Junior guard Jacob Beeninga scored 30 points as second-seeded Wayzata upset top-seeded Hopkins 63-61 in the Class 4A, Section 6 championship Wednesday at Osseo High School.
Beeninga was 11-for-11 from the free-throw line, including 6-for-6 in the final 90 seconds, as Wayzata (18-11) withstood two late three-pointers by the Royals (26-2).
Keaton Heide also added two late free throws for the Trojans, who defeated Hopkins in the section championship for a second consecutive year.
"We practiced the last two days like we believed," Wayzata coach Bryan Schnettler said. "They probably were a little tight, and I can promise you we weren't for obvious reasons."
Hopkins led by 11 early before Wayzata went on a 16-3 run late in the first half. Beeninga scored five consecutive points midway through the second half to break a 43-43 tie and give the Trojans the lead for good.
"Every time down, we wanted to get great shots," said Beeninga, who scored his 1,000th career point Wednesday. "I feel like that 30 [points] or whatever, that's a result of the team trusting me and me trusting my teammates."
Wayzata lost seven players from last year's team that went 28-4 and reached the Class 4A semifinals. Schnettler noted that this year's team underwent some growing pains, including two losses to Hopkins, when the Royals benefited from their strong transition offense.
The Trojans focused more on generating quality shot attempts in the teams' third meeting, Beeninga said.
