LITTLETON — Eighth-ranked Steamboat Springs broke open a scoreless game with two goals in the third period to top Chatfield 2-0 in hockey on Saturday.
Andrew Firestone scored on the power play 11:48 into the third to break the scoreless tie. Matt Hale added an empty-netter for Steamboat. Trent Trask stopped all 15 shots he faced.
AURORA — It should go without saying, but freshman standout Michaela Onyenwere had never played in a double-overtime game during her short career at Grandview.
“Coach told us all to just calm down,” Onyenwere said. “He said, ‘We still got this, even if there is still one second left and we’re tied.’ That helped me out because I had never played in a game like this.”
Onyenwere scored 21 points in No. 4 Grandview’s 65-58 double-overtime win over No. 7 Poudre (3-2) in Friday night’s semifinals of the Grandview High School Invitational. Sophomore Cecelia Berkner led Poudre with 22 points.
Coach Josh Ulitzky, of Grandview (4-0), decided to play two of his freshman during the final moments of the game.
“I thought that our young players, (Onyenwere) and Kennede Brown, did a pretty good job,” Ulitzky said. “I would like to say that there is another way to learn — but that’s it. They need to get out there and play in these tough games.”
Last season, Grandview had the best season in school history, finishing at 24-3 (13-1 league). Their regular season achievements earned them No. 3 seed in the state tournament. Grandview made it all the way to the final four before losing to Resuit Jesuit, the eventual 5A state champion, by three points.
“We needed to be battle-tested a little bit,” Ulitzky said. “We had some nerves in the final minutes. But I think, in the end, senior leadership really did a nice job. Having Jen Jordan, Brittany Bender and Denise Batiste to calm things down, and make shots late and get stops helped us.”
(Jordan Morey/CHSAANow.com)
Through four games, Onyenwere leads Grandview at 20.5 points per game, the fourth highest scoring average in 5A girls basketball. The next highest-scoring freshman in 5A is Spencer Lindsey of Pine Creek, at 13.8 points per contest. Grandview has averaged 66.5 points through its first four games.
Grandview will play D’Evelyn (4-2) in the tournament final on Dec 14 at 5 PM. D’Evelyn lost to Poudre in the Battle Of The Rockies tournament semifinals 46-37 on Dec. 6.
In the last matchup between Grandview and D’Evleyn, the semifinals of last year’s tournament at Grandview, Grandview took the win 63-57 behind 18 points from senior Abaeze Obinnah. Obinnah was a key part of Grandview’s run in 2012-13 as the second-leading scorer on the team.
“We’re going to have to cover the three-point line,” Ulitzky said of Saturday’s game. “D’Evelyn loves to run the 3-point line. It will be a challenge for us because they like to run up the floor quickly, give pressure and shoot.”
Arvada West junior Thomas Neff (15) scramble after a loose ball as Ralston Valley junior Andrew Wingard hits the floor Friday night during the Ralston Roundup tournament championship game. The host Mustangs beat the Wildcats 48-45. (Dennis Pleuss)
ARVADA — Ralston Valley boys basketball team prides itself on defense, but in facing Arvada West junior Thomas Neff on Friday night, the Mustangs were realistic.
“Our main focus was to contain (Neff), not stop him or shut him down,” Ralston Valley senior Zac Stevens said of the Mustangs’ defensive mindset. “(Neff) is going to score points.”
Neff, who game in averaging 23 points per game, had a game-high 22 points. However, Ralston Valley held on for a 48-45 victory in the championship game of the Ralston Roundup tournament. It was the third title for the host Mustangs over the past four years.
“We knew were we going to win it on our defense and how we guarded (Neff),” Ralston Valley coach Mitch Conrad said. “He is a great player. We made it difficult for him. He had to earn it.”
Ralston Valley sophomore Dallas Walton, left, drive on Arvada West junior Thomas Neff during the championship game of the Ralston Roundup tournament Friday night at Ralston Valley High School. Ralston Valley edge its 5A Jeffco rival 48-45. Walton and Neff were both named to the all-tournament team. (Dennis Pleuss)
The game came down to the final seconds where the Wildcats (3-1) weren’t able to give Neff the opportunity to hit a game-tying 3-pointer. A-West junior Dhillon Greene purposely missed a free throw with three seconds left and the Wildcats trailing by three.
