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Robbinsdale Cooper edges Bloomington Kennedy in Metro West showdown

By Ricky Campbell, SportsEngine, 02/24/17, 7:00AM CST

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The Hawks defeated the Eagles by one point, closing their regular season with 11 consecutive wins.




Sophomore guard Aja Wheeler (2) led scoring for Bloomington Kennedy with 24 points. The Eagles edged out Robbinsdale Cooper 61-60 in the Metro West matchup. Photo by Cheryl Myers, SportsEngine




Sophomore Sierra Lynch came off the bench to sink a three point shot with 3.2 seconds remaining in the game, giving Robbinsdale Cooper the final lead over the Eagles of Bloomington Kennedy. Photo by Cheryl Myers, SportsEngine

The entire second half Friday night at Bloomington Kennedy High School was looking like the girls’ basketball team was going to beat first place West Metro rival Robbinsdale Cooper. In fact, Kennedy had the lead into the final minute -- they were up as much as five points once -- after relying heavily on senior forward Honour Finley and Imani Sa’eed-El, a junior guard.

But with some 20 ticks left on the clock, up 60-56, a bad dribble by Finley turned into a costly turnover. Cooper’s Sierra Finley had the ball and shot it from behind the arc: a good three-point basket, putting the Hawks within striking distance.

With 13 seconds to go, and a ball that bounced off one set of hands to the next, Cooper’s Aja Wheeler -- the Hawks’ leading scorer the entire night -- turned down the chance to drive the ball to the hoop like she had done dozens of times before this night. She passed the ball off to Lynch, who, with 4 seconds left, let another three-ball fly.

Lynch’s shot went in, making it 61-60 Cooper with 3.2 seconds left.

Robbinsdale Cooper (23-3, 13-1) hasn’t lost since Jan. 17 to Bloomington Jefferson (43-41). And on Friday, the Hawks extended their winning streak to 11, which included thriller at home against the Eagles on Jan. 31. They finished the regular season atop the West Metro conference and handed third-ranked Bloomington Kennedy (15-10, 9-5) a final blow in the season’s finale.

Aja Wheeler led the way for Robbinsdale Cooper with a season-high 24 points. Kierra Wheeler, an eighth-grader who shot 50 percent from the free-throw line, finished with 12. Lynch, who sank the game-winner, finished with six -- arguably the six biggest points Friday.

“We’re used to playing a little close with Kennedy,” Robbinsdale Cooper coach Kiara Buford said. “I knew it wouldn’t be a blowout, I knew it’d be a match. It was a little closer than I would have liked.”

Buford said her girls kept their heads up going into the final minute “and that’s what was really key for us.”

The last time these two teams faced off last month, Kennedy came back from a double digit deficit, only to fall 66-60. Since then, the Eagles dropped three of seven matches.

Finley set the bar high again for all Eagles scorers, finishing the night with 20. Sa’eed-El contributed 14, including three from the free-throw line.

Heading into the locker room at the half, the Eagles were up by two points. They dominated the Hawks in the second half with full-court presses and strong traps in the corner. But a costly turnover as the game waned, and a loose ball with just seconds to go, had the game slip out of their hands.

Senior post Alyssa Brian-Jeffries, coming off a season-high 18 points in a loss at Hutchinson, came into Friday night’s game with 180 points and averaging 11.2 points per game. The last matchup against Cooper, she contributed 13 points. Despite a strong first half, she was held to just seven points.

It was a big win for Robbinsdale Cooper, which heads into a tough sectional playoff next week that includes Hopkins, ranked No. 1 in Class 4A by Minnesota Basketball News, and No. 6-4A Wayzata.

"We've had a pretty good year," Buford said. "Our confidence is pretty high. We just have to get better in close games, in tight games."

First Report

Robbinsdale Cooper’s Sierra Lynch came off the bench to hit two three-pointers to beat West Metro rival Bloomington Kennedy 61-60 Friday night in Bloomington.

Leading the way for Cooper (23-3, 13-1) was 5-foot-7 sophomore Aja Wheeler with 24 points. Kierra Wheeler, who shot 50 percent from the free-throw line, finished with 12.

Kennedy (15-10, 9-5) had the lead until the final seconds, leaning heavily on senior forward Honour Finley, who put up 20 and was 3 of 7 from three-point land. Imani Sa’eed-El, a junior guard, contributed 14, including three from the free-throw line.

At the half, with the Eagles up two, Finley and Aja led all scorers with 10 points. It was all Kennedy in the second half until Lynch hit a three-pointer to put the Hawks within striking distance -- down 60-58. After a turnover by Kennedy, and a pass from Aja, Lynch put up the game-winning three-pointer.

With 3.2 seconds left on the clock, and the ball, Kennedy passed the ball down court, missed a second pass and turned the ball over as the buzzer sounded.

Photo Gallery


Honour Finley scored 20 points in the Eagles' one point loss to the Hawks on Friday night. Photo by Cheryl Myers, SportsEngine

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