The first sign of vulnerability came with approximately six minutes left in the first half of Eden Prairie’s 55-28 victory over Rochester Mayo.

The Spartans had led for much of the first half and, at that point, were tied 16-16 with the No. 2-seeded Eagles.

It was then that Eden Prairie guard Shayne Mullaney found an opening inside for a basket. Six Mayo turnovers and four baskets later, Eden Prairie had a 27-16 lead heading into the halftime break.

The sharks had come out. And, for all intensive purposes, Mayo was finished.

“We use the sharks-in-the- water analogy,” Eden Prairie coach Chris Carr said. “It’s been our accepted style all year. We taste blood, we go in for the kill.”

Eden Prairie extended its lead in the second half to as much as 27 points, 46-19, and maintained that margin to the conclusion.

“For us, when we start trapping and putting on pressure, that’s when we’re at our best,” said Morgan Van Riper-Rose, who hit four three-pointers and finished with 15 points.

As a team, the Eagles have the requisite parts. They have the inside scoring and shot-blocking presence of forward Jackie Johnson, the outside shooting and leadership of Van Riper-Rose, the aggressiveness of Mullaney, the athleticism of Taylor Uhl and the playmaking of Aubrey Davis.

“I think a lot of people thought it might be hard to come together,” said Johnson, who also had 15 points. “But we worked hard, and we know what we can do as a team.”

ROCHESTER MAYO

EDEN PRAIRIE