Local Sports Update
'Fresh legs' help Royals win state title
Shannon O'Toole (45) and Alexis Garcia (20) lead the celebration after the Hopkins High girls basketball team defeats Eden Prairie 67-45 in the state title game March 19 at Target Center. (Photo by Brian Nelson • Contributing Photographer)
By JOHN SHERMAN - Sun Newspapers
After her team won the state Class 4A girls basketball title, Hopkins High senior guard Brianna Williams laid out the keys to the Royals' 67-45 victory over Eden Prairie.
"We were here for one reason, and that was to win a state championship," said Williams. "We hang our hat on defense ... that's how we won tonight. Because of our depth, we had fresh legs in the second half."
The score was 22-22 at halftime of the March 19 championship game at Target Center. In the second half, Hopkins steadily pulled away.
The Royal rush started when center Gracia Hutson scored after an offensive rebound to make it 34-28.
Shortly thereafter, Julia Wiemer and Nia Coffey drilled back-to-back three-point shots to boost the Hopkins lead to 45-32.
Soon it was a 16-point lead, then it was 18, and then it was 20. And the Hopkins fans went ballistic.
"The beautiful thing about this team is that everybody loves each other," said Hopkins head coach Brian Cosgriff, whose team finished 30-2 overall.
The only losses were to Eden Prairie (71-65) and Minnetonka (74-71) in Lake Conference play. Both of those losses were avenged in the playoffs - Minnetonka in the section finals (72-51) and Eden Prairie in the state finals.
"We knew what we had to do tonight," said Nia Coffey. "My dad [former Minnesota Timberwolf Richard Coffey] told me to be aggressive and play my game."
Nia had 12 points and nine rebounds while her sister Sydney led the Royals with 18 points.
Sydney made five three-point shots.
Wiemer and Hutson each had eight points. Ebony Livingston had a perfect shooting night as she went 3-for-3 from the field and 1-for-1 from the foul line to score seven points. Williams added six points in her final high school game.
For Wiemer and Williams the game was more focused on ballhandling than scoring. Eden Prairie's trapping defense posed problems for many opponents this season, but Wiemer and Williams cut through it with clever dribbling and well-timed passing.
As his players cut strands of the net after the game, Cosgriff didn't want to get up on the ladder and snip a strand. But, finally, he did.
Why the reluctance?
"It's all about the kids," he said. "That's why we do this."
Hopkins played team ball and exceptional team defense throughout the tournament, Cosgriff said.
The Royals beat Buffalo 79-62 in the first round March 16.
Hopkins shot the ball well, hitting 21 of 44 from the field and 15 of 24 at the foul line.
Williams led the attack with 19 points while the Coffey sisters each had 12 and Mikaala Shackelford had 11. Ebony Livingston contributed nine points.
Hopkins rolled past White Bear Lake 52-34 in the semifinals.
The Royals jumped out to a 31-15 halftime lead and the score never got any closer.
Livingston scored 15 points and Nia Coffey added 14. Williams scored 11 points and grabbed seven rebounds.
Hopkins' defense was the story throughout the game as the Royals forced the Bears into 30 turnovers.
With three state-tournament wins, coach Cosgriff saw his career record rise to 303-52.
Not many coaches in any sport win more than 85 percent of the time, but he has found the right formula. This year's state appearance was his sixth in the last 10 years.
So what is the secret of his success?
"It all starts with defense," he said.
Cosgriff wants to develop a deep bench, so he can play full-court defense. This year's team might have been the deepest one he has had. So the Royals' full-court pressure was relentless from the beginning of the season to the final contest.
The Royals earned four places on the Wells Fargo All-Tournament team.
Nia Coffey, Hutson, Livingston and Williams each received an All-Tournament award.
"We were here for one reason, and that was to win a state championship," said Williams. "We hang our hat on defense ... that's how we won tonight. Because of our depth, we had fresh legs in the second half."
The score was 22-22 at halftime of the March 19 championship game at Target Center. In the second half, Hopkins steadily pulled away.
The Royal rush started when center Gracia Hutson scored after an offensive rebound to make it 34-28.
Shortly thereafter, Julia Wiemer and Nia Coffey drilled back-to-back three-point shots to boost the Hopkins lead to 45-32.
Soon it was a 16-point lead, then it was 18, and then it was 20. And the Hopkins fans went ballistic.
"The beautiful thing about this team is that everybody loves each other," said Hopkins head coach Brian Cosgriff, whose team finished 30-2 overall.
The only losses were to Eden Prairie (71-65) and Minnetonka (74-71) in Lake Conference play. Both of those losses were avenged in the playoffs - Minnetonka in the section finals (72-51) and Eden Prairie in the state finals.
"We knew what we had to do tonight," said Nia Coffey. "My dad [former Minnesota Timberwolf Richard Coffey] told me to be aggressive and play my game."
Nia had 12 points and nine rebounds while her sister Sydney led the Royals with 18 points.
Sydney made five three-point shots.
Wiemer and Hutson each had eight points. Ebony Livingston had a perfect shooting night as she went 3-for-3 from the field and 1-for-1 from the foul line to score seven points. Williams added six points in her final high school game.
For Wiemer and Williams the game was more focused on ballhandling than scoring. Eden Prairie's trapping defense posed problems for many opponents this season, but Wiemer and Williams cut through it with clever dribbling and well-timed passing.
As his players cut strands of the net after the game, Cosgriff didn't want to get up on the ladder and snip a strand. But, finally, he did.
Why the reluctance?
"It's all about the kids," he said. "That's why we do this."
Hopkins played team ball and exceptional team defense throughout the tournament, Cosgriff said.
The Royals beat Buffalo 79-62 in the first round March 16.
Hopkins shot the ball well, hitting 21 of 44 from the field and 15 of 24 at the foul line.
Williams led the attack with 19 points while the Coffey sisters each had 12 and Mikaala Shackelford had 11. Ebony Livingston contributed nine points.
Hopkins rolled past White Bear Lake 52-34 in the semifinals.
The Royals jumped out to a 31-15 halftime lead and the score never got any closer.
Livingston scored 15 points and Nia Coffey added 14. Williams scored 11 points and grabbed seven rebounds.
Hopkins' defense was the story throughout the game as the Royals forced the Bears into 30 turnovers.
With three state-tournament wins, coach Cosgriff saw his career record rise to 303-52.
Not many coaches in any sport win more than 85 percent of the time, but he has found the right formula. This year's state appearance was his sixth in the last 10 years.
So what is the secret of his success?
"It all starts with defense," he said.
Cosgriff wants to develop a deep bench, so he can play full-court defense. This year's team might have been the deepest one he has had. So the Royals' full-court pressure was relentless from the beginning of the season to the final contest.
The Royals earned four places on the Wells Fargo All-Tournament team.
Nia Coffey, Hutson, Livingston and Williams each received an All-Tournament award.
Copyright © 2012 - Sun Newspapers