The Chaska Hawks Girls Basketball team returns to the State Tournament for the first time since 2021. They play their opening round game against perennial powerhouse Hopkins on Wednesday, Mar. 12 at 4 p.m. at Williams Arena at the University of Minnesota. Links for tickets and viewing options follow the article.
After a run of three incredible victories in the Section 2AAAA playoffs, the Chaska Hawks find themselves back in the Class AAAA State Tournament for the first time since 2021, when the program captured their first state championship.
The Hawks qualified for state after two upset victories over fifth-ranked Eden Prairie and defending state champion Minnetonka. This gave Chaska the sixth seed at the state tournament and a matchup against a program that is no stranger to state tournament success: the Hopkins Royals.
No matter how you look at it, Hopkins has an unparalleled track record when it comes to girls’ basketball. Since 2015 (not counting the 2020 COVID year in which the tournament was canceled), the Royals have played in the state championship game every year except one, winning three state championships along the way.
The one year Hopkins didn’t play in the Championship game this past decade? It was 2021, when the Royals were defeated in the semifinals by none other than the Chaska Hawks.
This year’s Royals don’t have the star power of years past. No Amaya Battle, no Liv McGill, no Nunu Agara and of course, no Paige Bueckers. The team is also missing two top players: Tatum Woodson and Ava Cupito due to injuries.
But as they do every year, Hopkins doesn’t “rebuild,” they “reload.” The Royals to watch are Erma Walker, a dominant force beneath the basket, as well as wing players Lauren Hillesheim, London Harris, Maliyah White, and Jaliyah Diggs, who scored 20 points in their Section 6AAAA championship victory over Wayzata.
Chaska Coach Sam Canter knows this will be a tough battle, and continues to remind her team what got them to State in the first place: great defense.
“We will now be playing the best of the best,” said Canter. “We have to be on our A-Game and it all starts with defense.”
More than anything, Canter wants her team to have a great week at the State Tournament – something that so few players ever get to experience at this level. “It is such an amazing and exciting time. It will be great to have the team experience being a part of State. While we are there to compete, it’s important for them to enjoy and embrace these moments too.”
WEDNESDAY’S PREVIEW:
- No. 6 Chaska vs No. 3 Hopkins
- 4 p.m. at Williams Arena on the University of Minnesota Campus
- Tickets: https://gophersports.evenue.net/promotions/HSGBB25-QF1
- Live stream available here (subscription required): https://nspn.tv/MSHSL
If the Hawks win on Wednesday, they will play at Williams Arena on Thursday at 8 p.m. That game will be televised on Channel 45.
If the Hawks lose on Wednesday, they will play at the Gangelhoff Center on the Concordia University campus in St. Paul on Thursday at noon. That game will be livestreamed at https://nspn.tv/MSHSL.
Follow the Class AAAA State Tournament Bracket here: https://www.mshsl.org/tournaments/2025-state-class-aaaa-basketball-girls-tournament
