Girls' basketball: Hopkins cruises to victory

Hopkins has depth, balance, the ability to execute and several other wonderful traits for a basketball team. Early in Saturday's Class 4A, Section 6 girls' basketball semifinal, the Royals also had the one trait that can come and go at any time: long-distance marksmanship.

Buoyed by a pair of early three-pointers each by Jenna Lillemoe and Hanna Muegge, top-seeded Hopkins jumped out to a 23-3 lead against No. 4 Armstrong and cruised to a 64-37 victory.

"It helps when you shoot the ball," Royals coach Brian Cosgriff said.

The strong start from long range opened up other avenues, allowing Kara Elofson and Stephanie Sension to roam free for baskets inside, while Caitlin Rowland worked inside and outside. By halftime, the Royals had built a 44-14 lead; the closest Armstrong got after that was the final score at the end.

Hopkins (26-2) finished with a scoresheet that read like a child learning to count backward: Sension had 13, Rowland had 12, Elofson had 11, Lillemoe had 10 and Brianna Williams had nine. Muegge had six -- those two early three-pointers that were difference-makers.

Minneapolis South 85, Wayzata 54: Minneapolis South sophomore guard Tyisha Smith says the Tigers are primarily a second-half team. That was evident Saturday, as the No. 2-seeded Tigers (27-1) cranked up the intensity after the break and ended up routing No. 3-seeded Wayzata.

Standout guard Tayler Hill had 35 points -- 22 coming in the first 13 minutes of the second half -- to help South take control. In the first half, Hill scored seven of the Tigers' nine points -- two free throws, a wing three-pointer and a pull-up jumper -- during a 9-1 run that stretched the lead from 10-7 to 19-8. With South ahead 44-34 early in the second half, Hill and Ephesia Holmes accounted for all but four points during a 28-8 run that put the game away.

The two lopsided games Saturday at Benilde-St. Margaret's set up a much-anticipated section final showdown Thursday at Osseo. The teams have been aiming toward this game seemingly all season -- and particularly since Hopkins defeated South 68-62 over the holidays, giving the Tigers their only loss of the season.

"They were the better team that night," South coach Ahmil Jihad said. "We were flat."

They got a good look at each other Saturday, with South players taking in most of Hopkins' game before theirs started and the Royals sticking around to watch the Tigers.

MICHAEL RAND

Class 4A, Section 2

Chaska 58, Edina 48: Chaska's fabulous point guard, Courtney Boylan, suffered a groin injury and missed two weeks of games in early February. Turns out that may have been the best thing to happen to the Hawks.

With Boylan out, the rest of the team was forced to elevate its game to compensate for her absence. And now that Boylan is back, the Hawks are just that much better.

They showed as much in beating Edina. Boylan, as usual, led the team in scoring with 17 points. But the reason the No. 2-seeded Hawks won was the play of the rest of the team. Guard Brooke Brown also scored 17 points, 14 in the second half, including a pair of clutch three-pointers. Centers Brittany Travis, Brianna Tisch and Ellen Degler carved out some room inside, combining for 19 points and keeping No. 3-seeded Edina from establishing an inside presence.

"This team really had to come together and find it's game with Courtney out," Chaska coach Bob Downs said.

Boylan had mixed feelings about her absence. While it was tough to sit out, she said, she's very much appreciative of what her absence did for the team.

"I hadn't missed a game for four years, so it was the hardest thing I've done," said Boylan, who will play at Michigan next year. "But the team really stepped up and it hasn't always been that way. I'm just so excited about what we can do."

Bloomington Kennedy 58, Richfield 45: Shakila Boler scored a season-high 28 points to lead the top-seeded Eagles past Richfield. They will play Chaska for the Section championship Friday at St. Olaf College in Northfield.

JIM PAULSEN