Like the aggressiveness shown by the players on its roster, Hopkins continued to knife its way through girls' basketball opponents Thursday night.

In a physical home court battle with Roseville, the Class 4A, No. 1-ranked Royals won 93-51 by using a potent combination of ferociousness, tenacity and a knack for the net.

"We did the best we could," Raiders coach Jeff Crosby said. "In 11 years of coaching boys and girls, this is the best [team] I've ever coached against. This is one where you walk out losing by 40-whatever points licking your wounds and go home to figure it out."

This was a night that saw Hopkins (15-0) at one point miss five straight put-back attempts in a matter of seconds early in the game, but the Royals made up for the rare blunders in a big way – especially on defense.

Steals. Blocked shots. Forced turnovers. Hopkins displayed it all.

That, coupled with Royals coach Brian Cosgriff counting just nine turnovers on offense, made for a runaway victory.

"They executed well against a very, very good basketball team," Cosgriff said. "I was real pleased."

The team's physical style is something that has worked all season, even if it does yield some points. During one stretch midway through the first half, fouls by Hopkins put Roseville (9-4) on the free-throw line on three straight possessions. The Raiders drained all six shots, but by that time the Royals still had a 12-point lead.

"We want to hang our hat on the defensive side of the ball," Cosgriff said. "We feel if we can take care of the ball and work hard defensively, good things are going to happen."

Junior Sydney Coffey led Hopkins with 22 points, 14 after halftime. Six of those came on back-to-back three-pointers to open the second half.

Sydney Coffey, Hopkins

The junior scored a team-high 22 points, 14 after halftime including back-to-back three-pointers in the first two minutes of the second half.

Q Is the physical play like we saw tonight your team’s plan the whole season?
A That’s how you win games. That’s what we go off of: defense. That’s definitely our thing, even more than offense is.

Q How good of a feeling is it when you’re on like you were to open the second half?
A I just had to forget about the missed shots I had and concentrate on making that second half mine. It worked out for me this time. In the first half, I think I could have played better; taken better shots. I don’t ever want to hurt my team at all. 

Q Speaking of your team, there’s so much talk right now. How good can this team be?
A Our coaches always tell us we have something special and I really, truly believe that. We all love each other. These are the best teammates ever. It’s amazing how well we work together.