Spectator information for the 2021 state basketball championship games, set for Saturday and Sunday at World Arena in Colorado Springs, has been announced.
Schools will each have the ability to have 75 spectators each. Due to capacity limitations, there are no tickets available for the general public at the state basketball championships.
Tickets for qualifying teams will be distributed through each school’s athletic director.
LAKEWOOD — Green Mountain’s girls basketball team found itself in a situation Tuesday night it hasn’t been all season.
The No. 2-seeded Rams were locked in a tied game midway through the fourth quarter against No. 7 Erie in the Class 4A state quarterfinal. Green Mountain (17-0 record) had won every game by double-digits this year, but the Tigers were giving the Rams their toughest test of the season.
“Erie is so well-coached, so tough and so good at so many things,” Green Mountain coach Darren Pitzner said. “They have counters to everything. They have so many weapons.”
Green Mountain senior Courtney Hank, right, is fouled going up for a shot Tuesday night against Erie. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
Erie junior Grace Moyers converted a 3-point play with 4:54 left in the fourth quarter to tie things up 44-44, but with 3:30 left in the final quarter Green Mountain sophomore Jayda Maves hit maybe the biggest 3-pointer of her prep career to put the Rams ahead for good.
“I just want to thank Connie (Green Mountain assistant coach Connie Ireland),” an emotional Maves said after the Rams took a 58-50 victory to advance to the 4A state semifinals for the second straight season. “She is always lifting me up and always there for me. I missed four 3s and she just said, ‘Keep shooting. We need you.’ There just are words to describe how much she means to me.”
Maves had struggled with her shot not scoring in the second or third quarters, but the sophomore came through in crunch-time.
“She probably takes more shots in practice than anyone else in Jeffco,” Pitzner said of Maves. “That is the result. You hit those shots that help us advance to the Final 4. I’m extremely proud of her.”
Junior Avery Oaster (16 points) and senior Courtney Hank (12 points) both had a pair of baskets in the final three minutes to keep the Tigers (13-4) at bay. Green Mountain made seven free-throw in the final minute and held Erie to just two points in the final 2:41 of the game.
Junior Shea Murphy (12 points) poured in a pair of free-throws for good measure in the closing seconds before the Rams celebrated another history victory during their current remarkable two-year run.
“I think deep down that we would respond,” Oaster said of playing in a tight game for the first time this year. “I was pretty confident we would have our runs.”
Erie senior Anna Hefner, front, and Green Mountain junior Avery Oaster battle for a loose ball during the Class 4A state quarterfinal game Tuesday night at Green Mountain High School. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
Oaster did most of her damage offensively in the first half. The junior scored a dozen points before halftime to counter Erie’s hot shooting from outside. Moyers, junior Deb Altshuler and Genevieve Gudino combined for six 3-pointers on the night for the Tigers.
Erie just couldn’t knock down big shots late in the fourth quarter and Green Mountain’s pressure defense forced some turnovers to allow the Rams to punch their ticket to another Final 4.
“We just kept our composure,” Maves said. “I think that is what helped us in the fourth quarter. We just kept calm and played our game that we know how to play.”
Green Mountain knows its state semifinal opponents will be another huge test. No. 3 Windsor (15-1) throttled No. 6 George Washington 75-35 in another quarterfinal Tuesday. A COVID-19 benefit for the Rams will be that all state semifinals will be played at the higher-seed this season instead of down at the Denver Coliseum.
The Rams lost to Holy Family down at the Coliseum last season in the semifinals.
“Having home-court advantage is one of the biggest things,” Maves said. “We know how Windsor just beat George Washington by 40 points. We know we are going to have to step up our game.”
Last season was the Rams’ first trip ever to the state semifinals. To earn a return trip is something Pitzner is extremely proud of what his girls, coaching staff and Green Mountain family has achieved.
“What they have accomplished is historic for this program,” Pitzner said of the back-to-back state semifinal appearances. “They believed the whole time that we could go back to the Final 4.”
Green Mountain sophomore Jayda Maves spots up for a 3-pointer in front of the Erie bench. Makes hit a pair of key 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to help lift the Rams to a 58-50 victory and a spot in the Class 4A state tournament semifinals. Green Mountain will host Windsor on Thursday night with a spot in the 4A championship game on the line. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
No. 2 Green Mountain fought to a close 58-50 win over No. 7 Erie to advance to the Class 4A girls basketball Final 4.
No. 3 Grandview took an early lead and never looked back as it beat No. 6 Chaparral 79-30 to advance to the Class 5A girls basketball Final 4.
No. 4 Highlands Ranch girls basketball is back in the Class 5A girls basketball Final 4 after beating No. 5 Ralston Valley 46-30.
(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Due to the major snowstorm that has hit much of the state, the CHSAA basketball playoff schedule will be modified to accommodate those teams impacted by the storm.
