Last year when Hopkins and Minnetonka met at the Lindbergh Center in Hopkins, Ashley Bates posted a season-high 26 points.
 
Now a senior, Bates duplicated her 26-point performance in the Royals’ 70-60 victory Friday night to lock up a share of the Lake Conference title with the Skippers in the regular season finale. 
 
Ranked as the top team in Class 4A by Minnesota Basketball News, Hopkins (24-2, 6-1) avenged an eight-point road loss to No. 4-4A Minnetonka on Jan. 22 and ended the Skippers 18-game winning streak.
 
“Last time, we were down after the loss,” Bates said. “We had a bad game, but we knew what it took to win this one.”
 
It was an emotional evening for the Royals as they celebrated the decorated high school careers of Bates, who’s committed to Hampton, Nia Hollie, a Michigan State commit, and the other seven seniors on the roster.
 
“We had to play for each other tonight,” Bates said. “If we would have lost, it would have been a huge letdown. So as sisters, we had to come together and play for each other and get the 'W.' ”
 
Before warmups, the underclassmen read sentiments written for each senior and instinctively rushed their speeches in an effort to fight back tears.
 
While the emotions led to a few tears, the Royals channeled that energy and opened the game on a 10-2 run, with Hollie and Bates combining for all of Hopkins’ points.
 
The Skippers (21-4, 7-1) crawled back into the game by sinking 7 of 8 free throws to tie the score at 17 with seven minutes remaining in the first half.
 
Minnetonka’s Megan Walker played a large hand in the comeback. She paced the Skippers by sinking two free throws and stealing the ball for an easy layup with 10 seconds left in the first half, bringing the Skippers within a point at halftime.
 
“Anytime there’s a Minnetonka and Hopkins basketball game, it’s a fun night for girls' athletics,” Hopkins coach Brian Cosgriff said. “They’re really well-coached, tremendous players.”
 
Bates and Hollie got back to their offensive ways in the second half, scoring the Royals’ opening 19 points after the break and showcasing the all-around nature of their talent.
 
Hollie stole the ball and charged down court, sending a bounce pass to Bates, who finished with a layup and drew the foul.
 
Bates missed the free-throw attempt but gathered the rebound and drew another shooting foul. She made both free throws to put Hopkins ahead by 10.
 
The emotions remained high when eighth-grader Paige Bueckers got the upper hand in a one-on-one matchup along the baseline, dribbling behind her back, shaking a defender to the ground and converting an easy basket while drawing a foul.
 
The Hopkins student section jumped from their seats (some even found their way onto the floor) in elation of Bueckers' maneuver, which led to a three-point play and an 11-point lead midway through the second half.
 
“It’s definitely like playing 5-on-8 when you come here,” Skippers coach Leah Dasovich said. “It always feels like we’re outnumbered with the crowd noise. It’s always a tough place to come and play.”
 
“It was a section environment, or even a state tournament environment,” Cosgriff said. “Huge rivalry for both ball clubs. It was a fun night for girls' basketball in Minnesota.” 
 
Walker hit a three-pointer with 55 seconds left in the game to bring Minnetonka within seven points, but the Skippers couldn’t fully close the gap on what was once a 13-point deficit.
 
“I know they wanted (to hit 20 wins in a row), and I know they wanted to win the Lake outright, but there are so many other positives that came out of this,” Dasovich said.
 
The rivalry between the current Lake Conference and former Class 4A, Section 6 teams is one of the state’s most touted, but the Skippers were realigned into Section 2 prior to this season and will not get a chance at a rubber match unless both squads advance to the state tournament at the Target Center.
 
Defending Class 4A champion Hopkins, which made it to four of the past five state tournaments, knows another championship will solidify the senior group's dominance.
 
“It’s our last time playing together,” Bates said. “We’ve been playing for a very long time, and if we win state this year, it will mean the world to us.”
 
But both teams will put their spectacular regular seasons behind them when the final stretch of the season begins with section tournaments next week.
 
“It’s good to feel this loss because now they remember what it feels like, and hopefully they don’t have another,” Dasovich said.

Hopkins' Paige Bueckers dribbles around Minnetonka's Hannah Hedstrom and drives the baseline. Photo by Cheryl Myers

First Report

Senior Ashley Bates scored a season-high 26 points to lead Hopkins in a 70-60 victory over Minnetonka Friday night at the Lindbergh Center in Hopkins.
 
Ranked No. 1 in Class 4A by Minnesota Basketball News, the Royals (24-2, 7-1) avenged an earlier loss to the No. 4-4A Skippers this season, forcing a share of the Lake Conference title.
 
Ahead by a single digit at halftime, Hopkins used a 20-12 run in the opening seven minutes of the second half to end Minnetonka’s (21-4, 7-1) 18-game win streak.
 
Senior Nia Hollie posted 23 points to help pace the Royals, while the Skippers were led by senior Hannah Hedstrom’s 13 points.

Spotlight Game Coverage

  • Familiar powers land highest state seeds

  • By RON HAGGSTROM, Star Tribune 03/09/2024, 1:30pm CST
  • Hopkins, Minnetonka and St. Michael-Albertville lead the Class 4A list. Benilde-St. Margaret's heads 3A, and Providence Academy is atop 2A.
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