Hopkins at Waconia
7 p.m., Friday, Dec. 19

Hopkins has a tough road ahead. The Royals have struggled to recover the loss of their top player, Amir Coffey. The junior, who was averaging 30.0 points per game, is finished for the season after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament in a game on Dec. 2

Hopkins is 2-3 after Coffey's injury, including losses to No. 8-4A Shakopee and No. 6-4A Maple Grove. The Royals have a game with another ranked opponent when they travel to Waconia on Dec. 19. 

The No. 6-3A Wildcats showed they can compete with Class 4A's heavyweights with a 75-69 victory over Shakopee on Dec. 9. 

Senior guard John Warren (14.7 ppg) leads the Royals in scoring. Xavier Johnson (11.8 ppg) and Vinnie Shahid (10.9 ppg) have chipped in for coach Ken Novak Jr.'s squad. 

Waconia has a trio of double-digit scorers in senior forwards Roch Whittaker (14.2 ppg) and Oliver Smith (10.8 ppg), and junior guard Joey Korteum (11.7 ppg).