Shakopee boys' basketball coach Bruce Kugath expected his squad to get better as the year progressed. But its start to the season has been exceptional.
The Class 4A, No. 9 Sabres opened with four consecutive victories, including two over ranked teams. They defeated No. 10 East Ridge 67-59 and most recently No. 4 Hopkins 67-57.
"We are off to a great start," Kugath said. "I'm encouraged by how hard we are playing and how well we work as a team."
The Sabres welcomed back two starters — senior guard Evan Hagen and junior forward Steffon Mitchell — from their third-place state tournament team of a year ago. They finished with an overall record of 24-7.
The 6-foot-7 Mitchell is off to an outstanding start, averaging 31.2 points per game. He scored a season-low 20 points against Hopkins, missing most of the second half because of an illness.
On the other hand, Hagen has yet to play this season, because of an injury. Junior forward Drew Hanbury, one of the Sabres' top reserves, also is sidelined with an injury.
Three of Shakopee's top four scorers are juniors. Forward Taylor Triplett is averaging 10.7 points per game and guard Booker Coplin is averaging 9.5 points. Senior guard Tevin Killeen is scoring an average of 10 points a night.
"At this point, we have returned only one starter from last year's team due to some offseason injuries," Kugath said. "While Steffon has led us in scoring and is playing at a high level, others — Booker, Tevin, Taylor and [senior forward] Jonathan Pierson — have stepped up to fill in the spots left by graduation and injury."
