Hopkins blitzes Mpls. South 95-62

<p>Hopkins jumped all over Mpls. South right from the opening tip. It was 6-0 before South got the ball across mid-court. It was 15-0 after Raena Suggs hit 3 straight 3s, and before Morgan Hill finally answered with a 3 of her own.</p> <p>“That’s the way we wanted to come out,” Hopkins coach Brian Cosgriff said. “We knew that if we let them stay with us, it could be a possession game,” like what South played in beating Wayzata 52-47 in the section semi-final. If that happens, “it can be a long night.” Hopkins guard Paige Bueckers added, “We knew they weren’t used to the pressure. They didn’t have the toughest schedule. So we came out and showed them Hopkins basketball.”</p> <p>8 minutes later Hopkins had their largest lead of the 1st half at 39-15 and 41-17 when South went on a little 9-2 run with Morgan Hill scoring 7 of South’s 9 points. “We got cold there toward the end of the 1st half,” Cosgriff said, “and we just said shooters keep shooting.” And, so Dlayla Chakolis put an end to the cold streak, scoring off the offensive glass. Angie Hammond followed with a steal-and-2, and Paige Bueckers hit a 3. Camryn Benjamin answered, scoring twice off the offensive boards and it was 54-36 at the half.</p> <p>South actually shot it pretty well—12-of-25 in the 1st half, and 20-of-43 for the night—but had 13 turnovers in the 1st half alone, good for 22 Hopkins points, and gave up 14 offensive boards good for 17 Royals points. In the 1st half, Hopkins scored 39 points off turnovers and the offensive glass, compared to just 10 such points for the Tigers.</p> <p>The 2nd half was more of the same, and Hopkins hit the 90 mark with 7:30 still to go. 3 minutes later it was 95-62 and Hopkins went into the 4 corners against South’s 2-3 zone. South refused to come out and Hopkins ran out the final 4:02 holding the ball. Somebody where I was sitting said, “This is why girls basketball needs a shot clock.” Hopkins has scored 95 points and South was sitting in a 2-3 zone down 33 points, and we need a shot clock?</p> <p>Hopkins shot 15-of-29 in the 2nd and 37-of-74 (50 percent) for the night. People talk about getting easy shots in transition. Hopkins gets easy shots in the half court. “We knew they were going to run a 2-3 zone,” Bueckers said. “We practiced that. The gaps were open and the high-low was open, so that worked a lot for us.”</p> <p>Suggs made those 3 early 3s and finished at 5-of-15 3s and 29 points. Bueckers scored 20 with 3 assists and 6 steals. Chakolis scored 18 including 10 back-breaking points on 9 offensive boards. 8th grade guard Amaya Battle scored 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting.</p> <p>And, finally, senior post Angie Hammond scored 11 on 5-of-8 shooting with 9 boards and 3 steals. She scored on a pair of steals-and-2, showing the ability to go coast-to-coast in the open court and put up a pair of nice, soft layups at high speed.</p> <p>Morgan Hill concluded her high school career with 24 points on 7-of-12 shooting including 2-of-3 3s, plus 5 rebounds and 4 assists. She alone among the Tigers seemed confortable playing at a Hopkins pace. She is a player and a scorer and will do well at the next level. But only the unlikely pairing of freshman guard Camryn Bemjamin and tiny sophomore reserve guard Maija Feriancek joined Hill in double figures. Benjamin scored 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting, while Feriancek with 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting.</p> <p>Cosgriff summed it up this way. “We’re surviving and advancing,” he said. Bueckers added that, “We’re surviving and advancing.” I think there’s a theme there. For most Class AAAA teams, “surviving and advancing” in the state tournament is going to start with not drawing Hopkins in the opening rounds.</p> <p> </p>