Hopkins beats Sibley in a 2OT thriller

Xavier and Kansas State weren't the only two basketball teams in the country that needed double overtime to decide a winner on Thursday night.

Both sets of Minnesota's Class 4A semifinals needed it as well.

Hopkins and Henry Sibley battled through regulation and two extra periods before Hopkins finally pulled away with the win, 90-82.

Hopkins (29-2) will face St. Cloud (Minn.) Tech - which also needed double overtime to topple Eden Prairie, 62-58 - on Saturday night in the Class 4A championship.

The statistics from the Hopkins/Sibley game were interesting:

59 total fouls were called; 36 for Sibley and 23 for Hopkins.

Five of Sibley's top six players fouled out, most before the second overtime.

Hopkins attempted 58 free throws and made 39 of them, both state tournament records.

Joe Coleman and Marvin Singleton combined for 47 points, including a combined 16 made free throws.

Hopkins trailed 35-29 at the half, but Coleman made the second half difference. His five second half field goals showed off his athleticism in front of the Division I coaches in attendance, including Minnesota's Tubby Smith, Wisconsin's Greg Gard, Santa Clara's James Ware and Colorado State's Tim Miles.

One score saw Coleman reach back with his right to grab and he transferred the ball to his left within stride finishing above the rim. Another transition included Joe catching and then turning in midair to keep the ball away from the opponent. Coleman had to shoot with his shoulders facing the bench but the adjustment was made as he hung and finished.

Coleman finished 8-of-15 from the field and a total of 25 points - including a spectacular dunk late in the second - and seven rebounds.

While Coleman's athletic ability already has attracted heavy recruiting, Sibley's Jordan Jackson may have more Division I interest coming his way as well.

Jackson was the focus of the Hopkins defense but his incredibly quick penetration allowed him to weave through Royal defenders all game long, even as his teammates were fouling out the last ten minutes of the contest. He also finished with 25 points, including 9-of-17 from the field and 7-of-10 from the line, despite picking up three fouls in the first half.

But, Jackson fouled out early in the second overtime, which proved to mark the end of Sibley's state tournament dreams.

When Jackson went to the bench he joined fellow starters Mike Rostampour, Jake Kreuser, and Dante Grant plus 6th man Bobby Wills who all fouled out previously.

The loss marked the end of an incredible run by Sibley: Jackson beat Cretin-Derham Hall with a buzzer beater, Jake Golberg beat Eastview with a 3-pointer at the buzzer, and Grant's banked-in 3-pointer at the regulation buzzer sent Thursday's game into overtime.

In the first overtime, Jimmy Ryan hit two big 3-pointers, including one that many in the crowd thought was going to give Sibley the win.

But a Coleman free throw late in the first overtime sent the game to a second overtime. Rostampour committed the foul that sent Coleman to the line that also sent the Sibley to the bench with his fifth. He sat alongside 7-0 Kreuser, who had also fouled out.

With the two big men out, Hopkins attacked the open middle in the second overtime, getting to the foul line where it put Sibley away for good. A thunderous open floor jam by Coleman put the exclamation point on the game.

Singleton had some early struggles shooting over Kreuser (who blocked four shots) but finished with 22 points, on a 7-of-13 night from the floor. D.J. Peterson had a double-double with 13 points and ten rebounds as he was active defensively and on the glass.

In addition to Jackson's 25-point night, Sibley sophomore Grant went 7-of-16 for 20 points. Ryan had 13 points and seven rebounds while Rostampour had a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds. Kreuser scored seven points with six rebounds and four blocks.

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