CHSAANow

Month: March 2015

  • 1A boys basketball Great 8 roundup: Jim Elliot uses height in win

    LOVELAND — No. 3 seed Jim Elliot Christian had an obvious advantage against No. 6 South Baca in the Class 1A boys basketball state tournament.

    The Warriors had a few inches on the Patriots at every position, allowing them to pass over the top, dominate the glass, protect their own rim, and cruise to the 1A state semifinals with a 67-55 Great 8 victory at the Budweiser Events Center in Loveland.

    Tanner Smith, Jim Elliot Christian boys basketball. (Brock Laue/CHSAANow.com)
    Tanner Smith of Jim Elliot Christian boys basketball. (Brock Laue/CHSAANow.com)

    The Patriots struggled with matchups, but then again, who hasn’t struggled guarding Tanner Smith this season?

    The 6-foot-1 senior guard, the only 1A player to be named to Colorado’s all-star game, The Show, was a magician with the ball while throwing fancy passes to his post players and getting into the lane at will to score.

    The captain of the Warriors, Smith was averaging 18.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, 6 assists, 4.1 steals, and 2.5 blocks entering Thursday. He stuffed the stat sheet again on the biggest stage, much to the delight of a large Jim Elliot fan section who made the drive north from Englewood, finishing with 22 points and 10 rebounds.

    Of course, in a game Jim Elliot led throughout and mostly controlled, Smith got plenty of help from thick forwards Connor Bogner (23 points) and Brennan Moore (18).

    Built more like football players, sophomore Bogner and his senior brother Matt, along with senior Moore, look poised to battle in the trenches.

    “We’re a lot more physical this year, especially Connor and Brennan Moore,” Smith said. “They are deceptive. They aren’t super athletic guys or super tall or anything, but they just get the ball inside, take their time, they are strong with it, and they finish their layups. That’s what you need to do.”

    Jim Elliot, which opened its doors in 1999, is enjoying a dream season. They set a program record with 21 wins, with a now 22-2 mark, and they reached the state tournament for the first time after coming close in recent years.

    “We had been to regionals the two years before,” Smith said. “We wanted to get here and enjoy it.”

    The Warriors get the chance to continue their best run ever with a Final 4 showdown scheduled for 8:30 p.m. Friday evening.

    South Baca (18-4) was led by Matthew Crane’s 16 points.

    [divider]

    (1) Sangre de Cristo 63 (8) Peetz 27

    The Thunderbirds cruised to a 24-0 record by handling the Bulldogs in a game that was never close.

    They won it all in 2001, their lone state championship in boys hoops.

    [divider]

    (2) Holly 64 (7) Prairie 50

    The Wildcats scorched the nets early and won easily over the Mustangs as Yaniel Vidal scored 24 points. Bryan Ortiz and Tristan Nelson chipped in 10 each.

    This is Holly’s third straight appearance in the state tournament, but first in the Final 4 in recent years.

    [divider]

    (5) Fleming 54 (4) Ouray 31

    The Wildcats handled the Trojans thanks to a balanced scoring effort from Alex Vandenbark (10 points), Joey Stahley (9), Blake Meredith (8), and Cameron Henry (7).

    Fleming only has one senior on the roster.

  • Photos: Girls basketball’s 4A and 5A Final 4

    BOULDER — The Final 4 of Class 4A and 5A girls basketball is on Thursday at the Coors Events Center.

    Find photos from each game below.

    More coverage:

    Go to:


    [divider]

    Class 4A

    (2) Valor Christian 87, (1) Pueblo West 64



    (2) Sand Creek 59, (6) Longmont 31



    [divider]

    Class 5A

    (1) Broomfield 71, (2) Cherry Creek 42



    [divider]

    Class 5A

    (1) ThunderRidge 46, (1) Monarch 31

  • Valor Christian girls basketball reaches first title game

    Valor Christian Pueblo West girls basketball
    Valor Christian players celebrate their win on Thursday evening. More photos. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)

    BOULDER — Valor Christian seniors Kendall Bradbury and Caroline Bryan were simply unstoppable Thursday night at the Coors Events Center in Boulder.

    Bradbury and Bryan combined for 53 points as the Eagles showed off its offensive capability with an 87-64 victory over Pueblo West in the Class 4A girls basketball semifinal. The win puts Valor (25-3) in its first girls basketball state championship game.

    “We are so motivated. We’ve had a chip on our shoulder and we’ve had something to prove,” said Bradbury, who finished with 28 points on 9-of-13 shooting. “Everyone went out and did their thing. Everyone did their part. It’s amazing to go play for a state championship on Saturday.”

