CENTENNIAL — Ryan Worley scored 3:36 into the third period to break a 1-1 tie, and No. 5 Cherry Creek went on to beat No. 4 Regis Jesuit 3-1 on Saturday night.
Regis Jesuit had led 1-0 on Connor Brennan’s power play marker at 7:38 of the second period, but Jackson Ross tied things with a power play goal of his own less than three minutes later.
Cody Oakes added an empty-netter for Cherry Creek, his team-leading 16th this season.
The Bruins’ Quinton Reynolds made 35 saves and is now 4-1-1 with a 1.05 GAA.
Golden senior Haley Blodgett (51) drives on Green Mountain senior MacKenzie Schaller (22) on Friday night. (Dennis Pleuss)
LAKEWOOD — It’s not how your start, it’s how you finish.
That was the mantra for Green Mountain’s girls basketball team Friday night. The Rams started off slow, trailing rival Golden 23-22 at halftime. However, the second half was a totally different story as Green Mountain (16-3, 9-1) stormed to 67-46 victory to stay in the hunt for a Class 4A Jeffco League title.
“I think hitting some threes in the third (quarter) got us a little bit of a lead where we could relax a little bit,” Green Mountain coach Rudy Martin said. “I just think the strong suit of this team is we’ve got some tough kids and good mental toughness. I think we got better as the game went on.”
Green Mountain freshman Delaney Bernard (4) puts some defensive pressure on Golden senior Madison McFarlin (14) during the first half Friday night. Bernard had a strong shooting night with six 3-pointers in the Rams’ 67-46 victory. (Dennis Pleuss)
Freshman Delaney Bernard (22 points) sunk a trio of 3-pointers in the span of two minutes during the third quarter to get some separation from the Demons (10-9, 6-4).
“Delaney hit some really big threes at the beginning of the half that really started us and got us going,” said Green Mountain senior Kelli Van Tassel said.
Golden closed the third quarter strong with senior Jessica King scoring eight of her 13 points. The Demons actually closed to within 43-42 in the final seconds of the third period.
In danger of dropping a game at home for only the second time this season, the Rams turned it on in the fourth quarter. Offensively and defensively, the Rams were superb in the final quarter.
Green Mountain outscored Golden 22-4 in the final eight minutes. Van Tassel led the way pouring in 11 points in the quarter. She finished with a game-high 23 points, which included going 14-of-17 from the free-throw line.
“Anytime Kelli gets to the line that much she is having a good game,” Martin said. “When she plays well we are pretty good.”
Golden senior Haley Blodgett was the only Demon to score in the fourth quarter. The 6-foot-3 senior finished with a team-high 14 points, including three 3-pointers.
“We played pretty well the whole game, but that last quarter was kind of rough,” Blodgett said. “We’ve just got to stick together as a team and put it behind us.”
King (13 points) and Madison McFarlin (12 points) both had solid games for the Demons before fouling out.
Golden and Green Mountain will both get a shot next week against defending league champion D’Evelyn. The Jaguars (14-4, 9-1) had won 37 straight conference games dating back to the 2010-11 season. However, Evergreen (13-6, 8-2) upset the Jaguars 61-57 on Friday night to end D’Evelyn’s league-winning streak.
Green Mountain senior Kelli Van Tassel (23) beats Golden junior Grace Carlson (34) to a rebound during the first half Friday night during the Class 4A Jeffco League game. Van Tassel led the Rams with 23 points in Green Mountain’s 67-46 victory. (Dennis Pleuss)
Golden hosts D’Evelyn at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 11 in the first game of a girls/boys varsity doubleheader. The Demons gave the Jaguars a tough league game Jan. 10. D’Evelyn edged Golden 34-27 in a defensive battle.
“I’m definitely leaning on that last game and how much better I can play and show (D’Evelyn) what I’m made of,” said Blodgett, who had just six points in the loss to D’Evelyn. “It’s our coaches vs. cancer event so we should bring a pretty big crowd. It will be spirited and a good event. There will be a lot of excitement and energy in our gym.”
Green Mountain gets it second chance to knock off the No. 8th-ranked team in 4A at 7 p.m. Feb. 13 on the Rams’ home court. The game Thursday at Green Mountain will likely determine the conference champion.
First, the Rams hit the road to face Evergreen at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 11.
“It’s going to be a good week,” Martin said of facing Evergreen and D’Evelyn. “We are really looking forward to it.”
