The rematch: Hopkins had all the answers against previously undefeated Wayzata
Size matters but speed kills. That was the take-home message Friday night at the Lindbergh Center in Hopkins. Yes, Wayzata has size – they're probably the tallest team in the state – but Hopkins has speed. So much speed. On…
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Continue ReadingSize matters but speed kills. That was the take-home message Friday night at the Lindbergh Center in Hopkins. Yes, Wayzata has size – they're probably the tallest team in the state – but Hopkins has speed. So much speed. On this night, size didn't matter and speed killed as Hopkins put on a stunning display of high-octane basketball in a 69-38 reminder of just how good the Royals can be.
The victory avenged a stinging loss to the Trojans one month ago, a game in which Wayzata's bigs – 6'2″ junior Kallie Theisen, 6'2″ sophomore Annika Stewart, and 6'1″ freshman Jenna Johnson – largely determined the outcome. On this night, Hopkins was so quick, and inflicted so much defensive pressure, that Wayzata's inherent advantage was entirely nullified. It was a beatdown.
Wayzata's Jasmine Smiley opened the scoring with a high, arcing three from the corner just 30 seconds into the game. Two minutes later, the Royals' all-everything point guard Paige Bueckers answered with a three of her own that she quickly followed with a pair of long twos. That gave Hopkins a lead they would never relinquish.
Hopkins' defensive pressure all over the court was relentless. The Royals simply refused to give Theisen, Johnson and Stewart an inch. When Wayzata did get an open look, they could not put the ball into the basket, missing numerous easy tap-ins. And then there were the steals. To be honest, I lost count of the larcenous behavior early on because there were so many and in such quick succession. As a result, the Royals were ahead by 15 points at the seven-minute mark. Five minutes later the margin was 20. At the half it was 41-19.
This game wasn't so much about what Wayzata didn’t do; it was about Hopkins simply not letting them do anything. It was played at Hopkins' pace as the Trojans were forced to do everything way faster than they were comfortable with. The Royals looked like sophisticated race cars roaring down the front stretch at Le Mans. The Trojans looked like minivans bumping around the Target parking lot.
Paige Bueckers was at her best
Much of the credit for this performance, of course, goes to Bueckers, who was simply stunning. We have become so accustomed to her excellence that it's easy to forget just how great she really is. On this night, the 5'11″ sophomore issued a giant, neon-lit reminder. She was spectacular. On offense, Bueckers made one great play after another, scoring in every imaginable way. She moved the ball with precision and grace – a behind-the-back pass through the lane was particularly impressive – but it was her defensive performance that truly wowed. The only thing missing was a red cape and a big 'S' on her chest.
There would be no dramatic comeback for Wayzata this time around as Hopkins launched another assault to open the second half, scoring the first 12 points and holding Wayzata without a bucket for more than five minutes. That made the margin 34 and, for all intents and purposes, it was over. Bueckers scored 21 in the first half, 28 in all. Senior guard Raena Suggs had 14 and Dlayla Chakolis scored 12. Eighth grader Amaya Battle of Hopkins turned in an excellent performance, as well. Not a single Trojan was in double figures as Theisen, Stewart and Johnson, who average a combined 35 ppg, were held to just 14.
If the Trojans needed a reminder of Hopkins' record of greatness, it was staring them in the eye from center court during a pregame ceremony honoring Royals' coach Brian Cosgriff for his 500th career victory. Cos isn't fond of the spotlight, but he was happy to collect a commemorative ball in honor of 19 outstanding seasons. His teams have averaged 26 wins per year, won 16 Lake Conference championships, and have gone to the state tournament 11 times, where they have won six championships. That's how they played on Friday night.
Of course, this performance doesn't mean that Wayzata is suddenly a bad basketball team. The Trojans are 23-1 and possess all of the tools needed to get to the state tournament. It's probably going to come down to the third game of this trilogy in the section 6 AAAA final on March 8th. Following Wayzata's win in game one, there were so many questions about Hopkins. In game two, the Royals had all the answers