Hopkins reaches Class 4A girls basketball state final and will go for a record against Maple Grove

Heavy is the head that wears the crown for the Hopkins Royals.

The eight-time state champs have been to the Class 4A state title game 12 times in the past 14 years and will return again Saturday, thanks to their 68-48 semifinal victory over Eastview on Thursday at Williams Arena. There they will have a chance to set the record for most girls basketball state titles in Minnesota history, breaking a tie with Rochester Lourdes.

After a scrappy, defensive start for both teams, Hopkins pulled ahead, leading by as many as 18 behind 10 first-half points each from seniors Liv Bell and London Harris.

Hopkins, ranked third in the Star Tribune’s Minnesota Top 25, one spot ahead of Eastview, especially locked down Eastview’s perimeter early. The Lightning, seeking their third state title, had shot 7-for-25 on three-pointers in a quarterfinal victory over Anoka but came up empty on three attempts all game.

“[Clara] Goodman is a lights-out shooter, so we wanted to stay attached,” Hopkins coach Tara Starks said. “If we could limit them and not trade three for two, then we’d be OK.”

Meanwhile, Hopkins shot 7-for-20 from beyond the arc.

Eastview cut Hopkins’ lead to 11, 39-28, by halftime as senior guard Bra’ja Torry — the Lightning’s all-time steals and assists leader — scored 11 of her team-high 16 in the first half. Senior guard Myah Maull scored 15 for the Lightning.

Hopkins’ lead narrowed to as few as seven points early in the second half, but the Royals never trailed in a stop-and-start affair. Hopkins shot 17-for-23 from the free-throw line and Eastview 18-for-30.

“They’re physical, and they are tenacious [defenders],” Eastview coach Molly Kasper said. “If the team can’t manage through that, it becomes very difficult.”

Sophomore forward Erma Walker led the Royals with 16 points, shooting 8-for-10 from the line. Guard Jaliyah Diggs finished with a game-high 12 assists and scored all eight of her points in the second half.

“I was turning over the ball a lot, just in my head, so finding my teammates [was key],” Diggs said.

Maple Grove is still rolling.

In pursuit of the program’s first state title, the Crimson rode a winning streak that started in December all the way to the Class 4A championship game. The class’ top seed knocked out fourth-seeded Lakeville North 69-50 in the semifinals at Williams Arena.

“You had two very different styles on that floor tonight,” Maple Grove coach Mark Cook said. “You had a very big and strong team versus a little smaller, faster team. … Our ability to adapt to their style in the half-court really helped us.”

The usual suspects, in peak form, led the way. Jordan Ode, after scoring 27 points in the Crimson’s quarterfinal blowout of White Bear Lake, put up 30 Thursday — 19 of them coming in a 12-minute stretch in the first half.

The Crimson (27-2), ranked second in the Minnesota Top 25, maintained a lead of a few baskets most of the game, but it never got comfortable.

“It’s the most stressful 19-point victory I’ve ever had in my whole life,” Cook said. “The score doesn’t reflect how close it was.”

The Panthers were hustling, but their turnovers — 17 to Maple Grove’s eight — didn’t help in their effort to keep up with a fast Crimson team.

Lakeville North (19-12), 12th in the Minnesota Top 25, had the height advantage in the matchup, and forwards Sahara Wilson and Aduke Ojullu – 6-3 and 6-2, respectively — were holding the keys to their offense. They put up 31 points between them, but it was a game of cat-and-mouse: Any time the Panthers got within shooting distance, Maple Grove pulled away again.

As the game wound down, Maple Grove proved to be too much to overcome. The lead hung around 15 for most of the final minutes, which featured a standing ovation from a sizable Maple Grove crowd.