Forward Savanna Jones emerged in the post to lead the team in scoring. Annika Anderson was the linchpin on defense and sank key free throws down the stretch to play a big part in No. 2-seed Eden Prairie’s 59-50 win over No. 3-seed Minnetonka in Saturday’s Class 4A, Section 2 semifinal.

“Savanna’s quiet, but she just goes out there and has been incredibly consistent this year," Eden Prairie coach Ellen Wiese said. "They started throwing a double team at her. She didn’t get rattled, and she passed out of it. These kids are so unselfish. They’re willing to say ‘Hey, I’m getting doubled. I’m not going to do something stupid and score more. I’m going to pass to the open person.’”

Jones finished with 15 points and had 10 in the second half. Eight of Anderson’s total also came in the second half.

“For Annika Anderson to come off the bench and not only score, but completely lock down defensively. Poise. She’s a junior, she’s ready for this. They’re all ready for this,” Wiese said. “That’s the nice thing, we do have a veteran crew. There were tight, tight moments out there. They kept their composure and never doubted.”

A 27-27 game at halftime was largely a positive for Minnetonka, which was without Creighton-bound senior guard Kiani Lockett since January with a season-ending injury. Stacie Olson was leading the team on the sidelines as head coach after Leah Dasovich resigned in February.

One of the next leading scorers, senior guard Desiree Ware, was scoreless in the first half Saturday.

Momentum was already shifting Eden Prairie’s way before the halftime break, though, as it got a couple layups in the final 20 seconds to spoil the Skippers’ four-point lead. A Minnetonka steal that turned to the last shot was flicked down court to Anderson for a layup.

She was the only player to score off the bench for Eden Prairie.

Freshman guard Aaliyah Crump played beyond her years to keep Minnetonka afloat. She finished with a game-high 25 points, hitting a trio of triples and utilizing a crafty mid-range game.

“I thought we had an excellent game plan that we ran to perfection,” Wiese said. “ Everything they got was hard-fought. We were really expecting Desiree to go off. Then Aaliyah comes in and had such a fantastic game. She was phenomenal.”

Ware shook off the slow start with a layup to open the second half. She became more aggressive penetrating the paint to finish with 10 points, though no Skippers aside from her or Crump scored in the second half.

Eden Prairie didn’t hit a three in the second half and did not try many, either. It helps when paint points come easy for Jones.

“My teammates are always looking for me on the post. I know that if I can just post up for them I know they can get the ball,” Jones said. “I can always pass back out to them and I know they can hit the three. My teammates have a really big role in how I play.”

Eden Prairie led by as much as 11. Whenever Minnetonka would threaten, there was an answer.

Anderson and junior guard Molly Lenz, an Illinois State commit, were nails at the foul line. Six points came from the charity stripe for Anderson as did four of Lenz’ seven.

Anderson tipped her cap to Moorjani, who had 12 points and made a pair of threes, Holloway and her 11 points and senior guard Megan Timmerman for their senior leadership on Saturday and beyond.

"They’re definitely our biggest supporters," Anderson said. "They’re the biggest leaders on this team and we could definitely not ask for better captains. They’re really great. It’s an honor to play with them."

The postgame celebration as Eden Prairie left the court only heightened when they heard an announcement over the public address system. No. 4 seed Shakopee upset No. 1 Chaska, 59-48 Saturday.

The Eagles realized they'd get one more home game 7 p.m. Friday thanks to every game in the section played at the high seed.

"I’m super excited. I’m super pumped," Anderson said. "I feel like it’ll be great to finish out sections at home. Hopefully we can get a huge crowd to support."