A-West was able to get the rebound, but the kickoff to Neff was off the mark and the ball sailed toward midcourt as time expired.
“I just wish the outcome was a little different, but I’m glad we go to play them before league,” said Neff, who was named to the all-tournament team for the runner-up Wildcats.
Greene was the only other A-West player to reach double-digit points. He finished with 10.
Junior Andrew Wingard led Ralston Valley (5-2). The star tailback on the Mustangs’ football team finished with 15 points, including four 3-pointers.
Ralston Valley senior Rane Hornecker, middle, drives on Arvada West senior Marcus Culhane, left and sophomore Luke Neff during the first half Friday night. (Dennis Pleuss)
“Wingard, the last two games, has really big clutch for us,” Conrad said. “That’s really good to see from one of the young guys.”
Steven pitched in nine points and senior Rane Hornecker had seven points, including a key free throw with 10 seconds left in the game to give the Mustangs a 48-44 lead.
A-West and Ralston Valley will get very familiar with each other by the end of the hoops season.
The Arvada-area rivals and Class 5A Jeffco League foes schools separated by 3.4 miles will square off against at least twice more this season in conference games. A-West and Ralston Valley are scheduled for league games Jan. 23 (at Ralston Valley) and Feb. 21 (at A-West).
“We want to play the best to make ourselves better,” Conrad said of the quality of the tournament that featured 5A’s No. 3 ranked squad in Rangeview that placed fifth. “Three Jeffco teams in here and hopefully it will make us all better so Jeffco can make a deeper run in the state tournament.”
The Wildcats and Mustangs will both dive into league play next Tuesday, Dec. 17. A-West will hit the road to face a strong Lakewood squad. The Mustangs host defending 5A League champion Chatfield. Both games are scheduled for 7 p.m.
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D’Evelyn wins third place
D’Evelyn senior Ty McGee, left, threads a pass over Montbello junior Troy Green (0) and Karamoka Cisse (10) during the third-place game of the Ralston Roundup tournament at Ralston Valley High School. D’Evelyn defeated Montbello 79-70. (Dennis Pleuss)
The D’Evelyn Jaguars won the third-place game with a 79-70 victory against Montbello.
“Montbello is really talented. I think they will be really good later in the year,” D’Evelyn coach Troy Pachner said. “That was a great win for us.”
Ty McGee (23 points) and Grant Witherspoon (20 points) led the way for the Jaguars.
D’Evelyn, ranked No. 9 in this week’s CHSAANow.com 4A boys basketball poll, has had a rollercoaster of a season so far. The Jaguars slipped to 4A Jeffco rival Golden last week in the D’Evelyn/Golden Preview Classic championship game, but rebounded quickly with a victory against 5A’s No. 3-ranked Rangeview in the first round of the Ralston Roundup.
A loss Thursday to A-West in the semifinals of the tournament moved the Jaguars into the third-place game.
“It’s been peaks and valleys,” said McGee, who was named to the all-tournament team. “We’ve just need to keep going steady.”
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All-Tournament Team
D’Evelyn senior Ty McGee
Rock Canyon junior Mitchell Lombard
Rangeview senior Jeremiah Paige
Arvada West junior Thomas Neff
Ralston Valley sophomore Dallas Walton
LAFAYETTE — Treyvon Andres and Sergio Garcia each scored 16 points in Thomas Jefferson’s 66-27 win over Pueblo County on Friday night at the Boulder Valley Invitational.
PARKER — Chaparral, ranked seventh in the Week 1 Class 5A On The Mat rankings, beat Littleton in a wrestling dual on Thursday, 78-3. Photos from the match:
Pine Creek jumped up in the 5A wrestling rankings provided by On The Mat this week. The Eagles were No. 12 in the preseason, which goes to 15 teams. They are No. 6 this week.
The four No. 1 teams — Arvada West (5A), Broomfield (4A), Brush (3A), Paonia (2A) — remained the same from the preseason.
Tim Yount of On The Mat provides weekly wrestling rankings for teams and individuals in all weight classes. To see individual rankings, you can subscribe to On The Mat’s full rankings.
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