The Hopkins girls’ basketball team is more than a one-woman show.

Maya Nnaji, the 6-foot-4 forward bound for Arizona, is no doubt the Royals’ crown jewel. But in Hopkins’ 66-43 win over Lakeville North on Wednesday in the Minnesota Class AAAA quarterfinals, Nnaji received plenty of help.

Sophomore guard Liv McGill took over for a stretch late in the first half. Junior forward Taylor Woodson was a menace on the offensive glass. And junior guard Kelly Boyle knocked down a pair of clutch 3-pointers off the bench.

It was a team effort, and the Royals — the alma mater of UConn star Paige Bueckers — will look to bring that same energy into Thursday’s semifinal matchup against either White Bear Lake or Rosemount. Hopkins has sat behind No. 1 Sidwell Friends at No. 2 in our top 25 all season long, including in last week’s rankings.

1. Sidwell Friends (D.C.), 27-0

After winning the D.C. State Athletic Association (DCSAA) championship, the Quakers accepted a bid to the inaugural State Champions Invitational.

2. Hopkins (Minn.), 23-1

The Royals will play either White Bear Lake or Rosemount in the AAAA state semifinal.

3. DeSoto (Texas), 33-2

The Eagles completed their “legacy tour” with a 40-23 win over South Grand Prairie and a second consecutive 6A state championship.

4. Classen SAS (Okla.), 23-1

The Comets won the school’s first ever state championship in any sport with a 55-22 win over Tuttle in the 4A state finals.

This is still crazy to me but way to end it with the best team I can ever ask for🤍! pic.twitter.com/IRkxQVj52E

— Micah Gray (@MicahGray2022) March 14, 2022

5. St. John Vianney (N.J.), 30-1

The Lancers defeated Immaculate Heart 74-36 to claim the Non-Public A state championship.

6. Sierra Canyon (Calif.), 29-2

The Trailblazers rolled Archbishop Mitty, 85-61, to claim their second straight CIF Open Division state crown.

7. New Hope (Md.), 27-2

The Tigers earned the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye at GEICO Nationals.

8. Cedar Park (Texas), 36-0

Gisella Maul scored 27 points as the Timberwolves earned their second straight 5A state championship with a 45-40 win over Memorial.

9. Incarnate Word (Mo.), 27-0

The undefeated Red Knights play St. Joseph’s on Thursday in the Class 6 state semifinals.

10. Etiwanda (Calif.), 28-1

Despite their loss to Sierra Canyon in the state semifinal, the Eagles put together a season worth remembering.

11. Montverde (Fla.), 18-3

The Tigers earned the No. 3 seed in the GEICO Nationals tournament and will play No. 2 seed DME in the semifinals.

12. Lake Highland Prep (Fla.), 23-4

The Highlanders were one of four teams selected to the State Champions Invitational.

13. La Jolla Country Day (Calif.), 24-3

The Torreys’ season came to a heartbreaking end last weekend in the form a 63-62 defeat to Sierra Canyon in the CIF open division region semifinal.

14. Hazel Green (Ala.), 33-0

The Trojans defeated Oxford 55-38 in the 6A championship game for their fifth straight state title.

15. Johnston (Iowa), 26-0

The Dragons beat Waterloo West 51-31 to claim the 5A state title one year after losing in the championship game.

16. Woodward Academy (Ga.), 28-2

After routing Forest Park, 72-44, in the AAAAA state final, the War Eagles move on to the State Champions Invitational.

17. Lone Peak (Utah), 23-0

The Knights beat Fremont in the 6A state championship to cap a perfect season.

18. DME (Fla.), 21-3

DME was awarded the No. 2 seed at GEICO Nationals.

19. IMG (Fla.), 11-4

After a long hiatus, the No. 4 seed Ascenders will play Bishop McNamara in the GEICO Nationals semifinals.

20. Noblesville (Ind.), 25-4

The Millers beat Franklin Community 76-52 to claim the 4A state title, the program’s second state crown and first since 1987.

21. South Bend Washington (Ind.), 27-3

The Panthers annihilated Silver Creek 93-35 in the 3A state championship game last weekend.

22. Bishop McNamara (Md.), 20-5

Despite falling to St. John’s in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) finals, the Mustangs earned a GEICO Nationals bid.

23. Centennial (Nev.), 17-3

The Bulldogs were named to the State Champions Invitational.

Row row row your 🚤 • Our bench really stays LIT pic.twitter.com/XXsx9kH5S8

— Centennial HS GBB (@centennialgbb) February 28, 2022

24. Fremont (Utah), 24-3

The Timberwolves fell to Lone Peak in the 6A state final.

25. Duncanville (Texas), 34-7

The Pantherettes’ season came to an end Feb. 26 with a loss to DeSoto in the 6A Region II final.

 Josh Needelman is the High School Sports Editor at Just Women’s Sports. Follow him on Twitter @JoshNeedelman.

 

Stakes are sky-high for Wednesday night's Cy-Hawk Series clash, as undefeated No. 10 Iowa State welcomes unbeaten No. 11 Iowa to Ames for the highest-ranked NCAA women's basketball matchup in the cross-state rivalry's history.

