Eastview played well for large segments of Thursday’s Class 4A semifinal at Williams Arena. But the beginning and end of the game? Well, those two segments belonged to the Royals. A

Heavy is the head that wears the crown for the Hopkins Royals. The eight-time state champs have been to the Class 4A state title game 12 times in the past 14 years and will return again Saturday, thanks to their 68-48 semifinal victory Thursday at Williams Arena.

The Panthers trimmed their deficit against the top seed to 5 in the second half before the Crimson pulled away.

The No. 2 Eastview Lightning (26-3) play the No. 3 Hopkins Royals (25-5) in the 2025 Minnesota (MSHSL) high school girls basketball state tournam