After an unfamiliar absence from last year’s state tournament, the Hopkins Royals boys basketball team (28-1) is back on track after a 77-64 victory over the Eden Prairie Eagles (22-7) in the section 6AAAA championship game.

Sophomore guard Amir Coffey lead the Royals with 20 points, and senior captain Jake Wright scored 19 in the winning effort.

Eden Prairie point guard Andre Wallace, senior, scored 18 points. Wallace spent a majority of the game on the bench in foul trouble, which hurt the Eagles down the stretch.

Junior forward Grantham Gillard lead the Eagles with 26, scoring most of his points from behind the three point line.

The Royals only short coming this season, was a 96-90 loss to the top ranked Apple Valley Eagles and Duke commit Tyus Jones.

Many fans, pundits, and players around the state expected a rematch between the two in the class 4AAAA state championship this March, but Cretin Derham Hall’s 89-77 double overtime upset over Jones and his Eagles last night in the section 3AAAA championship, made this impossible.

Jones scored 35 in the last game of his high school career, but it was not enough.

Senior Michael Hannon, and junior George Hottinger, scored 26 and 22 points respectively for the Raiders.

HHS will assume the number one seed next week in the state tournament, after Apple Valley’s loss. Other seedings and matchups will not be determined until section play concludes tonight.