Greenway leads Providence Academy to a stunning win over Hopkins

Maddyn Greenway Maddyn Greenway 5'8" | PG Providence Academy | 2026 State MN was not going to be denied. From the opening tipoff to the final whistle, the uber-gifted point guard with the iron will had the game of a lifetime, scoring 41 points to lead Providence Academy to one of the most improbable victories we've seen, an 87-80 triumph over the mighty Hopkins Royals on Saturday night. It was epic.

“It doesn't feel real,” said Providence coach Conner Goetz. “Growing up Hopkins has always been the pinnacle of what you try to do. They have established their team culture. We were really excited just to get a chance to play them, but to play and compete and actually pull out a win is something I will never forget. I am so proud of my kids and how they battled. I mean, we're young. We've got 7th and 8th graders playing and we've got a starting point guard who is in 9th grade. We showed that we can compete with anybody.”

The game was the highlight of the Breakdown Community Clash at St. Michael-Albertville, one of three sites hosting another terrific slate of games staged by Minnesota's premier basketball event organizer. Match-maker Dean Kesler works hard throughout the year to stage the best possible encounters at all of their one- and two-day showcases but it was difficult to know if Class 2A Providence could actually hang with Class 4A Hopkins. Turns out they could.

Back and forth they went

Greenway set the tone for the game early, scoring the opening basket just 26 seconds into the contest with a steal-and-score transition bucket that was followed quickly by a corner three from Brooke Hohenecker Brooke Hohenecker 5'5" | SG Providence | 2024 MN in the game's second minute. That gave the Lions a 5-0 lead. PA held a slight edge through the first 8 or 9 minutes of the game – the lead stretched to as much as 9 at one point – until the Royals did what they do: amp up the defense, put extreme pressure on ball-handlers and force turnovers in droves.

The result was a 12-0 run in a span of just 3 minutes and 30 seconds that gave the Royals a 38-29 lead with 4 minutes remaining in the first half. At that point you had to figure that Hopkins would at least maintain (more likely grow) that margin for the rest of the evening. But that's not what happened. Instead the Lions fought back and when Greenway made a pair of free throws with 25 seconds left in the half it sent the teams to their locker rooms tied at 43.

Things were back and forth throughout the second half with Hopkins leading by as much as 7 points. It was a period in which senior Nunu Agara Nunu Agara 6'1" | PF Hopkins | 2023 State #32 Nation MN of the Royals was stunningly good. When she scored at the 5:21 mark, Hopkins was ahead by six. Then Hohenecker buried a corner 3 followed in quick succession by another triple from 8th grader Emma Millerbernd Emma Millerbernd 5'10" | CG Providence Academy | 2027 State MN . The game was tied at 73. Suddenly it seemed like the Lions had a chance, but could they close the sale?

PA pulled ahead for good at the 2:38 mark when sophomore post Hope Counts Hope Counts 6'2" | SF Providence Academy | 2025 State MN scored from the paint off a slick inbounds pass to make it 78-75. That was followed quickly by another corner 3 from Hohenecker. Hopkins narrowed the margin to just three points at the 1:01 mark on an and-1 conversion by junior Liv McGill Liv McGill 5'7" | CG Hopkins | 2024 State MN that made it 83-80. Providence did not panic though as senior Grace Counts Grace Counts 6'1" | PF Providence | 2023 State MN , who committed this week to the University of Minnesota-Duluth, calmly made a pair of free throws with 28 seconds remaining. Greenway sealed it on a transition bucket with 10 seconds to go. Final score 87-80.

A performance for the ages

Greenway's stat line tells quite the story: Just one three-point basket, 12-of-24 from the field, with 6 rebounds, 8 assists and 7 steals. Perhaps most importantly, Maddyn was 16-for-16 at the free throw line. "She doesn't normally get free throw calls,” Goetz said, “but I just keep telling her, ‘Keep attacking. It's going to happen.' She is maybe the quickest kid in the state getting downhill. She's so good with her first step at getting by anybody and then when she gets in there she's really starting to get crafty about how to finish, how to draw contact, how to get to the line. We work on free throws all the time and she shoots close to 200 a day.”

Greenway was everywhere from start to finish. One score book had her at 43 points, the PA book said it was 41. Either way it was the type of performance that cemented her position as the #1 prospect in Minnesota's Class of 2026 and one of the very best in America. Was it her best game ever?

“It was,” said Coach Goetz. “I think with the amount of pressure that was on her, just the match-up itself, knowing that she was going to see a lot of double-teams, a lot of high pressure. This is the best that I have seen her step up. She had very few turnovers. She handled the ball extremely well against pressure. She made big shots when we needed her to. She was nervous coming into it, of course, but as soon as she steps on the floor Maddyn is as good as anybody. The confidence she has is second to none. 41 against Hopkins is pretty special.”

While Greenway obviously led her team to victory the performance of everyone around her was crucial. Grace Counts Grace Counts 6'1" | PF Providence | 2023 State MN had 12 points, 6 rebounds, 6 steals and 4 blocks. Sophomore Hope Counts Hope Counts 6'2" | SF Providence Academy | 2025 State MN counted 10 points and 10 boards. Hohnecker's 11 points, including three huge triples, were vital. The defensive contributions of Hohnecker and Millerbernd were oustanding. Ari Peterson Ari Peterson 6'1" | SG Minnetonka | 2028 State MN and Kyra Miller Kyra Miller 5'9" | CG Providence | 2023 State MN off the bench made key contributions.

“We knew Maddyn would be able to get going. We knew Grace would probably be able to get her consistent double digits but would the other kids step up?” Goetz said. “We had Emma guarding Liv (McGill) the whole game and that is a huge assignment itself defensively. Brooke's job was to shut down Kelly Boyle Kelly Boyle 5'7" | CG Hopkins | 2023 State MN and make sure she couldn't get an open look. But then for them to come back on the offensive end and make key plays and big baskets when the pressure was there, I can't say enough about how they stepped up and made big plays in big moments. They've been in the state tournament, they've been in big games, but this is as big as it gets. Even when Hopkins went on their big run they were never rattled. They were ready.”

Nunu was outstanding

The Royals were without Michigan commit Taylor Woodson Taylor Woodson 6'0" | PF Hopkins | 2023 State #28 Nation MN . For most teams that type of absence would be a major blow. But Hopkins was without Woodson earlier in the season for a couple of weeks and didn't miss a beat. They just have so many pieces, so much experience, and a never-say-die mentality that makes them extremely difficult to play against. Agara's game on Saturday was off the charts. She sored 37 points in what may be the best performance of her high school career for the Team USA veteran and Stanford University commit.

“She was going to will them to victory,” Goetz said with as much respect and admiration you are likely to see from an opposing coach. “It was offensive rebounds, defensive tips, all these little things. Even at the end she came up with a huge steal. We talked as coaches about what we could do against her. Do we send a double? Do we send a triple? Anything to just deny her the ball. It didn't matter what we did, she still made the right play. She is a special talent.”

Agara is just so good and so are her Royals. They are the team everyone wants to beat but very few do. It was their first loss in nearly two years. The program is the gold standard by which all others are measured. Every week I am asked the question at least two or three times if I think anyone can beat Hopkins this year. My answer is almost always the same: “They are heavy, heavy favorites, but you never know.” Saturday was the ‘you never know.'