Wayzata allowed only a trickle for as long as it could Thursday. But the leak in the dam could be contained for only so long.

Hopkins built a slight lead at the end of the first half, then slowly extended it throughout the second en route to an 84-66 victory over Wayzata in the Class 4A, Section 6 final at Hopkins. It was Hopkins’ 13th straight victory over its Lake Conference foe and fourth in a row in the section championship game.

“I’ve lost to [Hopkins] four years in a row, so it does sting,” Wayzata senior guard Mara Braun said. “But we came in a with a lot of heart and determination. We couldn’t get it done tonight, but I have a lot of hope for these guys in the future.”

Knowing each other well, the two teams played straight up in the first half.

Hopkins (23-1), relentlessly attacking the basket, took a quick 6-0 lead. Braun put an end to that early run with a confidence-inspiring three-pointer.

Using a difficult-to-penetrate 2-3 zone defense, the Trojans never let the Royals pull away while trailing for much of the half.

Wayzata avoided turnovers for most of the half and managed to take the lead, 24-21, with an 8-0 burst midway through the half. Hopkins answered with eight straight points of its own, setting in motion a highly entertaining back-and-forth finish to the half, the teams exchanging leads twice.

The leak started to show in the final minutes of the first half. Hopkins trailed 33-30, then went on an 11-2 run to take a 41-35 lead into the break.

“We kind of already knew at halftime that the first half wasn’t our best,” senior guard Amaya Battle said. “We had to turn it up in the second half to come out on top.”

Hopkins maintained at least a six-point advantage in the second half, building the lead to double digits as they wore down the Trojans (18-9).

The result was what the Royals have had in the back of their minds all year: the chance to redeem themselves and avenge a state tournament semifinals loss to Chaska a year ago.

“That was so much motivation,” said junior forward Nunu Agara, who finished with 20 points. “I’m itching for that championship this year.”

Battle, who will play with Braun for the Gophers next year, goes back further for more motivation.

“Not just last year, but 2020, when it got cancelled,” she said. “Both of those have fed into this year, and we just want to win it all.”