LITTLETON — Three players scored in double figures, led by Sarah Bevington’s 13 points, as Ralston Valley girls basketball beat Chatfield in a Class 5A game.
Month: January 2015
-
Photos: No. 5 Monarch girls hoops keeps rolling with fifth straight win
LOUSIVILLE — No. 5 Monarch girls basketball pulled away from Fossil Ridge, 59-42, to win its fifth straight game on Tuesday.
The Coyotes trailed early, but used a full-court press to keep the game close. They ran away in the second half, outscoring Fossil Ridge by 15 points.
Madison Payne and Jasmine Jeffcoat led the way for Monarch with 15 points each. Kellee Willer netted 12 points to lead Fossil Ridge, and Brooke Pemberton added eight.
Monarch moves to 11-1 this season, with its lone loss coming to No. 4 Grandview a month ago. Fossil Ridge drops to 8-4.
-
Simental saves Pueblo West girls basketball’s win vs. Pueblo East
Pueblo West coach Gil Lucero speaks with his team during a timeout on Tuesday. (Tracy Renck/CHSAANow.com) PUEBLO WEST — This game went from domination to disaster for the Pueblo West girls basketball team, ranked No. 5 in the latest Class 4A CHSAANow.com poll.
However, just when it appeared No. 4 Pueblo East was going to make a frantic comeback from trailing by 17 points with nine minutes remaining, Haley Simental saved the day for the Cyclones on Tuesday night.
The West senior made all six of her free throws in the final 77 seconds, vaulting the Cyclones to a 61-54 victory over the Eagles in the South-Central League opener for both teams at Jerry Kersey Gym.
“I just knew I had to make them,” Simental said. “I know clutch free throws will win games a lot of times and I went up there calm and knocked them down.”
The Cyclones improved to 9-4 on the season, while East dropped to 9-4 after losing its second-consecutive game.
“Haley’s our team leader and she’s the one who wants the ball in her hands,” West coach Gil Lucero said. “She has worked since she could pick up a basketball for those moments and that’s why we had the ball in her hands at that time and she came through.”
Simental, the team’s leading scorer at 21.4-points per game, was held scoreless in the first half, but ended up with 10 points, finishing 8-for-8 at the charity stripe.
For nearly 24 minutes, it looked like the last thing West would need was a hero in this game. The Cyclones had a commanding 49-32 edge with just over a minute left in the third quarter.
Then, things unraveled.
The Eagles came charging back and cut the Cyclones’ lead to 55-54 on Kayla Albo’s 3-pointer from the right side of the top of the key with 1:27 remaining in the game.
“Down the stretch, it was like the football thing when you start playing prevent defense,” Lucero said. “You start getting less aggressive and we lost our aggressive edge and that was the difference there. They got it close and we were hanging on, but we fought through it and were able to pull away. I don’t care if we win by one point or by 15 at this point, a win is a win.”
After Simental made her first two free throws, West had a 57-54 advantage at the 1:17 mark, and East proceeded to have back-to-back turnovers. The Eagles still trailed by the same score with 45 seconds on the clock, but Kassidi Day missed the front end of a 1-on-1 and Simental sealed the victory from that point.
“We got close and turned the ball over and then our girls just deflated because they spent all their energy making that comeback,” East coach Darren West said. “We have to find a way to play four quarters, that’s what I take from this game. We are two of the top teams in the state and we have a couple of quarters where were flat. We have to figure out a way to play all four quarters.”
The Eagles made the game plenty interesting, thanks a Jailen Minich’s 24 points, 16 of which came in the second half.
“We realized we didn’t want to be blown out of their gym and we stepped it up,” Minich, a junior guard said. “We started hitting our shots, and then we just didn’t have the extra push to get us over the top.”
West was paced scoring-wise by Shyanne DeVille (18 points) and Shannon Sanchez (14 points).
“This was huge win for us to beat a quality team like East,” Lucero said. “This should get our season going right now.”
-
Photos: Ralston Valley hockey’s winning streak hits 38 games
ARVADA — Jeff Moffat turned in a five-point night with two goals and three assists as top-ranked Ralston Valley hockey handled Chatfield 9-1 on Tuesday.
Ralston Valley is now 8-0-0 this season, meaning the Mustangs’ winning streak now stands at 38 games. They also have an unbeaten streak that stretches 42 games (41-0-1), and have won the past two state titles.
Tuesday, Stefan Fruhwirth and Tony Salazar each had two goals and two assists as the Mustangs fired an astounding 55 shots on net.
-
Photos: Fankell helps Broomfield girls hoops top Mountain Range
BROOMFIELD — Brenna Fankell led the way with 19 points as No. 2 Broomfield handled No. 9 Mountain Range in a Class 5A girls basketball matchup on Tuesday.
-
Littleton’s Stringy Ervin named national girls swim coach of the year
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Twenty-one high school coaches from across the country have been selected as 2014 National Coaches of the Year by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Coaches Association.
Included is Littleton’s Maurice “Stringy” Ervin, who was named 2014 NFHS national girls swimming and diving coach of the year.
The NFHS, which has been recognizing coaches through an awards program since 1982, honors coaches in the top 10 girls sports and top 10 boys sports (by participation numbers), and in one “other” sport that is not included in the top 10 listings. The NFHS also recognizes a Spirit coach as a separate award category. Winners of NFHS awards must be active coaches during the year for which they receive their award. This year’s awards recognize coaches for the 2013-14 school year.
