When Hopkins, ranked No. 1 in Class 4A by MN Basketball News, met No. 2-4A Eastview Thursday at the St. Olaf Holiday Hoops Classic in Northfield, observers called it a possible state tournament preview.

Royals head coach Brian Cosgriff went so far to call it a state tournament-like atmosphere and it lived up to that with Hopkins escaping with a 65-60 overtime victory against the Lightning.

Eastview and Hopkins met in last season’s Class 4A semifinals and the state championship game a year before that. They’ve met the past two seasons in Northfield as a prelude to future meetings.

“It’s been a healthy rivalry, no doubt about it,” Cosgriff said.

Even Cosgriff admitted he was exhausted following Thursday’s win and it took some heady play from the Royals to ensure a victory. Dlayla Chakolis, who finished with a team-high 18 points and 13 rebounds, took a charge early in overtime to negate a layup from Eastview’s Allie Pickrain.

Chakolis, who finished 8 of 10 from the field, answered Pickrain and scored first five overtime points for the Royals to help Hopkins (11-0, 2-0) outlast the Lightning.

Pickrain did her best to keep Eastview (7-1, 2-0) within striking distance. She finished with a game-high 19 points and hit a three-pointer with 11 seconds left in overtime to make it a 63-60 game. That came after she forced overtime with a layup off a steal with 17 seconds left. Pickrain scored four straight to close out regulation.

Hopkins led 29-24 at the break but Eastview came back to tie the game 33-33 four minutes into the second half on a Rachel Ranke shot. Ranke was held in check for much of the night, finishing with 14 points but pulling down 12 rebounds.

Paige Bueckers returned to the lineup for the Royals after missing time with a foot injury and she delivered 13 points. Raena Suggs chipped in 16 points on 6-of-13 shooting and DeAnna Winston had 11 points.

It was a win that solidified the Royals’ standing as the top-ranked team and one they’ve been eager for. 

“It was a huge game for us,” said Hopkins' Angie Hammond. “We’d been waiting for it.”

It didn’t turn out to be the run-and-gun game that some might have imagined but top-ranked in Class 4A Hopkins ground out a 65-60 overtime win over No.2-4A Eastview at the St. Olaf Holiday Hoops Classic in Northfield on Thursday.

A game billed as a state championship preview lived up to the hype with a fantastic finish.

In a rematch of last year’s Class 4A semifinals, the Royals (11-0, 2-0) held on despite a late charge from the Lightning, who fell in that semifinal game.

Eastview (7-1, 2-0) forced overtime behind Allie Pickrain knocking down shot after shot late but Dlayla Chakolis had the answer for Hopkins.

Chakolis led the Royals with 18 points and had five points in overtime. She also had withstood a charge early in overtime to negate a Pickrain layup.

Pickrain finished with a game-high 19 points for Eastview.

Reana Suggs scored 16 points for Hopkins while Paige Bueckers finished with 13 and DeAnna Winston added 11.