Made my way back to Lindbergh Center in busy traffic
after the UST – St. Kate’s game to catch the much-anticipated clash between
Anoka and two-time defending state champ (and host) Hopkins. A large (almost SRO) crowd was on hand
(presumably for the De La Salle – Apple Valley boys clash afterward) but the
audience would get a very good appetizer before the main course. And, perhaps more importantly, wipe away the
notion that Hopkins should be anointed at this point in the season to repeat
again.
Still, the Royals showed why they are certainly a big
favorite to indeed repeat (again) and doing the damage early on was strong 5’8”
sophomore Ashley Bates as she showed how versatile she really is by not only
hitting treys but also getting steals for easy lay-ups and playing a big part
of Hopkins’ ability to take Anoka out of any rhythm offensively as the Royals
bolted to a 10-3 lead by the 14:26 mark.
Another Bates “3” from the right wing at the 13:52 mark and two freebies
from her as well after getting fouled at the 13:17 mark had Hopkins up 15-4
before the Tornadoes could get anything going.
This big Anoka team would finally wake up at the 11:54 mark when lanky
senior guard Kyrah Fredenburg was able to maneuver into the paint for a score
and fellow senior Ashley Bray made good on two charity stripe opportunities
after getting fouled at the 11:23 mark.
Still, a drive and finish by sophomore guard Nia Hollie and a rebound
and putback by fellow lanky sophomore reserve Liz Bulver had Hopkins up 19-8 by
the 10:36 mark and had new Anoka Head Coach Scott Antl calling a timeout to
halt the action.
Slowly, but steadily, the Tornadoes scratched and clawed
their way right back into the thick of things – and then some. Trailing 21-8 after a lay-up in transition by
Royal sophomore Evelyn Knox, Anoka began to pick up the pace offensively and, more
importantly, began to utilize their decisive size advantage to dominate the
boards on both ends of the floor. A
score inside by senior guard Samantha Brannen at the 10:09 mark plus free
throws by Fredenburg got the deficit into single digits with 8:33 left. Bates twice had Hopkins back up by double
digits with her heroics but this experienced Anoka squad was not to be fazed. Reserve senior forward Samantha Adamich got
into the paint for a score with 6:36 left and then lanky senior guard Claire
Lundberg connected with a jumper along the right baseline with 5:26 left. Brannen surprised the Royals by snaring a
steal for a lay-up with 4:31 left that sliced the Hopkins lead down to 25-20
but the Tornadoes were not done yet.
Offensive rebounds for putbacks by Adamich with 3:51 left and by
Lundberg with 3:18 left sliced the Hopkins advantage to a single point at
25-24. Anoka seized the lead with 1:59
left when Adamich connected with a jumper from the right wing area and then
Fredenburg sent shock waves throughout Lindbergh Center with her “3” with 1:41
left that paved the way for a 32-25 Anoka advantage at the half that gave
Hopkins Head Coach Brian Cosgriff and his staff a lot to think about over the
break.
Whatever Cosgriff told his team in the locker room over
halftime seemed to work as the Royals wasted no time in snatching the momentum
back from the opportunistic Tornadoes.
While Anoka had the size advantage, Hopkins had the speed and
athleticism and, on this night anyway, it paid huge dividends. Senior Molly O’Toole, having had to play in
the shadow of her now-graduated sister Erin, also began to shine in the second
half. The other telling point in the
early stages of the second half was that the foul advantage was in favor of the
Royals by a 6-0 margin by the 14:44 mark which would soon have Hopkins in the
bonus. By the 14:15 mark, they were as
sophomore Evelyn Knox made good from the charity stripe that enabled Hopkins to
re-take the lead at 37-35 and they never looked back. Anoka would still keep things close and stay
within striking distance but they never could find that magical “run” again
that they had in the first half. A lay-up
by Lundberg closed the margin to a single point for Anoka at the 13:44 mark as
did Brannen’s score in the paint at the 12:52 mark that had the Royals up only
by a score of 40-39.
But a jumper by always-reliable Bates and a lay-up in
transition by sophomore reserve guard K’Aezha Wubben had the Hopkins Express
rolling again by the 12:06 mark. Anoka
tried to counter with Fredenburg’s “3” from the right corner at the 10:47 mark
and Ashley Bray’s score in the paint that got her fouled but, again, they never
could quite get over the hump. With the
Royals nursing a 52-50 lead with 7:51 left, Holley connected with a short
jumper with 6:38 left and then the unheralded O’Toole scored in the paint with
6:12 left. The dagger would come with
5:40 left and it would be by none other than Bates as she delivered with a “3”
from the left top that suddenly had Hopkins up 59-50 and effectively ended any
threat from the visiting Tornadoes.
Up-and-coming reserve freshman guard Dee-Dee Winston nailed a “3” from
the left top area with 3:50 left and then junior guard Viria Livingston made
good on two free throws with 3:09 left that now had the Royals once again up by
double digits at 64-52. The Royals would
be able to put a choke hold on the rest of the way to ensure a 68-57 win at
home in this showcase event.
Afterward, Antl admitted his squad did not do a good
enough job of boxing out and executing in the opening moments of the second
half. Still, I think Anoka can take a
lot of positives from this contest going forward as they are not only the
favorites to win the Northwest Suburban Conference but also take the Section
7AAAA honors as well and THIS time make a serious challenge at the State
Tournament. I think Hopkins SHOULD still be considered to be the favorites to win
the state title again but I would caution people from crowning them just yet as
this is only December and there is a LOT of basketball to be played between now
and March and the gap between the Royals and everyone else has narrowed
considerably.
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