The key to South’s victory over Wayzata was limiting turnovers, something the Tigers (23-6) did not do Thursday.

They gave the ball away four times before they scored their first point, fell behind by as many as 24 points and never got closer than 18 points the rest of the game. The Tigers finished with 21 turnovers.

“We knew what they were going to do and we practiced for it, but it’s hard to replicate what Hopkins has,” South coach Nathan McGuire said.

Particularly when Hopkins coach Brian Cosgriff has time to prepare. After learning that South would be the opponent in the section final, Cosgriff dedicated three-plus full days to watching film on South.

“We watched quite a bit, but it doesn’t matter how much tape we watched,” Cosgriff said. “The kids still have to go out and execute the game plan.”

Which they did, with precision.

Five Royals scored in double figures, led by guard Raena Suggs with 29 points, including four three-pointers. Point guard Paige Bueckers had 20 despite playing what she called “not my best game.” Dlayla Chakolis had 18, Amaya Battle 12 and Angie Hammond 11.

“It’s amazing,” Hammond said. “We had such great energy. We were all on the same page. We knew we were going to come out and win this game.”