3/2/2009 3:13:00 PM Williams carries Royals to conference title
Hopkins junior forward Hana Potter, center, fights for a loose ball with Armstrong players at Lindbergh Center Tuesday, Feb. 24 in Minnetonka. The Royals beat the Falcons 60-47. PHOTO: Mark Trockman
Riding on the shoulders of Brianna Williams, the Hopkins girls' basketball team ran past Robbinsdale Armstrong down the stretch on Tuesday, Feb. 24 and sewed up its eighth straight Classic Lake Conference championship along the way with a 60-47 victory.
Williams simply took over in the second half, scoring 20 of her career-high 25 points.
Despite what could be considered a "break-out" performance, Hopkins' coach Brian Cosgriff wasn't the least bit surprised by the effort of his young floor general.
"We always knew [Williams] could play like that," Cosgriff said moments after the game. "She's a pretty special player. We were worried about it because she picked up those three fouls in the first half, but she really stepped it up in the second [half]."
After a see-saw opening frame, Hopkins found itself trailing 28-24 at halftime following an ugly 10-for-31 shooting performance.
Williams quickly came to the rescue.
In the first eight minutes of the second, the slick sophomore registered nine points, including a game-tying 3-pointer with 10 minutes, 39 seconds on the clock.
Roughly six minutes later with her team trailing by one, she started a personal eight-point rally by swishing a 3-pointer from the right wing, putting the Royals ahead for good at 47-45 with 6:26 to go.
After a free throw and consecutive two-point field goals by Williams, Kara Elofson put Hopkins on top by double-figures with an old-fashioned three-point play at 2:35. From that point on, the Royals nailed 5 of 6 free throws to ice the game.
In the second half, Hopkins created nine turnovers and forced the Falcons to 25 percent from the field.
Conversely, the Royals shot 44 percent and turned the ball over just five times.
"We made shots and were more aggressive offensively," Cosgriff said. "Armstrong shoots the ball real well and they work hard. We were lucky to come out on top tonight."
Playing in front of their home fans at the Lindbergh Center, Hopkins jumped out to an 11-6 to lead in the game's first six minutes, receiving scoring contribution from five different players in the span.
Armstrong took its first lead at 14-13 before stretching it to 28-22 when Ali Hoefer lined up back-to-back long balls in the final 90 seconds of the half.
"They hit a couple really big threes on us right before the end of the half," Cosgriff said. "You just have to tip your cap and say 'Nice half' and move on; that's all you can do."
Hoefer led the Falcons with 15 points while teammates Elizabeth Wilson added 10.
With the victory, the Royals are almost guaranteed a top seed in the Section tournament. But according to Cosgriff, his team has a lot to work on if they have any aspirations of taking home their first state title since 2006.
"We want shore up a lot of things before the playoffs," he said. "We need to work on everything."
