That Time Shakopee and a Group of D2 Prospects Took Down the Juggernaut, Hopkins High

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Hopkins Vs Shakopee: Part 3 Breakdown Tip-off Classic | PART 1 | PART 2 |

On December 7, 2019 Breakdown USA hosted the first of many High School Boys Basketball events for the 2019-20 season. Pairing high-caliber opponents vs one another has been a staple of Breakdown events and this event was no different. In part 1 of this series, I documented the insane 44-3 run by St Cloud Apollo to lead them over Cambridge-Isanti, and in part 2, I broke down how Cretin-Derham Hall shut down Minnehaha Academy, who just beat Bronny James and Co. (Sierra Canyon – CA). Now in part 3, we look at Hopkins and Shakopee, a game Shakopee won 85-82 behind four future D2 scholarship players.

Hopkins is a well-documented super power of Boys and Girls 4A Basketball in Minnesota. Lots of the “who’s who” have played at Hopkins and gone on to bigger and better things. Kerwin Walton may as well be the next one. The six-foot, five-inch shooting guard blew up on the Adidas Gauntlet series this summer and has numerous colleges after him including Minnesota.

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Walton’s summer has carried over into the season. In this game vs Shakopee, Walton went for 23 points, and the previous game he gave Park Center more than they could handle, with 32. On the season, he’s averaging 24 now for a Hopkins team that is 8-2 after starting the year 1-2.

2020 Senior Osseo transfer Cornell Richardson contributed 17 points for Hopkins while 2021 Junior Andre Gray helped with 8, and Regan Merritt and Tristan Lee helped with 11 each.

Shakopee is led by a troop of 2020 Seniors including recent Jamestown committed guard Will Cordes. Cordes led Shakopee in scoring for this game but it could easily have been Caleb Druvenga who had 21, Charlie Katona who had 11, or Aaron Bosley, who had 12. Then Shakopee got 10 out of the Sophomore in a sea of Seniors, Nick Katona.

Cordes this week committed to the North Dakota located D2 school, Jamestown, ande really got people’s attention this Summer playing with the MN Matrix. While running the Matrix AAU offense, colleges took notice of his skill. The Senior Katona has been playing for the Top MN Fury since as early as 15U. He was offered by UMD in the early Spring of 2019 and accepted in August. Druvenga and Bosley are still awaiting there’s.

The game was a battle of back and fourths and mini runs. Not one team could separate from the other. Any lead taken was soon closed. Late when Shakopee was holding a lead of 3, Walton made a 2, to cut the lead to one. Cordes then quickly followed with an assist to the cutting Druvenga, which pushed the lead back to three. The following possession, Walton hit a 3 to tie…. Shakopee managed to get the game to 85-82 for one last possession and Walton finally missed and the buzzer sounded.

Shakopee wins.

Ryan Schmidt | Minnesota Sports Fan

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