Watch the Hopkins and Duluth Marshall girls basketball teams tangle in a matchup of Class 4A and 2A powers

Two intriguing girls basketball teams will meet Saturday afternoon, Class 2A’s Duluth Marshall (4-0) and perennial 4A power Hopkins (4-1), and you can watch live on startribune.com. Here’s a preview:

Game details: 1 p.m. Saturday at Duluth Marshall

Watch it live: startribune.com/nspn/mnhsgirlsbasketball

What’s at stake: Duluth Marshall’s girls basketball program wants to become one of the state’s best. The Hilltoppers and coach Chibuzo Osuchukwu have bolstered their schedule to enhance that chance. Hopkins is No. 1 in the Star Tribune’s statewide Minnesota Top 25 rankings; Duluth Marshall is No. 22. In the Minnesota Basketball News class-by-class rankings, the Hilltoppers are No. 3 in Class 2A and the Royals are No. 1 in Class 4A.

How they’ve fared: Hopkins is coming off a 68-61 loss to Eastview on Wednesday night. It was the first game for the Royals without 5-9 senior guard Tatum Woodson, their floor leader averaging 10 points per game. She is sidelined because of a knee injury suffered in a 64-62 victory over Class 3A’s top team, Benilde-St. Margaret’s. Duluth Marshall rolled through its first four opponents by an average score of 88-26. Hopkins allows 50.2 points per game against a much more demanding schedule, and its swarming defense will pose problems for the Hilltoppers.

Players to watch: Osuchukwu has two of the state’s best young players, 6-0 freshman guard Chloe Johnson and 6-7 eighth-grader Gabija Krasauskaite. Johnson is one of the nation’s top prospects in the Class of 2028. She had 47 points Tuesday (on 21-for-25 shooting) against Hibbing. Johnson is averaging 31.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 6.5 steals per game. Osuchukwu lost one of the top seniors in 5-10 guard Regan Juenemann, who transferred to Class 2A, No. 2 Crosby-Ironton. Krasauskaite is averaging 9.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.8 blocked shots. Her stamina will be tested by Hopkins’ fast pace. Hopkins might not have the star power of Royals teams of the past but is still very talented. The Royals’ balanced attack is led by 6-1 sophomore forward Erma Walker (14.4 points per game) and 5-11 senior wing Lauren Hillesheim (12.8). The Royals’ depth has been bolstered by the transfer of Alivia Bell (7.4) from Winona. Hopkins has won eight state championships while Duluth Marshall has only made three state tournament appearances.

For results from this game and others played across the state, plus stats, standings, rankings and more, click here to visit the MN Girls Basketball Hub.