On a night when three Minnesota high school basketball teams brought home championship hardware for the first time, the final title of the night went to a team that has done this before.
A lot.
On Saturday night, the Hopkins Royals won their third consecutive Minnesota State Class AAAA basketball championship, and their fifth in the last seven years, by knocking off the Eden Prairie Eagles at the Target Center by a score of 64-52.
Eden Prairie was playing in their first-ever state championship game, and came into this one with the confidence of knowing that they were the only team to have beaten the Royals all season. Still, Hopkins would not be denied on this night.
Joe Coleman, the Hopkins star that has committed to the Gophers. . .until Tubby Smith does something to drive him away. . .led all scorers in this one with 22 points. Marvin Singleton chipped in with 15 for the Royals, while Siyani Chambers finished with 12. The Royals only played six players in this game, and four of them scored double-digit points.
For Eden Prairie, Grant Soderberg led the team with 16, but he was the only Eagle to score in double figures on the evening. Derek Dedeker and Dylan Stewart each finished with eight.
Hopkins finishes the year with a record of 31-1, while Eden Prairie's final record for the 2010-11 season is 27-5.
Congratulations to the Royals on a monumental accomplishment, winning their third straight state championship, and congratulations to Eden Prairie on a successful campaign as well.