Golden senior Mariah Fluitt, far right, eyes a layup while being chased down by a trio of Green Mountain defenders Friday night at Green Mountain High School. (Dennis Pleuss)
Golden sophomore Ryan Blodgett (33) tries to get around Green Mountain senior Mitch Schafer (34) while Green Mountain’s student section looks on during the second half Friday night. Blodgett had 18 points and 17 rebounds in the Demons’ 70-66 victory. (Dennis Pleuss)
LAKEWOOD — Golden sophomore Ryan Blodgett could still crack a smile despite missing everything on a free throw attempt and with the game on the line Friday night.
“(Blodgett) was laughing about it coming to the bench,” said Golden boys basketball coach John Anderson about taking a timeout after Blodgett’s first of two free throws didn’t find the rim. “I felt pretty good he was going to make the next one.”
With the Demons holding a three-point lead with 3 seconds to play in the Class 4A Jeffco League showdown with Green Mountain, Blodgett sealed the win by hitting nothing but net on his second attempt from the charity stripe to give the Demons (15-3, 8-1 in league) a hard-fought 70-66 road victory.
Golden junior Ryan Thistlewood (21) passes the ball while being guarded by Green Mountain senior Alex Erickson (3). Thistlewood had a key bucket in the final minute to help propel the Demons to a 70-66 road victory. (Dennis Pleuss)
“The game was over if I make this shot,” said Blodgett of his mindset stepping back to the line after his first arrant free throw. “I emptied my head and took the crowd out of it. I went up there and used my legs like I’m always told. I was pretty nervous.”
Blodgett had a monster game with a team-high in points (18) and rebounds (17).
“It’s every night with him,” Anderson said. “Ryan is so explosive and so fast. He is relentless after the ball.”
The sophomore’s only struggles were at the free-throw line where he finished 2-for-8, but he wasn’t alone. Golden finished the night 8-for-22 from the charity stripe, but had enough to run its winning-streak to seven games.
The important conference win over Green Mountain (10-8, 7-3) overshadowed a tough night at the line for the Demons.
“We’ve obviously got to do better than that,” Anderson said of the struggles at the line. “Also, giving up a big lead like that. Our defense got stagnant and we were just standing around. You’ve got to guard, especially when Green Mountain has weapons like that.”
Golden held what seemed to be a comfortable 15-point lead midway through the third quarter. However, Green Mountain chipped away and eventually took a 66-65 lead with a minute to play in the fourth quarter with a bucket from senior Daniel Brughelli.
Brughelli finished with a game-high 21 points.
“We started rebounding and we started playing better, plain and simple,” Green Mountain coach Derek Van Tassel said. “We didn’t play well at all in the first half and that is uncharacteristic for us. Against a team like (Golden) you have to play the whole time.”
The Demons retook the lead at 67-66 with 47 seconds left on a left-handed runner in the lane from junior Ryan Thistlewood (14 points). After a missed 3-pointer from the Rams, Golden junior Cole Greff was fouled with 17 seconds left. Greff (14 points) made both to extend the lead to 69-66.
Green Mountain sophomore Austin Fritts (11 points) launched a 3-pointer from the corner in an attempt to send the game into overtime, but his shot fell short and was rebounded by Blodgett. The made free throw by the sophomore sealed the win.
Green Mountain senior Will Zeiner (52) has his shot blocked Friday night. The Rams rallied from a 15-point deficit in the third quarter, but eventually lost 70-66. (Dennis Pleuss)
Next week is critical in determining how the 4A Jeffco League will shake out.
After facing Alameda at 4 p.m. Saturday, Golden will host conference-leading D’Evelyn (15-3, 10-0) at 7 p.m. Feb. 11. The Jaguars handled Evergreen (10-9, 6-4) on Friday night with a 70-49 victory.
It will be the third meeting between the Demons and No. 4th-ranked Jaguars.
Golden defeated D’Evelyn 77-67 in the championship game of the D’Evelyn/Golden Preview Classic before winter break. However, the Jaguars got some revenge with a 68-50 win over the Demons in their first of two league meetings.
“It’s going to be exciting in our home place,” said Blodgett of the rubber match against D’Evelyn. “Hoping for a huge crowd and the schools show up. It’s going to be a great environment to play in.”
Green Mountain has a pair of key road games next week. The Rams face Evergreen at 7 p.m. Feb. 11, before taking on D’Evelyn at 7 p.m. Feb. 13.
“They are all big. We want to play well every game,” Van Tassel said of facing two more top teams in the conference. “It’s going to be a fun week and a half.”
Green Mountain sophomore Austin Fritts (1) fires a no-look pass through the Golden defense Friday night. (Dennis Pleuss)
Wrestling’s regular season is rapidly winding down — the final day is Saturday. With regionals set for Feb. 14-15, the picture in terms of team rankings seems clear at the moment.
