The first of two Class AAAA semifinal games on tap on this Thursday evening from Target Center featured a rematch of the 2015 Class AAAA title game - Eastview against number-one seeded Hopkins. The Royals; which got past a scrappy Park Center team on Tuesday morning, were taking on a somewhat unheralded Lightning squad that was without the graduated greats of Madison Guebert and Hana Metoxen. Still, it would be a mistake to take an underdog Eastview team lightly as the Lightning always fight from start to finish.
Two lay-ups in transition by senior guard Ashley Bates helped the Royals forge a 6-4 lead by the 13:08 mark as Hopkins loves to take advantage of any and all transition opportunities. Eastview would manage to grab a 7-6 lead on a "3" from the right wing by junior guard Allie Pickrain at the 12:38 mark and the Lightning showed no signs of nervousness or intimidation in the early going. Hopkins would grab a 13-10 advantage on a jumper from the left elbow area by senior forward Nia Hollie and on a score in the paint by senior reserve forward Dominique McNeely at the 9:20 mark but the Lightning would come right back and forge a 15-15 deadlock with 8:37 left after senior guard Emma Sinn connected with a pretty turnaround jumper. One three-point bomb from the top of the key with 7:47 left by lanky junior guard Rachel Ranke and a lay-up in transition by equally lanky sophomore post Megan Walstad that drew a foul and allowed her to sink the obligatory freebie had Eastview up 21-20. A Ranke lay-up with 5:57 left and a "3" from the left wing area by Pickrain gave the Lightning a three-point edge at 28-25 and there were those in attendance at Target Center that wondered if a major upset was brewing. But Hopkins hunkered down and went on a 15-2 run down the stretch of the first half. Two treys by sophomore reserve guard Raena Suggs and two late scores by Hollie highlighted the burst and the Royals took a 39-30 lead into the locker room at the half. Eastview was still in this thing, of course, but the late run had to shake the confidence the Lightning had early on in the first half.
Eastview somehow needed to slow the drive of the Royals to get this one back into single-digit range to give them a chance at coming back. But two quick scores by Bates along with two free throws by senior guard K'Aezha Wubben put Hopkins in command up 48-32 and a lay-up by sophomore forward Angelina Hammond at the 14:35 mark and a score inside by Bates at the 13:53 mark got the margin to fifteen at 52-37. A short jumper off the glass by Hollie at the 12:53 mark and a steal and lay-up the other way by Bates made it 56-39 Royals and there was no looking back now. To their credit, Eastview never gave up. In fact, the Lightning embarked on a 7-0 push midway through the second half thanks to a Ranke "3" and Ranke free throws that put a dent in the Hopkins cushion making it a 64-51 game with 7:54 left. But an offensive rebound and putback by junior guard DeAnna Winston with 7:11 left and a lay-up in transition by Hollie with 6:51 left that drew a foul and allowed her to sink the obligatory free throw made it a 69-51 ballgame that effectively ended and comeback hopes Eastview may have had. Insurance free throws by Bates and Hollie along with a Hollie lay-up with 3:56 left helped the Royals roll into yet another state championship game with an 85-67 victory.
I asked Eastview Head Coach Molly Kasper about the 15-2 run towards the end of the first half that was the game-changer in this contest. "Hopkins always seems to score in bunches.....We gave up offensive rebounds and transition points....and we lost control of the game....Against a team like Hopkins, you can't take any time off....You can't take one possession off." I also had a chance to ask both Pickrain and Ranke about assuming the leadership roles on the team now that both Madison Guebert and Hana Metoxen have moved on to their college basketball careers. Pickrain: "We both knew that we had to start stepping it up....and fill those roles." Ranke: "I talked to Maddie (Guebert) after the championship game last year and she told me 'You gotta take over this leadership role.' " Both have, IMHO, stepped into these roles and have embraced the leadership mantle and Eastview Girl's Basketball is in very good hands with this group. On the Hopkins side, Head Coach Brian Cosgriff is just simply excited to be in this position again. "I was a little worried going into this game......I really wanted to play a little bit faster than we did." Cosgriff talked about what it's like being able to play in "The Barn" and he recalled his memories of watching the Gophers men's teams from the 70's with great players like Mychal Thompson, Flip Saunders and later Kevin McHale. "Our goal from Day 1 has always been March 19 at 8:00 P.M......."We're there right now....and we feel pretty fortunate." I also had a chance to ask Bates about what it's been like to be able to transition from something of a role player to now being one of the leaders on this team - both on and off the court. She talked about the great players who graduated after last year; DeeDee Winston and Viria Livingston. "I knew I had to step up.....and try to be like them." Not surprisingly it was Hollie leading the way for Hopkins on this night with her 28 points and five boards while Bates had 23 points in a solid effort. For Eastview, Ranke's 24 points and nine boards led the way while Walstad had 21 points.
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