Get your Hopkins-Benilde box score here!

Hopkins defeated Benilde 64-62 in the finale of the Minnesota Stars Thanksgiving jamboree at the new White Bear Lake high school. Congrats to Mark Smith, Jeremy Post and all for a very good show. Benilde led 8-3 and 13-8 and 21-12 but Hopkins caught up at 25-23 and led 40-33 at the 13 minute mark of the 2nd half. It was a 28-12 Hopkins run led by Lauren Hillesheim’s 3-point shooting. Benilde caught up at 42 but Hopkins again pulled away to 50-44 at 7 minutes. Benilde caught up at 59-all on a 3 by Zahara Bishop at 0:55. Hillesheim hit her 6th 3 of the night 11 seconds later, but 24 seconds later Pressley Watkins hit a 3 for Benilde to tie it up at 62. Sophomore point guard Liv Bell hit the game-winner (a 2) at :05. A half-court 3 attempt by Kendall McGee spun around the rim and out at the buzzer.

Again, these are all unofficial. I don’t doubt that I missed a play here or there, but the numbers do add up!

I’m gonna have to have co-players of the game. Hillesheim’s 3-point shooting makes her an obvious candidate and she also contributed 8 boards and 3 steals. Hillesheim is a 5-11 senior wing. But 6-1 sophomore post Erma Walker was also a tower of strength for the Royals. She had 7 offensive rebounds and scored on 6 of them for a total of 11 points. But, the real eye-opener was coach Starks putting her on Kendall McGee defensively out on the perimeter, where she proved to have the quickness to play effective defense out there. My friends at Prep Girls Hoops have her rated as the #6 sophomore, and that’s too low. She ranks behind Pressley Watkins and Ava Cupito who played in this game. Personally, I would take Watkins and Walker at #1 and #2 in either order. Oh, wait, Amisha Ramlall just #3. Well, that’s where Prep Hoops has her and they’re never wrong, well, except about Walker.

Watkins is a slim 6-footer who is listed on Prep Hoops as a combo guard. She is quick, a little bit loose with the ball now and then, but she gets off better shots than most, and I don’t just mean most sophomores. Hopefully she’s gonna get over her habit of hiding her face behind both hands when she turns it over or gets called for a foul.

This game featured a couple of funny plays. On one Benilde committed a shot clock violation when a shot at the buzzer missed the rim. Hopkins guard Maliyah White rebounded as the buzzer went off. Don’t they usually stop play when that happens? Well, White assumed there was a dead ball and starting walking toward the ref, who promptly called her for traveling. I don’t think I’ve seen that before.

Then London Harris of Hopkins got called for a technical foul. She corralled a defensive rebound and then got mugged by a couple of Benilde players, as happens on just about every other rebound. Harris fought back and then might have said something. From where I stood, it looked like she’s the one who got fouled and, hey, i was only about 80 feet away.

Hopkins’ Tatum Woodson went down with what looked like an ankle injury late in the 1st half. She had to be helped off the floor.