Eden Prairie’s Josh Lanasa was tired of his defensive deficiencies. The 6-foot-6 center struggled with stopping opponents from driving past him, so Lanasa worked on his defensive game from the ground up.

"I've been working a lot on footwork in practice and the offseason," Lanasa said. "It's been fun (getting better), because it's not fun getting beat off the dribble. But it's fun to help the team out where I can, and it's fun to win."

Lanasa’s defense has helped the Eagles win, including Friday night against Hopkins in a battle for the Lake Conference crown.

Lanasa finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds, but he was also key on defense as the Eagles slowed the high-scoring Royals to secure a share of league title with a 69-68 victory at Eden Prairie High School.

With Lanasa anchoring the Eagles’ defense, Eden Prairie has limited opponents to just 64.9 points per game this season. And the trend continued against Hopkins, as the Eagles held the Royals 10 points below their 78.7 ppg average.

Eden Prairie coach David Flom said Lanasa's improvement on defense was a factor in the senior earning a starting role this season.

"(Lanasa) didn't play much (last season) because he wasn't great defensively, and this year he's gotten better defensively," Flom said. "We knew he could score ... he's been given an opportunity and he's capitalized."

While Lanasa doesn't stand out with impressive stats - he is averaging 10.5 ppg - he has made his mark by becoming a traditional center and a force in the post for the Eagles' offense.

"That's the role I fit into: get rebounds, bang it down low, score when I need to and protect the rim," Lanasa said. " I love it, too. It's fun. I'm a classic center for sure."

Flom said having a bruiser down low opens up the offense, allowing the Eagles to attack from the inside out. 

That philosophy came into play on Eden Prairie's final possession against Hopkins. 

Flom said the Eagles called a timeout with 43 second remaining to set up a play, but the offensive set didn’t pan out. That's when Eden Prairie’s regular motion offense went to work. 

The ball came in to Lanasa, who was down low in the lane. Lanasa bobbled the ball briefly but controlled it as multiple Hopkins’ defenders closed in. The center then fired a bullet out of the post to a wide-open Owen Chose, who made the game-winning three-pointer with 4 seconds left.

Many teams today feature guard-heavy lineups, including Hopkins, which makes Lanasa an even bigger mismatch for the opposition, a role he understands as a tight-end on the Eagles' 2014 Class 6A state championship football team. 

"(Lanasa) balances out the floor, so we can get the ball inside, and then we've got guys that can make (outside) shots," Flom said. "It makes us far more effective (on offense), especially when he's willing to kick the ball out and be unselfish."

Lanasa said he and his teammates may have just finished a challenging regular-season schedule but need to crank their play up a notch with the Class 4A, Section 6 tournament on the horizon.

"With playoffs, you've gotta have another level of intensity," Lanasa said. "None of us want to lose, and none of us want it to be over."

Sophomore Owen Chose scored a game-high 23 points, including the game-winning three-pointer with 4 seconds left to play, as Eden Prairie defeated Hopkins 69-68 in a Lake Conference matchup Friday night at Eden Prairie High School.

Senior Josh Lanasa posted 13 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as the Eagles, ranked No. 7 in Class 4A by Minnesota Basketball News, finished the regular season 12-0 at home.

Eden Prairie improved to 22-4 on the season and 6-2 in conference play.

Junior Vinnie Shahid finished with 20 points and senior John Warren had 14 for No. 6-4A Hopkins, but the Royals fell to 19-6 on the season and 6-2 in Lake Conference.

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