And, just like in the first game tonight, you just knew it was going to come down to another Hopkins vs Eastview match-up, right? They were both on display on the floor at Williams Arena on this Saturday night for the rubber match on the big stage for the whole ball of wax. The Lightning knocked off the Royals in overtime back in early December at the Hopkins Breakdown event but Hopkins turned the table on Eastview on New Year's Eve at the St. Olaf tournament. Who would prevail this time?
The answer to that question - at least early on anyway - appeared to be the Royals as they raced out to an 8-2 lead by the 15:25 mark on the strength of two scores by junior guard Nia Hollie. But Eastview rose to the challenge and went on a 6-0 burst of their own in the form of two huge treys - one from junior guard Erika Schlosser at the 14:37 mark from the left top area and the other coming from willowy sophomore guard Rachel Ranke from the left corner at the 14:05 mark. Hopkins would respond with a 7-0 burst of their own as two free throws by senior guard TT Starks at the 13:44 mark and a Starks score in the paint at the 12:36 mark and a "3" from junior reserve guard Evelyn Knox from the left wing now had the Royals back out in front 15-8. A Hollie score in the paint at the 10:49 mark kept the cushion at six for Hopkins with a 17-11 lead and a score in the paint by senior guard Viria Livingston with 9:21 left made it an eight-point Royal lead at 19-11. Not to be outdone, though, the Lightning scratched and clawed their way as a drive and finish along the left baseline by senior forward Hannah Metoxen with 6:57 left and another Ranke "3" from the left corner with 5:37 left sliced Hopkins lead down to 21-19. Eastview would hang around with that two-point deficit until Starks drained a "3" from the left wing with 4:03 left for a 26-21 Royal lead and it looked as if Hopkins was in control. Eastview, however, would make a big statement in the home stretch of the first half. Metoxen connected with a short jumper with 3:42 left and pairs of free throws by strong senior forward Samantha Trammel sliced the Royals lead down to a scant point at 28-27 with :52.9 left. Hopkins had one last chance to expand their lead before halftime but an untimely turnover gave the Lightning a golden opportunity with scant seconds left and they made the most of it as Ranke got herself open at the top of the key and drained a "3" with just two seconds left to give Eastview an unlikely 30-28 advantage once the buzzer sounded ending the first half. Ranke's nine points led the way for the Lightning in the first half and Trammel was right behind with her eight points. Hopkins had balanced scoring as well and Hollie's eight points led the way while Starks added seven. Both teams had thirteen rebounds a piece so, at the moment anyway, this one had the makings of a very close, very tight contest.
One thing that the Royals under Head Coach Brian Cosgriff thrive on is getting out to a hot start in the second half and Hopkins did just that; getting an 8-0 spurt that established some cushion. Two scores by Hollie and an offensive rebound and putback by under-appreciated guard Ashley Bates and a lay-up in transition by Starks gave the Royals a 36-30 advantage before Eastview was able to put a halt to that run at the 14:53 mark on a score in the paint by Metoxen. The Lightning were able to close the gap to four points on a "3" by Schlosser from the right wing area at the 13:07 mark that reduced Hopkins lead to 41-37 but a 9-0 expedition by the Royals; capped by a Hollie "3" from the top of the key that kissed off the glass suddenly had Hopkins up 50-37 and had Eastview Head Coach Melissa Guebert clamoring for a timeout. Another Schlosser "3" from the left top area with 8:57 left along with two free throws by senior guard Madison Guebert and one more by Schlosser with 7:33 left had the Lightning back to within single digits trailing 50-43. The Royals, however, would push the lead back up to twelve points at 56-44 when Hollie went coast-to-coast for a lay-up with 5:18 left and at that point, all looked lost for Eastview. But one thing that I've learned about watching this Eastview team over the years under Guebert's helm is that they often play their best in the face of adversity when their backs are against the wall. Hopkins still held a double-digit cushion at 61-48 when Bates connected with a lay-up with 4:16 left but this is where things almost unraveled for the Royals as Eastview made a spirted comeback bid. One Guebert freebie with 2:55 left and a Guebert lay-up in transition after a steal cut the Royals lead down to ten at 61-51 and two more Guebert charity stripe shots with 2:08 left now had the Lightning back in single-digit range trailing 61-53. With 1:43 left, Trammel muscled into the paint to snare an offensive rebound of her own miss for a putback that cut into the Hopkins cushion further. Guebert had the Eastview faithful on their feet with a roar when she connected on a drive and finish with 1:13 left and got fouled in the process as well and her ensuing free throw now had the Lightning trailing by only three at 61-58. A Hollie free throw with 1:05 left increased Hopkins' lead to 62-58 but Eastview had an opportunity to get to cut the deficit to a scant point when Ranke got free behind the arc again with :52 left but her three-point attempt was off the mark and that ended the Lightning comeback attempt. Insurance free throws by sophomore guard Dee Dee Winston, Starks and Hollie within the last minute preserved the hard-fought win and gave Cosgriff and Company another state title with a 68-60 victory.
A happy and relieved Cosgriff said afterward that "I knew it would be close....They're (Eastview) very good." He also spoke of his squad's defensive efforts early on in the second half that gave the Royals a bit of a cushion. "It's (the defense) been our calling card" he said. Of Hollie's big game where she finished with 26 points to lead all scorers: "Big-time players make shots when they need to." I asked Cosgriff specifically about Bates who, IMHO, doesn't seem to get the recognition she deserves. "Bates flies under the radar" Cosgriff said, adding that "she plays great defense." I asked Bates about the last couple of minutes when Eastview made that comeback bid and if there was ever any nervousness or panic that might have set in. "No, we've been there before" she replied adding that "we needed to stay calm." About winning this state title she said "It's really special....It's been our goal from Day 1....Our team is really close." On the other side of the coin, I asked Eastview's Melissa Guebert about this game and the last-gasp comeback bid that fell just short. "We needed to keep chipping away and we had to keep the energy-level up" she said adding that "I'm proud of their effort." Madison Guebert, in her last game as a Lightning, led the Eastview attack with her 19 points while Trammel finished with 12 points and Schlosser added 11 in the losing effort.
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