Perfect storm: The Lightning go undefeated to win AAAA state championship

Two or three bounces of the basketball. After all of the blood, sweat and tears of a hard-fought championship game – and it was a great game – that's essentially what it all came down to in the final seconds of Saturday night's state 4A title encounter in Minneapolis. Had either of two ill-fated attempts by Paige Bueckers and Raena Suggs of Hopkins slipped through the cylinder, we might be having a different conversation today. But they didn't and, as a result, the Eastview Lightning can call themselves state champions for the second time in five years after a 68-63 victory. Hopkins, on the other hand, can only reflect on what might have been. There is precious little that separates these two teams but they do go about their business in very different ways. That showed on Saturday, as Hopkins opened with a Bueckers barrage, Eastview countered with patience and precision, Hopkins mounted an heroic charge, and Eastview held on for the win. It was every bit as exciting as anticipated and, in the end, it was #1 finishing #1 as Eastview capped off a perfect season with its 32nd win of the year. Bueckers was brilliant The way Bueckers opened the game was simply breathtaking. The super-skilled sophomore scored every which way you can – pull-up jumpers, a pair of long-distance threes, powerful drives to the hoop among them – compiling a whopping 17 points before the game was six minutes old. Bueckers' brilliance staked the Royals to a 22-10 lead and it looked as though Hopkins might run away with it. Except they didn't. In spite of the pressure, in spite of the deficit, in spite of the truly awe-inspiring play of Bueckers, Eastview never lost their way. The Lightning stayed patient, defended hard and ran their stuff. As they have done all year, the Lightning made the most of their opportunities. Midway through the first half, Eastview scored three consecutive baskets and six of the next eight field goals to stop the bleeding. They finished the period with three more buckets in a row. Suddenly the margin was just three. In the second half, the game was tied at 49 with just under eight minutes to go when freshman Cassidy Carson scored to put Eastview ahead for good. The Lightning did a nice job of nursing the lead down the stretch as Hopkins put the pressure on. After the Royals' Dlayla Chakolis missed on a bank shot from close range, Eastview was up four entering the final minute. That's when Mariah Alipate fouled Bueckers on her way to the basket. Paige made the first free throw but missed the second. Hopkins regained possession shortly thereafter, enabling Chakolis to score with 30 seconds to go. The gap was one. After Hopkins fouled Macy Guebert, the Eastview junior made both free throws to restore the three-point lead. Then came those bounces. With 15 seconds remaining, Bueckers launched a long pull-up jump shot that hit the rim twice and slipped away. The Royals managed to corral the rebound and move the ball to Suggs in the corner from where she fired a high, arcing three that could have sent the game to overtime. Instead, the ball bounced once off the rim and up, kissed the backboard, bounced off the rim again and slipped harmlessly away. Eastview capped the proceedings with a pair of free throws for a five-point win. Eastview shared the burden Besides a couple of more favorable bounces, what Hopkins really needed Saturday night was for someone other than Bueckers and Chakolis to put the ball in the hole. Paige made 14 of 23 shots for 37 points. Chakolis was 5 of 10 from the field and 5 of 5 at the line for 15 points. The missing link was Suggs, who is among the state's best shooters. Raena has made countless big baskets over the years, employing that quick release and cold stare to squash her opponents. On this night, she fired mostly blanks, making just 2 of 9 from three and 1 of 6 from two. That's basketball for you. It happens. At the same time, the rest of the Hopkins lineup was shut out, save for Amaya Battle, who was in foul trouble early and scored just two points. Eastview, on the other hand, had the same type of balanced offensive effort that has sustained them all season. Megan Walstad was 7 of 10 from the field and 5 of 6 at the line for 20 points. Alipate was 5 for 7 and 4 for 5 for 15 points. Carson, who played 22 minutes off the bench, scored nine consecutive points midway through the second half and 11 in all. Guebert had 9 points, Andrea Abrams 7 and Carpenter 6. Here are a couple of other important stats to ponder. Eastview outrebounded Hopkins 32-22. Eastview had 15 assists to just two for the Royals. Eastview shot 26 free throws while Hopkins was awarded only 15. Accolades for Alipate, Abrams Eastview has had an amazing season, fending off all comers and beating Hopkins twice. Perhaps the most fitting recognition of Eastview's approach was the selection of Alipate and Abrams to the official all-tournament team. As you know, those coveted spots often go to the biggest names, not to the players who played the best in the tournament. In this tournament, and throughout this season, Alipate and Abrams were difference-makers for Eastview, seniors who took their games to new heights. Of course, the Lightning couldn't have won it all without the excellence and leadership of Carpenter and Guebert and Walstad – that's a no-brainer – but they likely would not have won it all without the clutch contributions of Alipate and Abrams.