It took top-ranked and No. 1 seed Hopkins (29-1) one minute to set the tone in Thursday’s Class 4A state girls’ basketball semifinal at the Target Center.

Taylor Anderson three-pointer.

Five-second inbound violation on No. 4 seed Eastview.

Sydney Coffey three-pointer.

Eastview cut into the Royals’ six-point advantage just once from there.

Defending champion Hopkins rolled to a 55-31 victory and advanced to the title game at 8 p.m. Saturday. The Royals also won Class 4A titles in 2004 and 2006.

“Our goal from day one was to be playing on St. Patrick’s Day,” Hopkins coach Brian Cosgriff said.

Hopkins built a 33-13 halftime lead on strong defense. Coffey spearheaded the effort by guarding Eastview (25-5) freshman Madison Guebert one-on-one and limiting the Lightning’s top scorer to seven points.

“I expect the world form Sydney,” Cosgriff said. “I’ve had her since she was a freshman so she’s someone I hold accountable. This is what I expected her to do.”

Coffey said she set out “to deny her the ball 24-7” and mostly succeeded. With Guebert struggling against Coffey, the Lightning’s offense quickly unraveled. Hopkins scored 17 first-half points off 10 Eastview turnovers.

Hopkins defeated the Lightning 64-22 on Dec. 13, a result that Lightning players had trouble forgetting as the first half got away from them Thursday.

“We would have loved to execute better on offense but that’s just a testament to the kind of defense that team plays,” Eastview coach Melissa Guebert said. “You’ve got to take care of the ball against a team like this.”

Coffey led the Royals with 15 points but younger sister Nia made the game’s most remarkable play. She caught a ball from Anderson in midair and laid it in, embodying the Royals' athletic advantage in the process.

“That was a designed play,” Cosgriff said. “She goes up pretty high and it was a great pass.”

Sydney Coffey said the play created infectious energy.

“I love when that happens because it’s such a great feeling," she said. "The whole team gets riled up.”

The Royals kept the pace after halftime with a 13-0 run. Eastview went scoreless for a stretch of 10 minutes, 42 second before Guebert’s two free throws midway through the second half.

Although she only played significant minutes in one half, senior guard Sydney Coffey stole the show in top-seeded Hopkins’ 55-31 dismantling of Eastview on Thursday, March 15, at the Target Center in Minneapolis.

Coffey showcased her ability to hit the long ball, knocking down three of four three-point attempts that helped build a crushing lead for the Royals early in the game and allowing her to sit for most of the second half.

“People are gonna pack it in on us, they just are,” Hopkins coach Brian Cosgriff said after the game. “It’s gonna be very difficult to play if you can’t hit some outside jumpers.” 

With Coffey shooting raindrops from downtown, things were very easy for the Royals. 

“Had her for a long time, since ninth grade,” Cosgriff said. “Just so pleased with her play, she’s definitely in my hall of fame, we love her to pieces.”

Coffey also went 4-4 on her free throw attempts, while grabbing four rebounds. She finished with 15 points, the highest total for any player in the game. She has averaged 13 points per game this year.

“Sydney, she’s my girl. We call her the quiet assassin.”

1. Syndey Coffey, Hopkins

The senior scored a game-high 15 points for the Royals including three big shots from downtown. She went 4-4 from the charity stripe as well as grabbing four rebounds and an assist in 16 minutes.

2. Taylor Anderson, Hopkins

Anderson went 3-7 from the floor and all three of her makes were from deep. She finished with ten points and grabbed eight rebounds and dished two assists in 23 minutes. She had a high motor all game and even threw a pretty alley-oop layup to Nia Coffey.

3. Nia Coffey, Hopkins

Coffey gets a star just for her dynamite alley-oop. The play was wonderful example of the lead in athleticism and talent  that Hopkins had over Eastview. Coffey finished the night with ten points on 3-10 shooting , six rebounds, and a perfect 4-4 night from the free throw line.