Girls basketball cruises into section championship game
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Ashley Bates, junior guard, shoots a free throw
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TT Starks, senior forward, tries to avoid a potential foul
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Bianca Williams, senior guard, amps up her teammates during introductions.
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Fans of the Royals cheer them on
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Aezha Reed, junior guard, goes up for a layup.
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Viria Livingston, senior guard, shoots a jumper.
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The Hopkins Royals and Edina Hornets prepare for tip off.
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TT Starks, senior forward, tries to avoid a potential foul
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Ashley Bates, junior guard steals the ball.
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The girls basketball program wear shirts to honor Bradley Cosgriff, Coach Cosgriffs brother. Bradley is currently battling lung cancer.
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The coaches draw up a play for the Royals during a timeout
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Mar 8, 2015
The girls basketball team defeated the fourth-seeded Edina Hornets 66-28 in the Section 6AAAA semifinal game. With the win, the Royals advance to the section championship game against Minnetonka on Wednesday March 11.
The Royals came out of gate hot with 15 transition points and forcing Edina into 19 turnovers. By the time the halftime buzzer sounded, the Royals had a commanding 41-12 lead.
The Royals continued to pull away in the second half. Turnovers were a huge problem for Edina in the game. On top of that, the Hornets had just 6 steals overall.
The Royals out rebounded the Hornets 46-32. Nia Hollie, junior, led all scorers with 14 points. Ashley Bates, junior, had a game-high nine rebounds and three assists.
Brian Cosgriff, head coach of the Royals, attributes the win to the Royals tenacity and patience.
“We came out and played very hard,” said Cosgriff.
Bates said last years’ loss motivated them to win.
“We lost last year and we didn’t want to be in the same spot,” said Bates. “We knew we had to get the W.”
Game note:
The Royals wore t-shirts to support Coach Cosgriff’s brother, Bradley Cosgriff. Bradley is currently battling lung cancer, which has metastasized to his brain.