"[If] you grew up in the state, just there's nothing like it," Iowa head coach Jan Jensen said of the historic series. "You've dreamed, you've watched those big football matchups when you're little, you watched the basketball games when you were little, and to get to be in one — boy, it doesn't get much better."

"[It's] one of those things where it truly is a rivalry, because teams [go] back and forth and have their streaks and wins and losses," echoed Cyclones boss Bill Fennelly.

The red-hot Hawkeyes enter Wednesday's game with the head-to-head advantage having won three straight against the Cyclones — and eight of the last nine in the series.

That said, the Cyclones have the nation's leading scorer on their side, with junior center Audi Crooks's 27.6 points per game showcasing unmatched efficiency in the 2025/26 NCAA season.

"Audi's tough," Jensen said about the Iowa State star. "She's just really, really incredible…. When you let her get it, she's pretty accurate."

How to watch Iowa vs. Iowa State in the 2025 Cy-Hawk Series

The No. 11 Hawkeyes will visit the No. 10 Cyclones in the 2025 edition of the Cy-Hawk Series at 7 PM ET on Wednesday, with live coverage airing on ESPN.

The Washington Spirit are all in on forward Trinity Rodman, with club GM Nathan Minion telling reporters that the 2025 NWSL runners-up are working "pretty much daily" to re-sign the free agent despite salary cap concerns.

"I think everyone's trying to work together to get a deal in place," said Minion, acknowledging that the NWSL and the Spirit are actively working with each other to retain the 23-year-old star. "[We're] trying to figure this out and trying to get a resolution that can hopefully keep Trinity here with us for a long time."

"The reality is our current salary cap structure — it was built for a different era of women's soccer," said the DC club's recently hired president of soccer operations Haley Carter. "We're going to need mechanisms that allow NWSL clubs to compete for not only players from overseas, but our own players."

The NWSL vetoed the multi-million dollar offer from the Washington Spirit to keep Rodman last week, with the NWSLPA subsequently filing a grievance claiming the league violated the USWNT attacker's free agency rights by blocking the deal.

"These are nuanced conversations, and I would love to just toss the salary cap out the window and pay the players," said Carter. "But we also have to appreciate that, pragmatically, it isn't always payroll that's going to keep our athletes here. It's investment in other things as well."

"We are going to have to start getting creative, I believe, because it's bigger than just one team," continued Carter. "It's bigger than just one player. It's about the league's ability to keep its best players in this league as we continue to grow."

The NWSL transfer and hiring market is ramping up, with both the 14 existing clubs and two incoming expansion teams busy bolstering their 2026 ranks just weeks into the offseason.

Last week, Bay FC announced that England U-23 head coach Emma Coates will become the 2024 expansion club's second-ever manager, with fellow England youth national team and WSL staffer Gemma Davies joining Coates's NWSL crew as an assistant coach.

"I'm truly honored and super excited to build on the strong foundations that have already been established and to implement a clear identity both on and off the pitch," Coates said in Thursday's statement. "[Bay FC] shares my passion for people, performance, and culture, which I believe are fundamental to sustained success."

"Emma is not only an excellent coach, but she also has a proven track record of developing players to compete at the highest levels of both the domestic and international game," remarked Bay Collective CEO Kay Cossington. "Emma has consistently demonstrated an ability to bring players and teams to the next level with clarity, care and purpose. She understands what it takes to build environments where people thrive and perform at their best."

"Bay FC is gaining not only a great coach, but also someone that understands women's football and our athletes inside and out."

While Coates will wrap up her nearly three years at England's U-23 helm to join Bay FC in the coming days, three other NWSL teams are still searching for permanent sideline leaders this offseason, as the Kansas City Current, North Carolina Courage, and Portland Thorns continue to conduct coaching searches.

The Thorns joined the leaderless ranks in late November, parting ways with manager Rob Gale following the team's NWSL semifinals exit.

Reigning WNBA champion A'ja Wilson picked up yet another honor this week, as TIME crowned the four-time league MVP its 2025 Athlete of the Year on Tuesday.

The Las Vegas Aces center became the first player in WNBA history to win a championship, Finals MVP, league MVP, and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season, with the 29-year-old sweeping the league's awards this year.

"This year, I collected everything," Wilson said in her TIME interview. "I don't really talk much sh-t — I mean crap. I kind of let my game do it."

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Wilson described the Aces' midseason slump as a focusing agent in her 2025 TIME Athlete of the Year feature, with the skid launching the team on course to their third championship win in four years.

"I think 2025 was a wake-up call that I needed, to let me know that I can't be satisfied with anything," said Wilson. "There's somebody out there that's going to try to take your job. You need to make sure you're great at it, every single day."

Wilson also spoke to the strained relationship between players and WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert, whose leadership came under fire in October as CBA negotiations kicked into high gear.

"I only know Cathy by when she hands me trophies," Wilson said. "If that's her true self, thank you for showing that. Thank you for saying those things. Because now we see you for who you are, and now we're about to work even harder at this negotiation."

With the latest CBA extension expiring on January 9th, Wilson promised that the players are all-in on negotiations through the holiday season.

“All of us are going to be at the table, and we're not moving until we get exactly what we want."