Sports

No. 1 Hopkins leaves No. 2 behind in girls' basketball

February 23, 2019 at 6:12AM

It was no contest between the top two girls' basketball teams in Class 4A as No. 1-ranked Hopkins defeated No. 2 Wayzata 70-49 on Friday at Wayzata High School.

The win finishes an undefeated regular season for the Royals. If they win the state championship, it would be the first time in school history that Hopkins didn't have a loss.

Paige Bueckers led the way for Hopkins with 23 points. Dlayla Chakolis and Kayhla Adams added 14 and 12 points.

Sophomore Jenna Johnson led the Trojans with 12. Mara Braun had 10.

In a matchup three weeks ago, the game was much closer, the Royals winning 69-66. Bueckers scored a season-high 43.

Wayzata's only two losses this season came at the hands of the Royals. The two teams could meet again in the Class 4A, Section 6 playoffs, which begin on Wednesday.

Henry Sibley 79, Hastings 47: Tori Nelson had 51 points for the Warriors, setting a school record for both boys' and girls' basketball. The senior also had 14 rebounds. Mallory Brake scored 19 for the Raiders.

Stillwater 81, Edina 49: The Ponies, ranked No. 3 in 4A, had three players score in double figures with Gophers commit Sara Scalia leading the way with 24. Junior Liza Karlen scored 21 and Alexis Pratt had 14. Macy Nilsen and Lauren Oyalo led the Hornets with 12 points.

Park Center 67, Spring Lake Park 47: The Pirates, No. 8 in 4A, were led by Adalia McKenzie's 25 points. T'Naye Griffin and Lauren Frost added 15 and 13 points. Joelle Talso scored 18 to lead the Panthers.

Eastview 45, Shakopee 40: Sophomore Cassidy Carson scored a season-high 20 points to lead the Class 4A, No. 5 Lightning. Jaley Coplin led the Sabers with 13.

Alexandria 59, Sartell-St. Stephen 37: Cardinals coach Wendy Kohler became the seventh girls' basketball coach in state history to reach 600 career victories. The Cardinals, ranked No. 6 in Class 3A, improved to 21-4 this season. Kohler is 600-276 in 34 seasons.

Boys' basketball

Lakeville North 77, Prior Lake 63: The Class 4A, No. 5 Panthers upset the No. 2 Lakers at home. Tyler Wahl led Lakeville North with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Robert Jones also had a double-double with 19 points and 14 boards for the Lakers. The Panthers (20-4) are atop the South Suburban Conference after completing a season sweep of Prior Lake.

Hopkins 84, Wayzata 69: Zeke Nnaji scored a game-high 34 to lead Class 4A's top-ranked team over the No. 8 Trojans. The University of Arizona commit is averaging 25 points per game. Jalen Dearring added 22 points for the Royals. Jacob Beeninga scored 21 for Wayzata. Hopkins (22-3) will close the regular season against Eden Prairie next Friday.

Park Center 62, Spring Lake Park 61: The Class 4A, No. 3 Pirates avoided an upset thanks to two free throws from Josh Brown with 20 seconds remaining. Brown replaced Dain Dainja, who had to leave the game with a knee injury before the free throws. Blake Remme scored a game-high 30 for the Panthers. Dainja led Park Center with 15 points.

Irondale 56, Andover 53: Ignatius "Iggy" Ejiofor hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to win the game for the Knights. The junior finished with 13 points. Aden Price also scored 13 for Irondale. Brady Garcia and Calvin Foy led the Huskies with 23 and 22 points.

Brooklyn Center 77, Columbia Heights 71: Rolund Russ had a double-double to lead the Centaurs passed the Hylanders with a career-high 32 points along with 12 rebounds. Quyavant Douglas contributed another 14. Jordan Jones led Columbia Heights with 23 points.

Chaska 59, St. Louis Park 49: Cole Nicholson led the No. 10-ranked Hawks with 27 points. Zach Lea added 11. Paris Johnson scored 20 for the Orioles.

staff reports