Hopkins Boys Basketball Avenges Earlier Loss Against Eden Prairie

A little over a fortnight ago the Hopkins Royals were regrouping from their first loss of the season—a home loss to the Eagles of Eden Prairie.

On Friday in Eden Prairie, in front of a packed house, Hopkins (21-1) got its chance to return the favor—beating Eden Prairie (18-4) 73-60 and leveling the season series at 1-1.

Royals standout Joe Coleman, who led all scorers with 25-points, wasn’t surprised by the atmosphere at all.

“It’s no different then our house, so it didn’t feel that different,” he said. “We just had to make sure we came in and played our game, and not let what [Eden Prairie] did, rattle us.” 

Hopkins seemed to learn its lesson after a lackluster first-half in the first meeting, when the Royals went into halftime at a deficit.

The second meeting was just the opposite.

Hopkins came out fast and effective in the first-half, holding the Eagles to 26-points and controlling the game from the paint.  

“We had to just make sure we came out aggressive this game,“ Coleman said.  “And just not give up a lot of easy shots.”

The Royals went into halftime with a 33-26 lead after a late three-pointer by junior forward Zach Stahl , who finished with 15-points.  Stahl’s impact was felt on both sides of the court, too, as the forward came away with a number of heady plays and athletic blocked shots.

Despite the Eagles’ skill on defense and strong contributions from center Connor Nord and forward Dylan Stewart, combining for 31-points, the Eagles were overwhelmed most of the night by the Royals’ inside presence.

Late in the game, Eagles coach David Flom was issued a technical after arguing with officials, leaving Eden Prairie with an eight-point deficit with eight minutes left.  

The next possession Coleman delivered a baseline dunk and effectively delivered the finishing blow for Eagles fans.

Coleman credits the team’s focus in for the victory and Coach Ken Novak, Jr. for emphasizing the importance of being prepared.

“[Coach] has got us making sure our mentality is right and we are focused on the task at hand and nothing else.”