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John Millea did a nice write up about the game in the Star Tribune:
Cooper feels a Royals pain
And here's the PP one:
Royals No. 1 with a bullet
Second-ranked Hawks no match for 16-0 squad
By Ray Richardson
[email protected]
Posted: 02/03/2009 12:01:00 AM CST
This text is replaced by the Flash movie.
The next challenge for Hopkins' boys basketball team — if there is such a thing — might not come until the Minnesota Class AAAA state tournament.
Even then, it's hard to imagine an opponent with enough talent, depth and versatility to keep top-ranked Hopkins from completing an undefeated season.
For the second time in less than a month, Hopkins went on the road and handled the state's No. 2 team. The latest stop was Tuesday night at Robbinsdale Cooper, where Hopkins cruised to a 100-78 non-conference victory in front of a capacity crowd of more than 2,400.
"I feel we're supposed to be able to win games like this," Hopkins forward Royce White said. "We had some extra motivation for this one because people were saying Cooper was going to beat us."
The game featured two 15-0 teams and brought out a who's-who among the state's basketball elite, including former Timberwolves and Detroit Pistons coach Flip Saunders and former University of Minnesota standouts Trent Tucker, Ben Coleman and Richard Coffey.
Added to the marquee was White and Cooper's Rodney Williams, the state's top two forwards and future Gophers in the fall. White, Williams and Hopkins forward Trent Lockett are ranked among the nation's top 150 seniors by Rivals.com, a leading national scouting service for high school basketball.
Though the 6 foot 8 White (No. 19) and 6-7 Williams (No. 95) have received most of the attention, Lockett (No. 73)
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might have stolen the spotlight Tuesday night. The 6-5 Lockett scored 19 of his game-high 23 points in the second half to help Hopkins (16-0) pull away and hand Cooper (15-1) its first loss of the season.
Lockett, who also defended the high-flying Williams most of the game, scored 11 points in a crucial second-half stretch that broke the game open.
"I was just trying to make plays out there to help the team," said Lockett, who's headed to Arizona State in the fall. "I know I have to contribute when I get the opportunity. This was a game for us to make a statement."
Lockett darted past Williams to convert a two-handed slam dunk to give the Royals a 71-55 lead with 10:16 remaining in the second half. White followed with a layup after stealing the ball from Cooper forward Joe Bright for two of his 21 points.
Cooper, overmatched by Hopkins' size and defensive intensity, could not recover. Hopkins center Mike Broghammer, headed to Notre Dame in the fall, had a big night inside as well with 17 points, six during the key stretch midway in the second half.
"You have to rebound and get back on defense to have a chance against them," Williams said of Hopkins. "We didn't do that at times tonight and it hurt us. If we see them again, we'll correct those things."
After a sluggish start, four points in the first half, Williams finished with 19. But Lockett set the tone in the first half by keeping Williams away from the basket. Williams was 1 for 4 shooting in the first half before getting untracked.
Hopkins coach Ken Novak Jr. surprised fans expecting White and Williams — good friends and teammates on Howard Pulley's 17-under summer youth team — to be matched against each other most of the night. The two had few one-on-one battles, though Williams blocked one of White's drives to the basket in the first half.
"It probably was a good idea on their part to put Royce on Joe," Williams said of Novak's strategy, flashing a quick smile. "If Royce was on me, it might have thrown him off his game."
White had 16 of his points in the first half to spark Hopkins to a 49-40 lead at halftime. But Hopkins' depth became a factor late in the half.
Seven of Hopkins' last nine points in the half came from backup guards Joe Coleman and Moses Sundufu. Coleman had a layup and a free throw and Sundufu hit a three-pointer.
"I thought that was a key moment for us late in the half," Novak said. "We had four of our starters on the bench and we were able to hold them off and get into the locker room with an edge. That was big for us."
Hopkins' late spurt came with Williams out of the game. He went to the bench after committing his third foul with 1:36 left.
