Hopkins was in the midst of an inevitable run. Down 69-53 to Eden Prairie with a little over five minutes remaining in Tuesday’s Lake Conference showdown, the Royals embarked on a 14-0 burst that brought them to within two points with 90 seconds left and had their home fans screaming.

Eden Prairie called timeout and dialed up what senior Dylan Stewart called their “go-to play.” Stewart slipped behind defenders on a back cut and cashed in the most important of his 18 points – helping the Eagles end the run and eventually fend off Hopkins for a signature 75-71 victory over the top-ranked and previously undefeated Royals (15-1).

“That means so much to us,” said Stewart, whose Eagles improved to 14-2 and will likely move up from their current No. 5 metro ranking. “They came back on us, but in the end we were tough enough to pull it out.”

That Eden Prairie was even able to build such a cushion on Hopkins, let alone withstand a late surge, was impressive. Hopkins is the two-time defending Class 4A champion and is ranked in several top 25 national polls. After the opening tip, Hopkins fans immediately started chanting, “This one’s over!”

But the Eagles came out firing from three-point range in the first half -- earning those shots with crisp ball movement and making nine from long distance in building a 44-26 lead at the break. Grant Soderberg (team-high 22 for the game) made three consecutive threes, and Jack Klukas caught fire with four three-pointers in the latter stages of the first half.

“We’re capable of shooting well, but we really haven’t all year,” head coach David Flom said. “It was a good time to start.”

Gophers recruit Joe Coleman had just six points at the break, but he finished with 23 and combined with Marvin Singleton (game-high 24) to lead the second-half charge. Ultimately, though, it fell short.

“We showed a lot of toughness to make a couple of plays when we needed them most,” Flom said.