Sports
Orioles Outmatched by Royals
St. Louis Park struggled mightily against one of the state's best teams.
The St. Louis Park Orioles (2-4) came out on the wrong end of a lopsided contest, losing on the road to perennial 4A powerhouse Hopkins (5-0) Tuesday, 102-57.
Senior captain Aaron Ziman and sophomore Kashif Hayes led the Orioles with 12 points each, but St. Louis Park struggled against Hopkins' defense all night long.
The Orioles played hard throughout, but St. Louis Park had trouble coping with Hopkins' athleticism on both ends. The Orioles surrendered 11 steals and were out rebounded 32-16.
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With 10:00 left in the first half, a frustrated St. Louis Park called a timeout with the score 29-6.
"I thought defensively the first 10-12 minutes we were very dominant," said Hopkins coach Ken Novak Jr.
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The Royals dominated inside as well, as Hopkins seniors Joe Coleman — a University of Minnesota recruit — and Marvin Singleton combined for 43 points, most of them coming in the paint.
The Orioles faced a hostile Hopkins crowd all night long as well, and despite a large contingent of more than 70 St. Louis Park students, the Orioles fans and players didn't have an answer for a Hopkins team fresh off a 34-point victory against Benilde-St. Margaret's on Saturday.
The Orioles went into the half down 57-31.
Adding insult to injury, the Hopkins public address announcer updated the crowd with the girls varsity basketball score: "Hopkins beats St. Louis Park, 76-17."
For the boys, the second-half was much like the first.
Orioles senior Marquealis Edwards, who averages nearly 14 points per game, struggled to get involved until late, ending his night with just eight points.
Orioles forwards Zack Gilbert Burke and Joseph Zangel had their hands full defensively down low. As a result, both went in and out of the game, trading fouls with the dominant Hopkins frontcourt.
The Orioles were never comfortable on offense as Hopkins denied penetration, clogging the lane and forcing perimeter shots. St. Louis Park was unable to keep Hopkins honest defensively as they missed all but two shots from beyond the arc.
"I thought everybody played fairly well.," Novak said.
UP NEXT
The Orioles will face Robbinsdale Armstrong Dec. 29 as part of a holiday tournament in Edina. Game time is 6 p.m.