Call it the Hopkins effect.
Playing the talented Royals leaves little margin for error. Hopkins' pressure defense and rapid-attack transition offense forces opponents to play a mistake-free game if they hope to stay with the Royals.
Stillwater didn't play poorly in its Class 4A semifinal of the girls basketball state tournament Thursday, but the few mistakes the Ponies made were magnified by their opponent as Hopkins slowly drew away for a 78-51 victory.
Hopkins will play St. Michael-Albertville, a 55-40 winner over Eden Prairie, on Saturday night for the 4A title. The Lake Conference rivals played twice during the regular season, with Hopkins winning both by scores of 75-66 and 104-94.
"I thought our girls did a lot of really good things, but you look up and it's a 16-point game," Stillwater coach Tim Peper said. "You miss a bunny and it inevitably ends up in a layup down there. You do almost have to play a flawless game because of how talented they are. They'll maximize every little mistake you make."
The scored was tied 12-12 early in the first half, until Hopkins' pressure began to have its effect. Stillwater shots stopped falling, and Hopkins' powerful interior duo of Taylor Woodson and Nunu Agara took over. Woodson had 15 points and Agara 10 before halftime as Hopkins built a 46-28 halftime lead.
"We like to try to make teams play at our pace," senior guard Kelly Boyle said. "A lot of teams aren't used to our pace. No team pressures like us. Speeding things up, punching them first and getting a lead early is big for us."
Woodson finished with a game-high 23 points for Hopkins (27-2). Liana Buckhalton scored 16 for Stillwater (25-5).