    The 4A championship game tips off at 1 p.m. Saturday back at the Coors Events Center. Valor fell short of the title game last year losing to Broomfield in the semifinals.

    “We are going to celebrate tonight and enjoy it for the next 20 minutes or so, then get right back out on the court and prepare for Saturday,” Bryan said minutes after the Eagles’ 23-point victory.

    Valor Christian Pueblo West girls basketball
    More photos. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)

    Valor raced out to an early 9-0 lead and never trailed. Bradbury was unstoppable in the first half shooting 8-for-11 from the field for 19 points. Fellow senior Caroline Bryan added a dozen points in the first half as the Eagles took a 44-35 lead into halftime.

    Pueblo West senior Haley Simental did everything in her power to prevent Valor from mounting a bigger lead at halftime. Simental (23 points, including four 3-pointers) led the Cyclones with 11 points at halftime, including a half-court shot at the buzzer of the first quarter.

    Junior Shannon Sanchez also had an impressive scoring output, pouring in 19 points for Pueblo West.

    However, Valor went on a 15-0 run to start the second half to build its lead to 24 points midway through the third quarter. Pueblo West didn’t score in the second half until Sanchez hit a 3-pointer with 3:35 left in the third quarter.

    “We had a really great run,” Bryan said of the Eagles’ start to the second half. “We maintained the pressure on defense. Pueblo West really couldn’t find a rhythm. We never let them get comfortable. I think that was the key.”

    Bryan, along with junior teammates Madison McCoy, Sara Gibson and Heidi Hammond looked very relaxed combining to score the Eagles first 13 points of the third quarter. Bryan finished with 25 points.

    “I think they (Bradbury and Bryan) work so well off one another,” Valor coach Jessika Caldwell said. “Pick your poison. If you want to double one on the block the other is standing open for a great mid-range shot.”

    Gibson (11 points) and Hammond (10 points) each finished in double-figure for Valor as the Eagles shot 57.7 percent from the field for the game.

    “I have a lot of confidence in our offense,” Bryan said. “Our coaches trained us very well from the beginning. We have really perfected the offense she (Caldwell) has given us. We executed well tonight.”

    Valor is seeking its first basketball state championship in the school’s history. The private school in Highlands Ranch opened in 2007 is aiming for a third girls team title. The Eagles have state titles in girls soccer (2011) and softball (2014).

    There are just three blemishes on Valor’s record this season. The Eagles lost to Windward, Calif. at the Nike Tournament of Champions in December. The other two losses were to 4A Jeffco rival D’Evelyn.

    Without Bryan because of injury, D’Evelyn defeated Valor 67-63 on Jan. 29. The other loss to D’Evelyn came by forfeit. Valor scheduled one too many and had to forfeit its last regular season game against D’Evelyn on Feb. 20. Valor self-reported the scheduling mistake Feb. 16 to the Colorado High School Activities Association.

    “I think it motivated us to go out every day and work harder,” Bradbury said having to forfeit the rematch against D’Evelyn. “We’ve pushed each other to the extreme.”

    Pueblo West (22-5) was the last remaining No. 1 seed in the 4A tournament.

  • Sand Creek moves to first girls basketball title game in school history

    Sand Creek Longmont girls basketball
    Sand Creek players celebrate during their semifinal game with Longmont on Thursday. More photos. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)

    BOULDER — Defense wins championships, or so the cliché goes.

    For the Sand Creek Scorpions, the old saying might just ring true after they defeated the Longmont Trojans 59-31 Thursday night at the Coors Event Center in Boulder to advance to the Class 4A girls basketball championship game this weekend.

    One year after falling in the Great 8, Sand Creek never let this semifinal be in doubt. Behind the strong work of junior forward Liah Davis, the Scorpions defense tightened the noose early on the overmatched Trojans.

    Davis finished with six blocks and a steal, and her presence down low allowed the rest of Sand Creek’s energetic defenders stay in the face of Longmont’s ball-handler, even when they overcommitted.

    “Even sometimes when we over-played, we still got back into position,” said Davis. “I think we’re a really good defensive team where we can be out of position, and still have that second line helping out.”

    Sand Creek Longmont girls basketball
    More photos. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)

    Despite both sides turning the ball over in the first, it was the Scorpions defense that was really bearing down, and there was just no room for the Trojans to breath — much less advance the ball or get a shot off. The only Trojan who found any room to work with was junior Sydney Wetterstrom, had eight of Longmont’s nine points in the first.

    Wetterstrom finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds, the only Trojan in double-figures by a wide margin.

