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4A: Hopkins roars past Minnetonka in tournament opener

By JIM PAULSEN, Star Tribune, 03/14/17, 11:15AM CDT

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The Royals, led by 31 points from freshman Paige Bueckers, avenged a championship game loss to the Skippers last year en route to a 76-57 victory.


Hopkins' Paige Bueckers (1) went up for a shot as Minnetonka's Erin Shoemaker (11) reached to defend in the second half. Photo: ANTHONY SOUFFLE • anthony.souffle@startribune.com

As if anyone needed more confirmation that Hopkins has the deepest lineup in the state, consider this: Senior point guard D.D. Winston, a three-year starter, was absent from the Royals lineup Tuesday, felled by a high-fever that sent her home from school the day before.

And still the Royals went out and routed rival Minnetonka 76-57 in the first Class 4A quarterfinal game, a rematch of the 2016 championship game. Hopkins freshman guard Paige Bueckers lived up to her reputation and then some, taking over the point guard position and finishing with 31 points, five rebounds and, perhaps most importantly, five assists.

“It’s not that big of a deal because I play point guard in the summer,” Beuckers said. “But it is a little tiring on that big [Target Center] floor. That floor is a beast.”

Hopkins coach Brian Cosgriff said he didn’t sleep well before the game. Part of it was Winston’s illness, saying, “Anytime you get into that 102, 103 fever range, it’s scary.” He also had concern about playing an avowed rival, despite having defeated Minnetonka twice during the regular season.

“Throw out all the records,” Cosgriff said. “This was Tonka-Hopkins. In girls’ basketball, that might as well be Duke-North Carolina.”

Hopkins raced to a 15-4 lead with Bueckers leading the charge. The Royalsbuilt the lead to as many as 28 points, 60-32, early in the second half before Minnetonka responded. Megan Walker got hot, scoring 14 of her 16 points after halftime, but the Skippers never got closer than 18 points.

“This time around, it was so much more about the experience,” Minnetonka coach Leah Dasovich said. “Tough draw, but somebody had to try to move that big rock first.”

JIM PAULSEN

First report

Hopkins wasted little time in announcing its intentions, racing out to a 15-4 lead en route to a 76-57 victory over Minnetonka in Class 4A quarterfinals.

The game was a rematch of the 2016 Class 4A championship game, which Minnetonka won 61-52. But the undefeated Royals (30-0) showed why they received the No. 1 seed in the 4A field, extending their lead to as much as 30 points before delving into their bench.

Freshman Paige Bueckers led Hopkins with 31 points.

Check back later for more on the game.

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