This is a battle between teams that have hopes of winning state championships in their respective classes. Hopkins, the top-ranked team in 4A, will travel to No. 2-3A Robbinsdale Copper on Tuesday in an effort take down the Hawks.
Last week, Cooper defeated DeLaSalle — which was the top-ranked team in Class 3A — 52-48. Kierra Wheeler came up big for the Hawks, scoring a season-high 21 points in the victory, which vaulted the Hawks to No. 2 in the rankings.
Cooper (3-0) now turns it attention to Hopkins, which is arguably the best team in the state, regardless of class.
Hopkins, like Cooper, is undefeated this season. Unlike the Hawks, however, the Royals (5-0, 1-0) have yet to be involved in a close game. Hopkins has won its five games with an average score differential of 23.6 points.
Paige Bueckers has led the way, as the sophomore is making an early campaign for Ms. Basketball in Minnesota. She’s averaged 27.6 points per game this season, and even caught the eye of UConn head coach Geno Auriemma.