Royals Girls Edge Eden Prairie in Rematch

Hopkins reserve guard Mikaala Shackelford “had a recent tough stretch,” according to girl’s basketball coach Brian Cosgriff.

But when the sophomore made eight points in less than 30 seconds midway through the second half of the game against Eden Prairie Friday night, it was clear she had put those recent low points behind her.

“It was my best game of the year,” she said.

She finished with 10 points to lead the Royals to 49-44 victory over  the Eagles in the rubber match between the two best teams in Class 4A in Minnesota .

Guard Brianna Williams had to sit for nearly eight minutes when she committed back-to-back charging calls only about four minutes into the second half.

“My dad came down from the stands and gave me a pep talk,” the senior said.

It seemed to have worked as she made three key free throws in the closing seconds of the game and played intense defense with a couple of steals and dove for some critical loose balls, which she kept in possession for Hopkins.

The Royals won 49-44 at the Lindbergh Center.

The Royals beat the Eagles back in late December, then lost on Feb. 1 at Eden Prairie.

“The margins of victory were six, six and five points,” Cosgriff said after the game. “That tells you something about how good and competitive these two teams are.”

Outstanding Eagles guard Taylor Uhl had 19 points to lead all scorers. Lightening fast, the senior is headed to the University of Minnesota next fall on a soccer scholarship.

“She is as good a player as we have faced,” said Royals junior forward Sydney Coffey. “She is very quick and really gets to the basket. “

Coffey had eight points, as did her sophomore sister, Nia.

“I thought we brought a bit more energy to this game than the one we lost and everyone seemed to be on the same page tonight,” Nia observed.

Hopkins took early command of the game going up 6-0 in the opening three minutes thanks to two baskets by Williams who opened the night’s scoring with a nifty drive through a couple of Eden Prairie defenders. It soon became 10-4 for the Royals, but Eden Prairie came back. Hopkins center Gracia Hutson got a couple of key buckets and at halftime the Royals were up by two, 21-19.

As was the case in the first half, Hopkins started the second surging to a seven point lead when Sydney Coffey nailed two threes from the left corner.

But Eden Prairie wouldn’t go away and the play of Uhl along with center Jackie Rose, kept the game in the nail-biter category.

The last few minutes, especially when Williams returned, saw the Royals up-tick the intensity on defense to secure the victory.

“Stops and shots are what win games and we basically did that,” Cosgriff said.

“It was our intensity and focus, Williams added. “Eden Prairie is certainly the best team we have played all year.”

The Royals are now 23-1 and host Wayzata this coming Tuesday night and close out the regular season on Feb. 25 at Minnetonka.