Recipients of the 2014 NFHS national awards for girls sports are:
Carmen Jackson, track and field, Miami (Florida) Northwestern Senior High School; Curt DeHaan, basketball, Lynden (Washington) Christian Schools; Laurie Glass, volleyball, Leland (Michigan) Public Schools; Brian Song, soccer, Clarksville (Maryland) River Hill High School; John Biedenbach, softball, Trenton (Michigan) High School; Johnette Goldman, cross country, Heber Springs (Arkansas) High School; Coleen Davis, tennis, Portland (Oregon) Episcopal School; Maurice “Stringy” Ervin, swimming and diving, Littleton (Colorado) High School; and Leslie Bender, golf, Louisville (Kentucky) Sacred Heart Academy. There was no national coach selected for girls lacrosse.
Recipients of this year’s national awards for boys sports are:
Dale Mueller, football, Ft. Thomas (Kentucky) Highlands High School; John Lober, track and field, Traverse City (Michigan) Central High School; Pat Rady, basketball, Cloverdale (Indiana) High School; Rick Carpenter, baseball, Prosper (Texas) High School; Lee Mitchell, soccer, Sandy (Utah) Alta High School; Russ Cozart, wrestling, Brandon (Florida) High School; Frank Trammel, cross country, Benton (Louisiana) High School; Micheal Goll, tennis, Salina (Kansas) Central High School; Roger Lauzon, golf, Lynnfield (Massachusetts) High School; and Claude Valle, swimming and diving, Weston (Massachusetts) High School.
The recipient of the National Coach of the Year Award for spirit is Tina Fortner of Minonk (Illinois) Fieldcrest High School, and Joan Ganim of Broadview Heights (Ohio) Brecksville High School was chosen in the other sports category for girls gymnastics.
In addition to the 21 National Coaches of the Year, the NFHS Coaches Association has selected James N. Feldkamp of Troy, Michigan, as the recipient of the National Coach Contributor Award. This award is presented to an individual who has gone above and beyond and who exemplifies the highest standards of sportsmanship, ethical conduct and moral character, and who carries the endorsement of his or her respective state high school association.
The NFHS has a contact person in each state who is responsible for selecting deserving coach award recipients. This contact person often works with the state coaches’ association in his or her respective state. He or she contacts the potential state award recipients to complete a coach profile form that requests information regarding the coach’s record, membership in and affiliation with coaching and other professional organizations, involvement with other school and community activities and programs, and coaching philosophy. To be approved as an award recipient and considered for sectional and national coach of the year consideration, this profile form must be completed by the coach or designee and then approved by the executive director (or designee) of the state athletic/activities association.
The next award level after state coach of the year is sectional coach of the year. The NFHS is divided into eight geographical sections. They are as follows: Section 1 – Northeast (CT, ME, MA, NH, NJ, NY, RI, VT); Section 2 – Mideast (DE, DC, KY, MD, OH, PA, VA, WV); Section 3 – South (AL, FL, GA, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN); Section 4 – Central (IL, IN, IA, MI, WI); Section 5 – Midwest (KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD); Section 6 – Southwest (AR, CO, NM, OK, TX); Section 7 – West (AZ, CA, HI, NV, UT); and Section 8 – Northwest (AK, ID, MT, OR, WA, WY).
The NFHS Coaches Association has an advisory committee, composed of a chair and eight sectional representatives. The sectional committee representatives evaluate the state award recipients from the states in their respective sections and select the best candidates for the sectional award in each sport category. The NFHS Coaches Association Advisory Committee then considers the sectional candidates in each sport, ranks them according to a point system, and determines a national winner for each of the 20 sport categories, the spirit category and one “other” category.
A total of 533 coaches will be recognized this year with state, sectional and national awards.
-
Photos: No. 1 Regis Jesuit boys basketball handles No. 7 Montbello
AURORA — Top-ranked Regis Jesuit boys basketball beat No. 7 Montbello 80-47 on Tuesday night.
-
Photos: Faith Christian boys basketball tops Denver Science & Tech
ARVADA — Second-ranked Faith Christian handled Denver Science & Tech on Monday in a Class 3A boys basketball game, 87-48.
-
Photos: Montbello boys basketball edges Mountain Vista in overtime
DENVER — Malik Hart dropped 34 points as No. 7 Montbello edged No. 8 Mountain Vista in overtime, 81-78, during a Class 5A boys basketball matchup.
Montbello also got 16 points from Troy Green, and 10 apiece from CJ Whittington and Kur Awol. Awol also had three assists and four steals.
Mountain vista was led by Ray Beresford (27 points, five rebounds, five assists, four teals) and Brady Subart (15 points, five steals, three assists). Isaac Phillips had eight points and nine assists.
-
Manitou Springs and volleyball coach Carol Benedict part ways
MANITOU SPRINGS — The Manitou Springs Mustangs are on the search for a new volleyball coach, according to Dan Mohrmann on Twitter.
Carol Benedict, who went 71-13 as coach of the Mustangs, and the school parted ways just before the holiday break.
Under Benedict, Manitou made three state tournament appearances and fished no lower than eighth place. The Mustangs were state runners-up in 2013.
This will be the second coaching change for the program since 2011 when Benedict replaced Bridget O’Connor.
The Mustangs 23-5 this past fall, winning the 3A Tri-Peaks leagues. They advanced to the state semifinals where they lost to Valley. A win over Pagosa Springs had the Mustangs finishing the season in third place in 3A.
There is no word on when the Mustangs hope to fill the position.