![Hopkins guard Paige Bueckers went for a shot in the first half. ] RENEE JONES SCHNEIDER • renee.jones@startribune.com Hopkins verses Minneapolis South in the girls basketball Class 4A, Section 6 final in Minneapolis, Minn., on Thursday, March 8, 2018. Hopkins won 95-62](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/5RVUJCUMOXGBZUADFGKIMVPYWI.jpg?&w=1080)
Two consecutive upsets was one too many to expect out of Minneapolis South.
The Tigers hoped to ride the momentum of their unexpected victory Saturday over Wayzata in the Class 4A, Section 6 semifinals to an even bigger surprise in Thursday's section championship game.
Instead, Hopkins, which knows a lot about big games, won 95-62 over South after racing out to a 15-0 lead. Hopkins (26-3) qualified for the Class 4A state tournament for the seventh time in the past eight seasons and 12th time overall.
The key to South's victory over Wayzata was limiting turnovers, something the Tigers (23-6) did not do Thursday.
They gave the ball away before they scored their first point, fell behind by as many as 24 points and never got closer than 18 points the rest of the game. The Tigers finished with 21 turnovers.
"We knew what they were going to do and we practiced for it, but it's hard to replicate what Hopkins has," South coach Nathan McGuire said.
Particularly when Hopkins coach Brian Cosgriff has time to prepare. After learning that South would be the opponent in the section final, Cosgriff dedicated three full days plus to watching film on South.
"We watched quite a bit, but it doesn't matter how much tape we watched," Cosgriff said. "The kids still have to go out and execute the game plan."