    The Scorpions defense didn’t let up as the game went on either. The Trojans wound up turning the ball over 24 times and shot just 24.1 percent on the night. Already up 15 points at the half, Sand Creek shut out the Trojans completely in the third quarter, putting any doubts about their dominate performance to rest.

    “Compliments to number 15 (Wetterstrom). She scared me when I watched video. So we had to try to do something to neutralize her. Our goal was to defend the passer and front her, because they love to lob it to her,” said Sand Creek first-year head coach Frank Haist. “Fortunately, it worked.”

    Meanwhile, on the offense end, the Scorpions spread their attack around.

    Leading the way again was Davis, who finished with 10 points and added 17 rebounds for good measure. The 6-foot-2forward was often the first one down the court for either squad, and worked her way into great position using not just her size, but her speed.

    “She runs the court for a big girl very well, and the thing is, she’s getting rebounds and then she’s running to the low post most possessions,” said Haist. “And I didn’t take her out much. For being a big strong girl and having that type of cardio, where she can stay in the game and be effective, that’s a testament to her.”

    Junior guard Oliana Squires also had a big night for Sand Creek, finishing with a team-high 16 points in just over 15 minutes after getting in early foul trouble. Just as importantly, all of Sand Creek’s guards kept finding Davis, who kept getting in perfect position.

    “Sometimes guards don’t see opportunities to give it to the big girl. Our guards see it and are looking to get her touches,” said Haist. “So in that context, it creates an unselfish game where guards know she needs touches if we’re going to be successful, and Liah knows that when she’s triple-teamed to kick it out and get better shots.”

    The win means the Scorpions will take on the Valor Christian Eagles — the team that defeated them 67-60 in last year’s quarterfinals, ending their season — Saturday night in the 4A title game. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. at the Coors Event Center in Boulder.

  • Broomfield girls basketball returns to title game, this time in 5A

    Broomfield Cherry Creek girls basketball
    Broomfield girls basketball celebrates its win on Thursday. More photos. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)

    BOULDER — Broomfield will get its shot at a storybook ending for longtime coach Mike Croell and its stellar senior class.

    The Eagles advanced to Saturday’s Class 5A girls basketball championship game at the Coors Events Center with a 71-42 win Thursday night in Boulder against Cherry Creek in the state semifinals.

    “I know I always wanted to be in this position, but we’ve got to finish,” said Croell, who will retire from coaching after Saturday’s 5A title game. “We’ve got to finish the deal now. Enjoy it tonight, but it’s back to work tomorrow to seal the deal.”

    Broomfield enjoyed an impressive start in its semifinal. The Eagles dominated early taking an 11-0 lead through the first minutes of the game. All five seniors starters — Callie Kaiser, Maddie Kern, Nicole Lehrer, Brenna Chase and Brenna Fankell — scored in the opening quarter as the Eagles held a 24-8 lead after eight minutes.

    “We just game out strong and fast,” said Kaiser, who finished with a game-high 23 points. “We knew if we did that everything else would take care of itself. It did.”

    Broomfield pushed its lead to as many as 35 points in the fourth quarter before both teams emptied its benches. Fankell finished with a double-double (20 points and 11 rebounds). The Eagles’ starting five combined to score 67 of Broomfield’s 71 points.

    “They (starting five) have been here before and they are very well grounded. They are happy, but they aren’t gitty, goofy happy,” Croell said. “They still have a sour taste in their mouth of what happened last year. They don’t want that to happen again.”

    Broomfield Cherry Creek girls basketball
    More photos. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)

    Croell, who took over Broomfield’s program to start the 1995-96 season, has his Eagles riding a 21-game winning streak heading in the championship game scheduled for a 3 p.m. tip off in Boulder.

    Broomfield won five consecutive 4A state titles from 2007-11. The Eagles came up one win short last season of winning a sixth state title under Croell. Mesa Ridge edged Broomfield 45-41 in the 4A championship game last season in Boulder before the Eagles moved up to the 5A classification.

    Kaiser, who will continue her basketball career at Colorado State University, admitted she thinks about last year’s 4A championship loss daily.

    “We’re glad to be back and really to redeem ourselves,” Kaiser said.

    Moving up to 5A presented a different hurdle for Broomfield this season. The Eagles (25-2 record) have handled it well. Broomfield’s lone two losses came to ThunderRidge, who played Monarch in the other semifinal Thursday night.

    “We were definitely looking forward to that challenge and being pushed,” Fankell said of playing in 5A. “It shows we can play with the best of them.”

    Now there is just one question left for the Eagles: Will Broomfield claim a sixth girls basketball title under Croell’s tenure?

