Wayzata dominates rival Hopkins for sixth straight boys basketball section championship
The Trojans are one step closer to defending their Class 4A state title after Christian Wiggins scored 30 points to lead them to a 105-70 win against Hopkins in the Class 4A, Section 6 championship.

By Marcus Fuller and Joel Rippel
The Minnesota Star Tribune
Wayzata students lined up to enter the gym 90 minutes before tipoff for what felt like the biggest boys basketball game of the season Friday, March 13.
The heated rivalry between Wayzata and Hopkins had attracted sold-out crowds before, but the vibe felt different this time with pressure on the Royals to be competitive after suffering a blowout loss in the last regular-season meeting.
The top-seeded and defending state champion Trojans put on one last show in front of their home crowd Friday and looked like the team to beat again in Class 4A with a convincing 105-70 victory.
Senior Christian Wiggins also became the program’s all-time leading scorer, finishing with 30 points as Wayzata won its a sixth straight section title.
Wiggins, an Iowa State recruit, had 22 points in the first half, including five of his team’s 11 three-pointers to give the Trojans a 22-point halftime lead.
Wiggins was given a standing ovation when it was announced he had made history as the program’s all-time leading scorer. Fellow seniors Nolen Anderson and Isaac Olmstead also drew cheers from fans as they left the floor one last time in the last five minutes with the game out of reach.
Anderson, a future Gopher, finished with 23 points. Olmstead, who had missed time recently with a knee injury, hit a couple of three-pointers while orchestrating the high-scoring offense.
In the last meeting at Wayzata, Hopkins led by seven points at halftime. The Trojans needed a last-second three-pointer from Wiggins to win 80-76 on Jan. 23, but they won 94-79 on Feb. 17 at the Royals Activity Center.
On Friday, Wiggins had his Mr. Basketball moment five minutes into the game with a rare four-point play after drilling a three-pointer plus the foul at the top of the key. He added an emphatic two-handed dunk a minute later for his 11th and a 15-8 lead.
Hopkins junior Ahmed Nur had eight of his 14 points early to get within 16-13, but Olmstead and Wiggins hit back-to-back three-pointers to start a 37-17 run.
Wiggins’ fifth shot from beyond the arc made it 50-28 with 2½ minutes left in the first half. Xavy Ivey nailed Wayzata’s 11th three-pointer in the period before the Trojans eventually took a 56-34 lead into halftime. Hopkins had only one three-pointer in the first half.
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In the second half, Wiggins opened drawing a third foul on Hopkins star Jayden Moore. On the next possession, he scored a layup plus contact to make it 61-39 with just under 16 minutes left. That drew Tre Moore’s third foul to set the tone that there would be no comeback.
Hopkins coach Ken Novak Jr. is expected to retire as the state’s all-time boys basketball leader with 1,013 victories. And senior Jayden Moore was already the state’s career leader in assists.
But Novak hasn’t been to the state tournament since winning his eighth state title in 2019. Moore, who finished with nine points, has never beaten Wayzata in the section playoffs, including five straight losses.
Tre Moore finished with 18 points to lead the Royals, who finished the season 21-8.
Class 4A, Section 5
Maple Grove 73, Osseo 61: Max Iversen scored 28 points and Jack Thelen scored 21 points to lead the Crimson to their second consecutive section title. The victory was the 10th consecutive for Maple Grove (23-6), who led by 14 at halftime. Kwatamah Silikpoh scored 22 points and Owen Counce added 16 for the Orioles (22-7), who saw a 10-game winning streak end.
Class 4A, Section 2
Chaska 62, Prior Lake 59: Chaska withstood a Prior Lake comeback in the final four minutes to hold on for its first section title since 2017.
The Hawks (25-4), who led 39-29 at halftime, led by 12 with less than four minutes to go, but the Lakers (21-7) used a 10-2 run to pull within 59-57 with 45 seconds remaining. After two free throws from Tyler Forrest gave Chaska a 61-57 lead with 20 seconds remaining, Kolby Thompson made two free throws with 15 seconds remaining to pull Prior Lake within 61-59. The Hawks’ Matthew Welter made one of three free throws with eight seconds remaining to make it 62-59, and Prior Lake missed a three-point attempt in the final five seconds.
Forrest led the Hawks with 21 points. Kobby Sam-Brew led the Lakers with 18 points. The victory was the 22nd consecutive for the Hawks, who started the season 3-4. The winning started after a 69-66 loss to Prior Lake on Dec. 29.
About the Authors
Marcus Fuller
Reporter
Marcus Fuller is Strib Varsity's Insider reporter, providing high school beat coverage, features, analysis and recruiting updates. He's a former longtime Gophers and college sports writer for the Minnesota Star Tribune.
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