Cooper feels a Royals pain
And here's the PP one:
Royals No. 1 with a bullet
Second-ranked Hawks no match for 16-0 squad
By Ray Richardson
[email protected]
Posted: 02/03/2009 12:01:00 AM CST
This text is replaced by the Flash movie.
The next challenge for Hopkins' boys basketball team — if there is such a thing — might not come until the Minnesota Class AAAA state tournament.
Even then, it's hard to imagine an opponent with enough talent, depth and versatility to keep top-ranked Hopkins from completing an undefeated season.
For the second time in less than a month, Hopkins went on the road and handled the state's No. 2 team. The latest stop was Tuesday night at Robbinsdale Cooper, where Hopkins cruised to a 100-78 non-conference victory in front of a capacity crowd of more than 2,400.
"I feel we're supposed to be able to win games like this," Hopkins forward Royce White said. "We had some extra motivation for this one because people were saying Cooper was going to beat us."
The game featured two 15-0 teams and brought out a who's-who among the state's basketball elite, including former Timberwolves and Detroit Pistons coach Flip Saunders and former University of Minnesota standouts Trent Tucker, Ben Coleman and Richard Coffey.
Added to the marquee was White and Cooper's Rodney Williams, the state's top two forwards and future Gophers in the fall. White, Williams and Hopkins forward Trent Lockett are ranked among the nation's top 150 seniors by Rivals.com, a leading national scouting service for high school basketball.
Though the 6 foot 8 White (No. 19) and 6-7 Williams (No. 95) have received most of the attention, Lockett (No. 73)
Advertisement
might have stolen the spotlight Tuesday night. The 6-5 Lockett scored 19 of his game-high 23 points in the second half to help Hopkins (16-0) pull away and hand Cooper (15-1) its first loss of the season.
Lockett, who also defended the high-flying Williams most of the game, scored 11 points in a crucial second-half stretch that broke the game open.
"I was just trying to make plays out there to help the team," said Lockett, who's headed to Arizona State in the fall. "I know I have to contribute when I get the opportunity. This was a game for us to make a statement."
Lockett darted past Williams to convert a two-handed slam dunk to give the Royals a 71-55 lead with 10:16 remaining in the second half. White followed with a layup after stealing the ball from Cooper forward Joe Bright for two of his 21 points.
Cooper, overmatched by Hopkins' size and defensive intensity, could not recover. Hopkins center Mike Broghammer, headed to Notre Dame in the fall, had a big night inside as well with 17 points, six during the key stretch midway in the second half.
"You have to rebound and get back on defense to have a chance against them," Williams said of Hopkins. "We didn't do that at times tonight and it hurt us. If we see them again, we'll correct those things."
After a sluggish start, four points in the first half, Williams finished with 19. But Lockett set the tone in the first half by keeping Williams away from the basket. Williams was 1 for 4 shooting in the first half before getting untracked.
Hopkins coach Ken Novak Jr. surprised fans expecting White and Williams — good friends and teammates on Howard Pulley's 17-under summer youth team — to be matched against each other most of the night. The two had few one-on-one battles, though Williams blocked one of White's drives to the basket in the first half.
"It probably was a good idea on their part to put Royce on Joe," Williams said of Novak's strategy, flashing a quick smile. "If Royce was on me, it might have thrown him off his game."
White had 16 of his points in the first half to spark Hopkins to a 49-40 lead at halftime. But Hopkins' depth became a factor late in the half.
Seven of Hopkins' last nine points in the half came from backup guards Joe Coleman and Moses Sundufu. Coleman had a layup and a free throw and Sundufu hit a three-pointer.
"I thought that was a key moment for us late in the half," Novak said. "We had four of our starters on the bench and we were able to hold them off and get into the locker room with an edge. That was big for us."
Hopkins' late spurt came with Williams out of the game. He went to the bench after committing his third foul with 1:36 left.