Prep athletes of the week: Bright lights suit Hopkins' Paige Bueckers just fine

Hopkins • basketball

The superstar walked off the court Friday at Hopkins after a one-for-the-ages performance in the biggest game of the season and pointed toward a locker room that she would never reach. Too many fans wanting to share in this special night, with congratulations and high-fives and back pats.

Finally, after a reporter caught up to her, Bueckers turned, smiling, ready to recall a truly scintillating performance.

Already considered among the best girls' basketball players in Minnesota high school history, the 6-foot junior guard carried the Royals to a 69-66 victory over Wayzata. She scored 43 points, a career high, with an array of pull-up jumpers, three-pointers, drives to the hoop and deadeye free throw shooting. While doing so, she went over the 2,000-point mark for her career, adding to a special evening for a player who has had many of them in her career.

"It was a really big game for me," said Bueckers, one of the nation's most highly coveted college recruits. "When the bright lights are on, I try to show out and lead this team."

Which she did. The rest of the Royals struggled against Wayzata's size and savvy, but Bueckers' transcendant talent and experience in big games was enough to lift the team to victory.

As Hopkins coach Brian Cosgriff said after the game, "She was Superwoman tonight."

The Dartmouth-bound senior forward scored at 3:06 of overtime, her second goal of the game, to give the Hornets a 4-3 victory over Eden Prairie. She followed with another two-goal effort in a 6-1 victory over Elk River/Zimmerman.

Blake • hockey

The sophomore forward has shown a remarkable scoring touch in his past five games. He has 15 goals and five assists back to Jan. 19, capped by a six-goal, one-assist game in an 11-0 rout of Providence Academy on Saturday.

The senior winger helped the Trojans bounce back from a loss to Centennial with a goal and an assist in a 3-2 victory over Minnetonka. She added two goals in a 6-0 shutout of Rochester Lourdes.

Buffalo • hockey

Lakeville North • basketball

The 6-4 senior guard putting on a dazzling shooting exhibition in the Panthers' 92-69 romp over Eastview. Rusch made eight of nine three-point attempts, and 16 of 19 field-goal attempts overall, en route a career-high 42 points.

Minnehaha Academy • basketball

Just another stellar week for the junior guard. He had 58 points, 13 rebounds, 15 assists and seven steals in victories over Onalaska, Wis. (76-60) and Austin (81-61), surpassing 2,000 career points in the latter game.

JIM PAULSEN