Trojans use defense, rebounding, and grit to beat Minnetonka
Competition in the Lake Conference
In Minnesota’s fiercely competitive Class AAAA, an overwhelming majority of the top-tier teams are affiliated with the Lake Conference.
Case in point, five of the top six ranked teams in the state’s Class AAAA hail from the Lake.
To highlight the fierce competition, #1 ranked Hopkins Head Coach Tara Starks visited the Wayzata gymnasium for the third or fourth time this year, even when her team wasn’t playing.
Wayzata clashes with Minnetonka
The Trojans entered the game against Tonka after experiencing a challenging loss to the #5 ranked team and Lake Conference affiliate, Saint Michael Albertville (16-4-0) on Tuesday night by a score of 82-69.
The Skippers have held the #1 ranking for a significant portion of the season, boasting an impressive 18-game winning streak until their 62-79 loss to Hopkins on Tuesday night.
Wayzata jumped out to an Early 8-0 Lead
The competition unfolded with Wayzata seizing an early 8-point lead through defensive stops and Tonka turnovers.
The Skippers earned their first points with two free throws by Aaliah Crump, followed by a subsequent basket from Tori McKinney to make it 8-4.
A jumper by Kate Amelotte from the top of the key elevated Wayzata’s lead to 17-6 with 11:20 remaining in the first.
Sarah Hyde‘s scoop at 8:15 in the first further extended the score to 21-10.
Trojans lead 37-20 at half
At halftime, Wayzata held the lead with a score of 37-20, with Sarah Hyde contributing 12 points and Sophie Hawkinson adding 11 at the midway point.
Fouls Bring the Game to a Standstill
In the second half, the game came to a seeming standstill as both teams got into foul trouble and entered the bonus.
Fouls were so prominent that Minnetonka had 3 players foul out including Anna McKinney, Sydney Cummings, and Harley Wock.
Wayzata had players in foul trouble as well as; Sarah Hyde fouled out and Sophie Hawkinson had four.
Trojans Outlast Tonka
In the end, the Trojans were able to outlast the Skippers winning the game by a score of 69-63.
Coach Stewart Remarks
Trojan Head Coach Julie Stewart talked about her team’s growth and the win over Minnetonka after the game:
“We had a solid first half. Our formula has been defense and rebounding and stay focused on learning and execution. Super proud of the teamwork and grit tonight. Minnetonka made a run in the second half, but we kept it to a two possession lead through our mistakes. Valuable contributions were made by all. We’re really happy to start the second round of the Lake Conference games with a win. They know the little things matter. We’ll continue to work and strive for improvement.”
Scoring
Scoring leaders for the Trojans included Sophie Hawkinson with 17 points, Sarah Hyde with 14, Kate Amelotte with 11, Katie Kelzenberg with 10, Maren Day with 9, Allie Berns with 6, and Annika Kiese with 1.
For the Skippers Tori McKinney had 21, Aaliyah Crump had 19, Lanelle Wright had 12, Harley Rock had 7, Grace Hamdorf had 3, and Anna McKinney had 1.
Announced attendance was 12, 871.
Buffalo up next
The Trojans (15-5) host Buffalo (2-17) Tuesday night at the Wayzata High School.