3/8/2010 3:27:00 PM Wayzata upsets Hopkins in section semifinals
By Matt Thomas
Most people wouldn't have given the Wayzata girls' basketball team much of a chance in the Section 6-4A semifinal game against the Hopkins Royals on Saturday, March 6.
The Royals swept the regular season series in convincing fashion, including a 66-51 victory on Jan. 22 and a 74-48 victory on Feb. 16.
To have a chance, the 14-13 Trojans needed to play their best game of the season and that's exactly what happened.
They got 23 points from sophomore forward Marissa Grossfeld and 13 points from sophomore forward Kayla Timmerman as they shocked the top seeded Royals by a score of 67-64.
Senior guard Erin Krause also came up big for the Trojans by scoring a season-high 11 points in the victory.
Senior Hana Potter and freshman Nia Coffey led the Royals (19-9) offensively with 17 and 14 points respectively.
The win moves the Trojans into this week's section final game where they will face the No. 2 seed Minneapolis South (21-6).
The Tigers advanced by defeating No. 3 seed Minnetonka 58-42. The Skippers (18-10) held a 25-23 lead at halftime, but were outscored 35-17 by the Tigers in the second half.
Junior Cassidy Smith was the lone Skipper to score in double figures with 16 points. Senior guard Tyisha Smith led the Tigers with a game-high 17 points.
The Trojans and Tigers will meet in the section final at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 11 at Osseo High School with a state tournament berth on the line.
While Wayzata has never been to a state tournament in school history, the Tigers have played in four of the last five state tournaments.
They won the Class 4A title last year behind a record-setting performance by Tayler Hill who is now playing for Ohio State University.
Orono falls to Benilde
The Orono Spartans saw their season come to a close on Saturday, March 6 with a 62-54 loss to No. 1 seed Benilde-St. Margaret's in a section 6-3A semifinal game.
The Spartans trailed by 11 at halftime and couldn't make up the deficit in the second half.
Junior Jena Chuba led the Spartans offensively with 15 points. Sophomore Amie Tunheim and junior Haley Erickson also scored in double figures with 14 and 11 points respectively.
Red Knights' sophomore Josie Dillon led all scorers with 19 points.
The Spartans finish the season with a record of 20-8.
The Mound Westonka White Hawks also saw their season end last week with a 41-27 loss to Holy Angels in a section 6-3A first round game on Tuesday, March 2.
Junior Sarah Jacobsen and senior Sarah Berlin led the White Hawks in scoring with 10 points apiece.
The White Hawks finish the season with a record of 4-21.
Providence falls in 2A
The Providence Academy Lions saw their season come to a close with a 38-35 overtime loss to top seeded Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted on Saturday, March 6.
Sophomore AnnMarie Healy led the Lions with 15 points. The Lions finish the season with a record of 20-7.
