Shakopee coach Bruce Kugath lauded his team’s aggressive and determined spirit following a physical, defensive battle Friday night against South Suburban Conference foe Lakeville North.

"We're not a big team. We're not a strong team. But we're kinda scrappy" Kugath said. "We had a lot of scrappy plays, a lot of hustle plays, down the stretch."

The Sabers relied on the scrappiness and hustle from a number of role players, such as Tevin Killeen, Booker Coplin and Taylor Triplett, to defeat the Panthers 63-53 at Shakopee High School. The Sabers (11-3), who are ranked No. 7 in Class 4A by Minnesota Basketball News, improved to 6-0 in league play with the victory.

Steffon Mitchell, a 6-foot-7 junior who is the Sabers’ leading scorer on the season, said he knows he's the top priority for opposing defenses with the constant attention he sees. He also said he doesn't mind facing the extra defenders because it creates scoring opportunities for his teammates.

"Every time I touch the ball, I usually get doubled," said Mitchell, who scored a game-high 24 points against Lakeville North. "It makes it easier for my teammates like Tevin and Booker, so their three-point shooting goes really well."

Coplin took advantage of his opportunities after a slow start. The junior guard was scoreless in the first half but went 3-for-3 from three-point range and finished with 14 points after shedding the tape from his left (non-shooting) hand at halftime.

"A good shooter like (Coplin), a hangnail might affect them,” Kugath said. “I don't know because I never was a shooter. But he took the tape off at halftime, said the heck with it, and apparently that was the key."

The Sabers are dealing with injuries to several players in their starting lineup. Killeen and Mitchell are playing through ankle injuries, and Coplin hadn't looked the same after injuring his hand before the start of the new year.

Killeen, who finished with 15 points, didn't seem too bothered by his bum ankle, which he injured Thursday night in practice. 

Killeen said this season has been all about out-working and out-hustling the competition, but the senior point guard said can still improve in several areas.

"Definitely (working hard) in the weight room and hard work in practice because it always generates back to the game," Killeen said.

Triplett finished with only two points Friday, but the junior forward rebounded and contributed some key steals, helping show why Shakopee gives up only 58.1 points per game on defense.

It’s the type of performance the Sabers need as they face the most difficult test of their inaugural season in the South Suburban: a matchup with No. 2-4A and league powerhouse Apple Valley on Jan. 13.

"We know that we need to get stronger to play in this conference because every game is just a battle," Kugath said. "There's no team that you can say, "Well, we can play at 50 percent and beat this team.' There's nobody like that. This is a tough conference."

Junior forward Steffon Mitchell scored a game-high 24 points as Shakopee defeated Lakeville North 63-53 Friday night in a South Suburban Conference contest at Shakopee High School.

Senior point guard Tevin Killeen notched 15 points for the Sabers (11-3), ranked No. 7 in Class 4A by Minnesota Basketball News. 

The Sabers trailed 27-26 at halftime despite 13 points and 10 points from Mitchell and Killeen, respectively.

Junior guard Booker Coplin scored 14 points, all in the second half, to secure the win for Shakopee, which remained unbeaten in league play and tied with Apple Valley atop the standings. Both teams are 6-0 in the conference.

Junior Calven Pesola scored 11 points for Lakeville North (9-5, 4-2).

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