The latest On The Mat wrestling rankings were released this morning, with few changes. The most notable movement was Pine Creek going from No. 5 to No. 3 in 5A.
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BROOMFIELD — Holy Family and Colorado Academy are Class 3A schools that play big school boys basketball.
In a packed gym at Holy Family with a raucous crowd, the host Tigers, ranked No. 1 in this week’s CHSAANow.com poll, avenged last season’s 51-49 loss to Colorado Academy in the semifinals by beating the No. 2 Mustangs 64-60 Wednesday night.
Holy Family took advantage of its superior depth and used balanced scoring and overall team play to beat the young, but highly talented Mustangs.
Both teams entered the game unbeaten and neither had been challenged yet this season. The fans were treated to a great Metropolitan League battle with tough defense, a fast-paced second half, and a few high-flying dunks.
In a slow-starting game, Holy Family held a 10-5 lead at the end of the first quarter. Colorado Academy’s Justin Bassey, one of the premier sophomore players in Colorado, heated up in the second quarter and scored 13 points by halftime, but the rest of his team had 10 points combined and Holy Family took a 30-23 lead into the break.
The pace quickened to open the third and Colorado Academy started to get into a groove offensively as it opened with a 10-0 run to take its only lead of the game, 33-30. The Tigers responded with a commanding 16-0 run of their own and were up 47-37 entering the final quarter.
Just when it looked like Holy Family would run away and hide, the Mustangs’ trio of sophomores wowed the crowd with several big baskets.
Colorado Academy cut the lead to 60-55 with 1:04 to play on a Jack Buckmelter layup. After Holy Family’s Austin Brown hit one free throw, Christian Hyatt made it a one-possession game with 17.2 seconds left when he hit a triple.
With 13.4 seconds left, the Tigers’ Chris Helbig made one for two free throws to make it a 62-58 game. Buckmelter flew down the court and hit another layup, but the clock ran and the Mustangs fouled Helbig with 0.9 seconds remaining. He hit both free throws to clinch the win.
Holy Family coach Pete Villecco was pleased after the game with the way his team played.
“We competed,” he said. “I thought our kids were tough tonight. That’s a good team. We knew it would be a battle. Both teams showed a lot. The number one thing I say is compete.”
The Tigers dominated the glass all night and were the more aggressive team.
“We wanted our frontline to dominate tonight,” Villecco said. “I thought they did a good job. I thought Austin set the tone and got a few shots at the rim early. He got a few putbacks. That was a big emphasis for us.
“We feel like we have 10 guys that can play. I know we went a little shorter tonight, but our depth has been good to us the whole year,” Villecco added. “We feel like we have a little bit of everything as far as inside, outside, guys that can get to the rim. We knew they were a little thin as far as what they play. They play six, but we didn’t wear them down, because those guys wouldn’t go away. They kept battling and battling.”
Colorado Academy came into the game with a trio of highly touted sophomores in Bassey, Buckmelter, and coach Steve Hyatt’s son, Christian. Bassey (23 points), Buckmelter (18 points), and Hyatt (14 points) proved to be as advertised, but Holy Family’s own sophomore, Helbig, also stepped up in a big way with 17 points.
“Chris is tough as nails,” Villecco said. “He’s getting better every day. He hasn’t had a bad practice all year. We ask him to do a lot. The ball’s in his hands a lot and we feel really good with the ball in his hands. I thought he grew tonight.”
Helbig was a good floor general all game and was effective on jumpers and in transition. He played tough defense and used his lanky 6-foot-2 frame to swipe two steals and help disrupt the Mustangs’ offensive rhythm. Helbig was quick to credit his teammates after the game.
“Having the depth helps us come at them in different ways,” Helbig said. “Teams with fewer guys, you can tell they get winded later on in the game. We have so many weapons that it’s hard for teams to scout us and many people can make plays.
“We don’t have any of these guys that average 20 a game, but we have a lot of guys right around mid-range scoring.”
Ryan Willis (12 points), Austin Brown (10 points and nine rebounds), and Devlin Granberg (eight points) all played an aggressive style and consistently pushed the pace and looked to get to the rim for the Tigers.
Holy Family moved to 16-0 this season and 6-0 in the Metropolitan League. Colorado Academy dropped to 13-1, 5-1 in the competitive conference featuring the top three ranked 3A teams. Jefferson Academy is ranked third.
“Holy Family’s a really good team,” said one of Colorado Academy’s sophomore sensations, Bassey. “They came out and they knew what they wanted to do. They had us scouted well. Their physicality and rebounding and fastbreak, stopping them were our biggest lessons to take away from this game.