    “We definitely want to play for coach Croell because it’s his last season. We want to win it for him and win it for our seniors,” Fankell said. “I wouldn’t want to be on the court with anyone else.”

    Cherry Creek (19-8) started three sophomores and a freshman in the semifinal. The Bruins’ lone senior starter Molly Rohrer keep the Bruins afloat with 13 points in the opening half, but Broomfield still led 39-21 at halftime. Rohrer finished with 15 points to lead Cherry Creek.

    “Creek is a good young team,” Croell said. “They’ll be back.”

    It was the first Final 4 appearance for Cherry Creek since 2004. The Bruins lost to ThunderRidge in the title game that year. Cherry Creek also came up a win short losing the championship game in 1999.

    While Cherry Creek’s historically decorated girls athletic programs have plenty of hardware, the Bruins have never won a girls basketball state title.

  • 3A girls basketball Great 8 roundup: Manitou Springs advances

    Eaton Manitou Springs girls basketball
    Manitou Springs moved to the Final 4. More photos. (Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)

    GOLDEN – With Manitou Springs needing a little bit of a spark Thursday night, Shelby Megyeri turned into a wrecking ball on both ends of the floor.

    The sophomore was all over the place down the stretch for the Mustangs in the Class 3A state girls basketball quarterfinals, forcing turnovers, drawing fouls and driving to the basket for layups. Megyeri finished with a game-high 16 points, and Manitou Springs rode an impressive defensive performance to a 50-44 victory over Eaton and a berth in Friday’s semifinals at Lockridge Arena on the Colorado School of Mines campus.

    “It’s a great feeling. I’ve never experienced it,” Megyeri said. “I’m only a sophomore and I’ve only been to state (once). We got to state last year but we lost our first game. This is a new feeling – it’s hard to explain, but I’ve got the chills thinking about it.”

    Manitou Springs (23-2) takes on top-seeded Sterling (25-0) at 4 p.m., with Pagosa Springs (24-0) meeting Lutheran (24-1) at 7 p.m. in Golden.

    “We’ve very excited. Sterling’s a great basketball team,” Mustangs coach Jon Asp said. “I feel like we rise to the occasion against good teams.”

    Eaton led 37-32 late in the third quarter before Brooke Garretson knocked down a pair of free throws. Megyeri then picked off two passes that led to layups.

    A Jayla Jarnigan 3-pointer put Eaton back up 42-38, but the Mustangs rallied again. After Shelby Hard cut the lead to two points, Megyeri and Garretson combined to score the team’s final 10 points.

    Eaton was limited to only five points in the fourth quarter.

    “From here on out we had eight strong teams, and I told the girls at halftime we can’t outscore any of these teams here,” Asp said. “We’ve got to step it up on the defensive end and that starts with boxing out. We boxed out awful that first half.”

    Eaton junior Bailey Schumacher scored 13 points in the first half but was held scoreless over the final two quarters. Caiden Rexius added 11 points for the Reds.

    “Eaton’s a strong team and I felt like they had the momentum most of the game,” Asp said. “But I think our advantage is we’ve won a lot of close games these last two years. We’ve been in a lot of tough games and we’ve been able to pull it out and win those.”

    [divider]

    (1) Sterling 51, (25) Liberty Common 36

    The Tigers remained undefeated thanks in large part to a first-quarter surge that saw Sterling outscore the Eagles 16-5.

    Jenna Knudson led Sterling with 26 points, including a 14-of-17 effort from the free-throw line.

    Molly Gillis led Liberty Common with 12 points.

    [divider]

    (2) Pagosa Springs 48, (10) Centauri 33

    Payton Shahan scored 16 points and Morgan Schaaf added 10 as the Pirates moved into the semifinals with an impressive showing against Centauri.

    Schaaf added seven rebounds and six blocked shots.

    The Falcons shot just 26.3 percent in the first half and 23 turnovers. Ember Canty led Centauri with 13 points.

    [divider]

    (3) Lutheran 61, (6) Moffat County 32

    Four Lions players finished in double figures as Lutheran rolled into the 3A semifinals one year removed from winning the 2A state championship.

    Chandler Sturms led Lutheran with 16 points. Kaleigh Paplow and Kristen Vigil added 12 points each and Cara Thomas chipped in with 11 points.

  • 2A girls basketball Great 8 roundup: Hoehne edges Ellicott

    PUEBLO – There were some tense moments for sure, but in the end Hoehne’s girls basketball team did enough to win Thursday night.

    Cydney Kreutzer scored a team-best 16 points as the Farmers held on to beat Ellicott 42-34 in a Class 2A state quarterfinal game at Colorado State University-Pueblo’s Massari Arena.

