Hopkins just had too much.  Too much height.  Too much depth.  Too much athleticism. 

The Royals (16-0, No. 1 AAAA) used an impressive combination of all three to roll past Madison East (9-7) in the 5th annual Border Battle at St. Cloud Tech High School, 93-53.  Ten different Royals scored in the game, led by reserve Nick Jorgensen with 20.

"We've lost quite a few players," said Hopkins coach Ken Novak Jr., who ticked off a pair of players who have missed plenty of time in 6-foot-8 center Jake Peterson and sixth-man Andre McDonald.  "We need to get some of these guys (going), because they're guys we maybe didn't count on, but we're going to need them."

Hopkins towered over the much shorter Purgolders -- and the Royals certainly used it to their advantage.  While the starters were in the game, Hopkins repeatedly went inside to senior stars Joe Coleman (15 points) and Marvin Singleton (13).  The Royals jumped out to a 52-19 halftime lead, and Novak quickly emptied his bench.

"I didn't realize how small they were," said Novak, who admitted his scouting report for the Purgolders consisted of a stat sheet.  "But they were scrapping and working hard."

Quick and shifty Nimrod Hilliard IV led Madison East with 25 points, while Rudy Bentley added 13 points.

Jake Wright (11 points), Demetrius Martin (8), Adam Thacker (8), Zach Stahl (7) and Siyani Chambers (7) also added to the Hopkins scoring depth.  The Royals continued their unbeaten run to the season as they seek a third straight Class AAAA title.  Hopkins was also ranked No. 13 in the country by USA Today last week.

Nick Jorgensen, Hopkins
Jorgensen, a 6-foot-5 junior forward, led the Royals with 20 points in a 40-point victory over Madison East.  He wasn't a starter, but with Hopkins up big, coach Ken Novak, Jr. substituted freely over the final half.  It didn't seem to slow down the Royals, who finished with 93 points in the game spread among 10 players.

Hopkins: Jorgenson 20, Coleman 15, Singleton 13, Wright 11, Thacker 8, Martin 8, Chambers 7, Stahl 7, Ferguson 2, Davis 2.

Madison East: Hilliard 25, Bentley 13, McLin 5, Kelly 4, Kietzer 3, Knorr 3.

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