Great 8 Games
These games must be completed by Tuesday, March 16. Games MAY be played on Monday or Tuesday to allow for those teams that can play Monday to do so, or those who are battling travel issues with the storm to play Tuesday.
The amount of travel between sites dictates that the semifinal date be changed to allow for teams to travel. And a change in the dates for the state championships is needed.
Final 4/Semifinals
All Semifinals have been moved to Thursday, March 18. This provides travel time and preparation time for all teams.
State Championships
The five Friday Championship Games (1A Boys & Girls, 4A Boys & Girls, 5A Girls) will be moved to Sunday, March 21, (CHSAA Bylaw 2310.5) with the same game times. Saturday Championship games would remain (2A Boys & Girls, 3A Boys & Girls, 5A Boys) with the same game times.
ARVADA — Ball movement Thursday night was a key to advancing Ralston Valley into the quarterfinals of the Class 5A girls state tournament.
It took a little while for the No. 5-seeded Mustangs to hit their stride against No. 21 ThunderRidge in the Sweet 16 game at Ralston Valley High School. The Mustangs (14-2 record) held just a 8-6 lead after the first quarter, but turned things around to take an eventual 57-29 win.
“I feel like we were slow out of the start,” Ralston Valley junior Saya Sabus said. “Then we just turned it on and it was go, go, go from there.”
Ralston Valley senior Brooklyn Seymour (14) goes up between ThunderRidge senior Angel Makoski (5) and freshman Halle Hanchett (11) during the Class 5A round of 16 game Thursday night at Ralston Valley High School (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
Ralston Valley went on a 13-0 run to start the second quarter and held the Grizzlies (8-7) scoreless for more than 8 minutes from the end of the first quarter until ThunderRidge freshman Alexis Baker scored and was fouled with 1:20 left in the second quarter.
Senior Sydney Bevington and Sabus poured in six points each in the second quarter for the Mustangs. Senior McKenna Nichols and freshman Hannah Somorin both hit a 3-pointer each to help Ralston Valley take a 26-9 lead at halftime.
“When our post start touching the ball and we can go inside-out against the zone the shots are easier,” Ralston Valley coach Jeff Gomer said of how the Mustangs attacked ThunderRidge’s zone defense after the first quarter. “Once we realized we could use our posts it’s amazing how it changed.”
What hasn’t changed over the past four years for Ralston Valley is where Bevington continues to do her damage offensive. The senior has more that 1,200 points career points and isn’t afraid to pull up with the old-school mid-range jumper.
“She (Bevington) has so much confidence in that mid-range shot,” Gomer said. “People say, ‘Why not have her step out to the 3 with her?’ She is just dead-eye with the 15 to 12-footer. Even on the break she’ll put up for a 10-footer. She shoots it well. It works.”
Bevington scored a game-high 21 points, shooting 10-for-16 from the field against the Grizzlies.
Ralston Valley freshman Sophia Sabus takes a 3-pointer during the second half Thursday night against ThunderRidge. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
“That’s how I’ve always played with driving and the mid-range shots,” Bevington said. “It’s always open with the offense we run. It’s been successful so I’ve been keeping it that way.”
ThunderRidge couldn’t get much going offensively with Ralston Valley using pressure defense through the first three quarters to keep the Grizzlies from getting into a rhythm offensively.
“I think with our defensive pressure and size we were able to get traps in the corners,” Bevington said. “I think that helped swing the momentum with forcing those turnovers.”
Ralston Valley advances into the Great 8 for the third time over the past four years. The Mustangs hit the road to face No. 4 Highlands Ranch on Monday in the 5A state quarterfinals. The impending snowstorm predicted to hit Colorado from Friday night through Sunday moved all Great 8 basketball playoff games from Saturday to Monday, March 15.
“We sure would like to take another step here,” said Gomer, who guided the Mustangs to the state quarterfinals last year where Cherry Creek ended Ralston Valley’s season. “Highlands Ranch is hard to play against. We’ll watch some film, get them on the floor, roll the ball out there and see what happens.”
Ralston Valley has won 12 straight games. The Falcons (13-2) have won 9 straight games.
“We just have to go out and play our best,” Sabus said. “That’s it.”
Ralston Valley freshman Hannah Somorin (23) applies defensive pressure Thursday night during the Mustangs’ 57-29 victory in the Class 5A state Sweet 16 game against ThunderRidge. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
George Washington girls basketball beat Glenwood Springs 55-27 to move to the 4A Great 8.
No. 6 Chaparral is into the Class 5A girls basketball Great 6 after beating No. 22 Mountain Vista 59-36 on Thursday.
A trip to the Class 5A girls basketball Great 8 is in store for No. 5 Ralston Valley after getting a 57-29 win over No. 21 ThunderRidge.