Still standing: Hopkins atop girls basketball Metro Top 10 despite loss

The Royals survived a challenging stretch until No. 9 Providence Academy weighed in.

January 30, 2023 at 4:56PM
Taylor Woodson (left) and Nunu Agara are key figures for No. 1 Hopkins, which lost Saturday to a Minnesota team for the first time since the 2021 Class 4A final. Nunu Agara played in that loss, scoring 37 points, but injury kept Woodson out. (Cheryl A. Myers (Woodson) and Korey McDermott (Agara), Special to the Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

A grueling stretch of schedule caught up to Hopkins.

The Class 4A defending state champion Royals (16-1) remain No. 1 in the girls basketball Metro Top 10 despite an 87-80 loss Saturday to No. 9 Providence Academy. It was the 11th straight win for the Lions (12-2). It also was Hopkins' first loss to a Minnesota team since falling to Chaska 67-62 in the semifinals of the Class 4A state tournament April 7, 2021.

The setback came less than 24 hours after the Royals won 75-66 at No. 4 St. Michael-Albertville in a Lake Conference matchup. The Royals also won 57-50 against No. 3 Wayzata (14-3) and 86-60 against Minnetonka (12-6) in conference play over a demanding five-game stretch.

Freshman phenom Maddyn Greenway scored a season-high 41 points for the Lions against Hopkins. Three of her teammates scored in double figures.

Hopkins was led by senior guard Nunu Agara, who scored 37 points; she's committed to Stanford for college. Hopkins' second-leading scorer, Taylor Woodson (15.2 points per game), didn't play because of injury; she's committed to Michigan.

This week's marquee matchup

Benilde-St. Margaret's at Chaska, 7 p.m. Thursday

The focus turns away from the Lake Conference with No. 2 Chaska (16-1) hosting No. 8 Benilde-St. Margaret's (13-4) with first place in the Metro West Conference at state. Chaska won the first meeting 92-83 this month when senior guard Kennedy Sanders, committed to Colorado, scored 42 points. The Hawks' lone setback came at Hopkins.

Girls basketball Metro Top 10

1. Hopkins (16-1)

8. Benilde-St. Margaret's (3A) (13-4)

9. Providence Academy (2A) (12-2)

10. Becker (3A) (13-3)

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about the writer

Ron Haggstrom

Prep Sports Reporter

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Six players plus head coach Garrett Raboin and assistant coach Ben Gordon are from Minnesota. The tournament’s games will be televised starting Monday.

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