Senior Holmes keeps South girls riding high

Minneapolis South senior point guard Ephesia Holmes is coming on strong lately. She scored 18 points Saturday in a convincing 72-52 victory over St. Paul Central, last year's Class 4A state champion, and 21 Thursday night in a 68-52 victory over her former school, Minneapolis North.

The Tigers are well-equipped to make another run at the state tournament this season, but they first must make it past section rival Hopkins. The third-ranked Royals handed South its only loss so far this year, prevailing 68-62 at the Hopkins holiday tournament in December.

Holmes' prescription for victory the next time the two teams meet is pretty straightforward: "Defense is the key to beating Hopkins," she said.

Holmes, who also runs the 100-and-200-meter dashes in track, is averaging 14 points per game. She knows what it's like to win it all, having helped Minneapolis North win a Class 3A title during her freshman year. She transferred to South the next school year. Last summer, Holmes's AAU team, the NC Heat, won the Minnesota state championship and finished third at the AAU national tournament.

The Kingsland boys' basketball team has forfeited nine victories this season because a team member practiced with a college squad. The Class 2A Knights now are 0-16. The school is in Spring Valley, which is south of Rochester. The player, a senior who did not start for Kingsland, also had been a member of the team at Crossroads College in Rochester. He does not attend classes at Kingsland; he is home-schooled but played basketball at the high school. The student attends Crossroads College through the state's post-secondary enrollment option program.

Tickets for the boys' basketball showdown a week from today, featuring Hopkins at Minnetonka, will go on sale at 7 a.m. Monday at Minnetonka. Athletic director John Hedstrom expects the game to sell out Monday or Tuesday.

Let's Play Hockey announced the five finalists for the 2008 Senior Goalie of the Year Award. They are: Alli Altmann and Alyssa Grogan, both of Eagan; Kate Gallagher of Blake; Danielle Justice of Alexandria; and Morgan Pieper of Warroad.

• Score one for the city: Among those signing a National Letter of Intent on Wednesday was Alonzo Melton, a lineman for Minneapolis Henry who will play at Division II Bemidji State. It's a feather in the cap for the Patriots and the Minneapolis City Conference. "Anytime you have a kid sign, it's a big deal," said Henry athletic director Dave Wicker. "We're hoping this will attract some attention."

• St. Louis Park linebacker Nick Smith will enroll at the Air Force Academy and play football there in the fall.

Staff writers John Millea and Michael Rand contributed to this report. Chuck Fitzer is a University of Minnesota student reporter on assignment for the Star Tribune.