Made my way over to Osseo High School today to catch the semifinals of Section 6AAAA - the first one at noon featuring fourth-seeeded Cooper against defending state champ and perennial powerhouse - and #1 seed Hopkins. On paper anyway, this appeared to be a comfortable win for the Royals and likely nothing more than a speedbump along the way back to Target Center for a repeat performance from last year. However, as Head Coach Brian Cosgriff knows all too well, games are never won on paper and the Royals had to be ready to go.
Cooper managed to stay close for the first seven minutes as early baskets from senior guard Chelsey McGee and junior Tori Green plus a free throw by senior Talaylah Rich enabled the Hawks to be knotted at 9-all with their heavily-favored opponent by the 14:35 mark. However, the Royals finally got their run-and-gun style cranking soon afterward. Senior guard Taylor Anderson knocked down a "3" at the 14:11 mark and then it was fellow senior sensation Nia Coffey connecting on a lay-up in transition at the 13:45 mark. Three more scores by Coffey - one in the paint at the 12:55 mark, a jumper at the 12:20 mark, and another lay-up in transition at the 11:49 mark - not only showed the crowd at Osseo what an incredibly explosive player she really is but also had Hopkins up by a score of 20-12 and had Cooper Head Coach Jen Rademacher calling for a timeout.
Hopkins would gradually expand their lead into double digits but the pesky Hawks did not make it an easy task. A jumper by Coffey at the 10:42 mark plus a score in the paint by reserve junior post Molly O'Toole had Hopkins up 26-16. A "3" by Anderson from the top of the key with 9:39 left made it a 29-17 game in favor of the Royals but Cooper kept finding ways to hang around even when things looked a little bleak. Junior guard Laurie Bohler connected with a jumper with 9:07 left and then Rich used her strong 5'9" frame to make good on a drive and finish with 7:09 left to briefly cut the deficit back to single digits. Hopkins, however, would go on another surge; an 11-2 run highlighted by a steal and lay-up the other way by the speedy Anderson and strong 6'4" senior post Erin O'Toole getting scores in the paint at the 5:18 and 4:27 marks. Coffey also made good on yet another lay-up in transition and got fouled in the process and the obligatory freebie had Hopkins seemingly safely up 41-25 with 4:02 left. But this Cooper team simply refused to fold up the tent - it was WAY too early for that. Junior Manita Kelly knocked down a jumper from the left wing with 3:54 left and then it was Bohler draining a "3" from the right wing with 3:18 left. Two more scores by Coffey temporarily halted the Cooper march but Rich again muscled her way into the lane to knock down a short jumper with 2:13 left and then it was Green using her quickness to make good on a drive and finish - and draw a foul in the process that allowed her to sink a free throw to cut the Hopkins lead down to 46-33. The Royals attempted to salt away the first half with under a minute left but a costly turnover gave the Hawks a wisp of a chance with just :02 left. And that was all Bohler needed as she took the inbounds pass and let loose with a heave and a prayer from mid-court that kissed off the glass and into the cylinder and net that wowed the crowd and drew Cooper to within ten at 46-36. Now the question would be if Cooper could somehow channel this late first-half run into some much-needed momentum going into the second half.
The answer to that question was a resounding no - at least opening minutes of the second half anyway as the Royals quickly proceeded to go on a 7-0 run that had the lead safely back in the double-digit margin again by the 16:29 mark at 53-36. Cooper briefly threatened again when Green hit a "3" from the left wing at the 15:44 mark and Bohler grabbed an offensive rebound for a putback at the 15:04 mark but the Royals kept doing damage to the Hawks both inside and outside. Erin O'Toole grabbed a rebound of her own missed shot for a putback at the 14:43 mark and then freshman Nia Hollie connected with a jumper along the right baseline at the 13:34 mark. Erin O'Toole connected with a shot off the glass at the 11:53 mark and then both Anderson and Coffey made good on transition opportunites that made it a 63-44 game and had Rademecher calling for another timeout to halt this latest Hopkins blitzkrieg.
The Royals would increase the lead to as much as twenty one at 70-49 with 9:42 left and, by that point, everything looked safe for Hopkins. But this is a scrappy Cooper team sporting a 22-5 record that ripped off fifteen wins since the first of the year; the only blemish being a 45-42 loss to DeLaSalle on January 3. And they weren't about to throw in the towel on this one, either. It was a process but the Hawks gradually whittled away at the Hopkins lead. Bohler drained a "3" from the left corner with 9:09 left. Senior reserve guard Hannah DeNure made good on two chances at the charity stripe with 7:37 left and then it was Rich who was sensational coming down the stretch as she connected on a jumper in the lane and in considerable traffic with 7:15 left. Then it was DeNure getting inside for a score with 6:41 left that cut the Hopkins lead down to 73-58 and had Cosgriff pleading for a timeout.
Hopkins would then go on another push that had the lead back up to 78-60 with 4:05 left but the Hawks still wouldn't quit. Rich muscled her way into the paint for a score with 3:57 left and then with 2:47 left she made another strong move into the lane and connected with a one-handed jumper. Senior Mikayla Shackelford missed a free throw attempt for the Royals with 2:22 left and that gave the Hawks another chance to slice into the Hopkins advantage. Rich got into the lane with 2:10 left on a strong move and connected with another one-handed shot that cut the lead down to twelve at 78-66. After another Hopkins miss, back came the Hawks and Rich was able to connect with a lay-up in transition with just 1:40 left that cut the lead down to ten at 78-68 and surely had the Royals and Cosgriff sweating just a bit. But that's as close as the Hawks could come in this one as the Royals used the clock to get to the charity stripe and was able to come away with a much tougher than expected 82-70 win that sends Hopkins to the Section 6AAAA Championship Game this coming Wednesday night.
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