Another sizzling hot start for Shakopee helped the Sabers put one more opponent on ice.

Shakopee jumped out to an early seven-point lead and never let Hopkins get closer than six points the rest of the night as the Sabers recorded a big upset with their 67-57 victory over the Royals in front of a packed Shakopee High School gym on Thursday.

Sabers, ranked No. 9 by Minnesota Basketball News, improved to 4-0 and have knocked off two of Class 4A’s top-10 teams (No. 4 Hopkins, No. 10 East Ridge) in less than a week. Shakopee is also outscoring opponents by nearly 15 points per game.

Junior forward Steffon Mitchell finished with a game-high 20 points as the Sabers faced Hopkins for the first time since last season's Class 4A semifinal game, which the Royals won at the end of the fourth overtime on a half-court buzzer-beater from Amir Coffey.

"We had a little bit more extra motivation to go out there and win, but everybody wants to beat Hopkins," Mitchell said. "They're a big name program, so it always feels good to beat them."

The Royals were playing without Coffey, their leading scorer and the state's top recruit. Coffey, who averaged 30 points in Hopkins' first two games of the season, had his junior year cut short after the forward tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during a win over Burnsville on Tuesday. The loss to the Sabers dropped the Royals' record to 2-2. Hopkins only lost one regular-season game last year.

Mitchell has garnered most of the headlines with his impressive scoring totals (he's averaging 31.2 points per game through four games), but Shakopee coach Bruce Kaguth said he preaches the team concept and tells his players to take what the defense gives them.

"Against New Prague, we got (offense) in the post, but tonight we knew we couldn't do that against Hopkins," Kugath said. "We played Steffon outside a little more, but we've got a pretty balanced team."

That balance was a significant factor in the second half against Hopkins. Mitchell, who scored 15 points in the first half, said he felt ill at halftime. The Sabers, however, maintained a healthy lead thanks to their glue players, senior Tevin Killeen and junior Taylor Triplett, who both stepped up with timely shots, rebounds and steals.

Mitchell had loads of praise for his teammates. 

Killeen, the Sabers' starting point guard, scored 11 points against the Royals, and he is a player who could drop 40 points any night, as well as a skilled passer and defender, Mitchell said.

Mitchell and Kugath pointed out Triplett’s toughness and work ethic as big factors in the 6-foot-2 junior forward's early season contributions.

"I don't mean it as an insult, but I call (Triplett) a 35-year-old city league player," Kugath said. "He's not a great jumper, but he's just a tough, mean old guy who gets the job done for you."

Triplett, who did not play many minutes as a sophomore, finished with eight points against the Royals and is now averaging 10.7 points per game through four contests. 

Kugath said the Sabers’ are off to a great start, but they'll need to rely on the play of guys such as Triplett and Killeen to sustain Shakopee’s success throughout the season.

"If we don't go out and play like we played tonight, we could lose our next game regardless of who it is (against)," Kugath said. "We just aren't the kind of team that'll go out and dominate someone if we're not playing hard."

Shakopee junior Steffon Mitchell continued his early season scoring spree, notching 20 points in a 67-57 win over Hopkins in a matchup of ranked Class 4A teams at Shakopee High School on Thursday night.

Mitchell, a 6-foot-7 forward, scored 15 points in the first half to help the Sabers improve to 4-0. He has 125 points and is averaging 31.2 points per game this season.

Senior guard Tevin Killeen finished with 11 points for Shakopee, ranked No. 9 by Minnesota Basketball News. Senior guard Tyler Gaebel and junior forward Taylor Triplett each posted eight points. 

Fourth-ranked Hopkins entered the game missing star Amir Coffey, who is out for the season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee Tuesday night during a victory over Burnsville. The loss to the Sabers dropped the Royals' record to 2-2. Junior guard Xavier Johnson scored 15 points and senior forward Graham Hutson had 12 for the Hopkins.

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