After losing a big group of seniors a year ago, the Hawks brought in a starting lineup that featured no seniors and three underclassmen. Led by sophomore Mallory Heyer, who had a game-high 21 points and 13 rebounds, Chaska was flustering on defense and got almost everything it wanted on the other end.

“I think we really took a step in the right direction, because it is hard with youth to know who’s going to show up, how are they going to handle pressure?” Chaska coach Tara Seifert said. “[Eden Prairie’s] a big, physical team. I had concerns about that going into this game. So I was happy to see the girls responded. I felt like they didn’t back down, they kept attacking.”

Eden Prairie (3-3, 0-0) didn’t get its first points until 10 minutes, 2 seconds left in the first half, on a floater by Nia Holloway. It was another 5:12 before the Eagles got another field goal, and by then, that Natalie Mazurek shot made it just 27-6. Eden Prairie, ranked No. 9 in Class 4A by Minnesota Basketball News, didn’t hit double-digits in scoring until the final minute of the half.

“We just knew we had to start out strong and play as a team this game,” Heyer said. “We knew they were going to work as hard as they could and we just needed to do the same.”

Eden Prairie has physical post players in Nneka Obiazor, Mazurek and Holloway, but it was Heyer who looked like the savvy veteran, playing assertively for rebounds and showing a nice shooting touch down low.

“She’s just a kid, she’s got an engine that keeps going,” Seifert said. “She’s really a special player, so you know you’re going to get a physical player and she’s going to own the boards anytime she can.”

It wasn’t all just Heyer, though. Freshman Kennedy Sanders was dangerous driving to the hoop and playing off pick-and-rolls, and had 10 points. Ashley Schuelke had a big first half, scoring 11, and eight players scored for the Hawks, who hit six 3-pointers and moved the ball well enough to get lots of open looks from outside.

“I would say as a team, we worked the ball around really well tonight,” Heyer said. “They got the ball in the post when we needed to. Otherwise, when the double-team came, kicked it back out for open shots and we knocked down our shots tonight.”

Eden Prairie cut the lead down to 16, at 61-45 after a basket by Obiazor, but the Eagles never got any closer despite a fast start to the second half. The Hawks played like a veteran team Friday, never letting up quite enough for the Eagles to get back into the game in a meaningful way.

“I think you talk to the kids about, don’t look at the scoreboard,” Seifert said. “The entire time you’re playing, if you’ve got to think it’s 0-0, whatever you’ve got to do, you’ve got to keep your intensity up and not let them get back in the game at that point.”

This is the third ranked team Chaska has played in six games to start the year, and the Hawks are 2-1 in those matchups. It also caps a stretch of four straight games against section opponents, where Chaska finished 3-1.

There’s potentially a lot to gain and lose playing those teams early on with a young team, but right now, the Hawks look like they’re settling in — both against quality opponents, and in games that might matter more down the line.

“It’s scary, because you’re playing teams that are high-skilled, like Eden Prairie — they’re physical,” Seifert said. “But I’m seeing the girls hopefully take a step in the right direction, and gain more confidence by doing that.”