Breakdown Sports Tip Off Classic at Hopkins High School Saturday night.

Guebert, a senior guard committed to South Dakota State, was 10-for-16 on field goals and 11-for-13 from the free-throw line to help keep the Lightning (4-0), ranked No. 1 in Class 4A by Minnesota Basketball News, undefeated on the year.

Michigan commit Samantha Trammel added 23 points, helping the defending state champion Lightning overcome a four-point halftime deficit.

Hopkins (4-1), No. 2-4A, got 18 points each from senior TT Starks and junior Ashley Bates as the Royals lost their first game of the season. 

Spotlight Game Coverage