    “We were a little nervous when we should not have been, but a win is a win at this point in the season,” said Hoehne coach Beth Kreutzer, who also is Cydney’s mother.

    With the victory, Hoehne (26-0) remained unbeaten and advances to play Akron (23-2) in the semifinals at 4 p.m. Friday. The Rams won state in 2012 and 2013.

    “I watched them (Akron) play and I think they are a lot different team than we are in the sense that they are bigger, and we are more of a run and go team,” coach Kreutzer said. “We are looking forward to the challenge and we just have to play our best.”

    The Farmers seemed to have a handle on the game against Ellicott, leading 33-27 heading into the fourth quarter. Ellicott, however, had other ideas.

    The Thunderhawks clawed back into the game and cut the deficit to 35-34 following Dakota Dornbrack’s traditional 3-point play with 4:09 remaining.

    “I wasn’t really worried,” Cydney said about her team only having a one-point lead. “I knew we could get the win, we just had to get our composure back.”

    Actually neither team took control in the next couple of minutes as the score remained 35-34 until Hoehne’s Sophie Anderson hit a jumper with 1:44 on the clock to put the Farmers up 37-34.

    From that point, Hoehne tightened up its defense, allowing no points, and the Farmers made just enough free throws to seal the victory. Hoehne was 11-for-21 from the line for the game, and 5-of-10 in the fourth quarter.

    “I thought the whole game at times we weren’t the settled, controlled team I had seen all year,” coach Kreutzer said. “But, they are at that point when they know they have to win and I feel like we did some really good things at times and there are things we can improve on. The key for us is we play hard all the time and we’re excited for (Friday).”

    Melanie D’Amour had 16 points the Thunderhawks’ loss.

    [divider]

    (1) Peyton 53, (8) Del Norte 46

    Top-seeded Peyton received balanced scoring from Sarah Lugar (17 points), Darielle Evans (14) and Emily Green (10) to edge Del Norte.

    Peyton improved to 24-0 and advances to play Yuma (20-4) at 7 p.m. today in the semifinals.

    Peyton held a 27-17 halftime advantage and was able to hold on for the win. Bailey Jones (15 points) and Kaitlin Martinez (13) paced Del Norte in the loss.

    [divider]

    (4) Yuma 49, (5) Paonia 30

    Peighton Roth poured in four treys and Logan Hixon added three of her own from long distance, powering the Indians.

    Yuma improved to 20-4 and advanced to the semifinals. Paonia, which was making its second appearance in a row at the 2A state tourney, saw its record drop to 19-5.

    Roth, who scored seven of her team’s 15 points in the quarter, including two 3-pointers. Roth finished with 12 points and Hixon (11). Katrina Terrell, who had a team-high 13 points, had the team’s other trey.

    Paonia’s Morgan Hartigan was the only Eagle in double-figures, finishing with 11 points.

    [divider]

    (3) Akron 68, (6) Cedaredge 46

    Jordan Baer had a game-high 26 points propelling the Rams to a convincing win.

    Akron upped its record to 23-2 and extended its winning streak to 13 games. The Rams won state in 2012 and 2013.

    Baer (6 points) and Lizzie Haltorf (5 points) fueled the Rams’ second-quarter 21-10 charge that broke the game open.

    Nellie Freeman was the only Bruin in double-figures with 17 points.

  • 3A boys Great 8 roundup: Three Metro League teams alive

    Lutheran Brush boys basketball
    More photos. (Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)

    GOLDEN – It doesn’t surprise Lutheran boys basketball coach Ryan Bredow that three of the final four teams standing in the Class 3A state tournament are from the Metro League.

    With those teams going at it night in and night out during the regular season and district play, the level of competition is bound to help give teams an edge come tournament time. But if the Lions want to create an all-Metro League championship game like last year, first they will have to take down Colorado Springs Christian.

    “CSCS is outstanding. We know that any time you get this deep in the tournament, every team is good,” Bredow said Thursday after dispatching an upstart Brush squad 66-51 at Lockridge Arena on the Colorado School of Mines campus. “Every team’s got really good players and everybody’s got matchup problems. We’ll come in (Friday) and keep things focused on us and make a run at it.”

    Lutheran (21-4) takes on CSCS (22-1) at 5:30 p.m., with Faith Christian (23-2) meeting Colorado Academy (19-6) in the other semifinal.

    The Lions had their hands full in the first half with a Beetdiggers team that eliminated Kent Denver and Sterling last weekend. Lutheran led by only six points at halftime before a strong start and end to the third quarter helped put Brush (13-12) away.

    “When we went in at halftime, it’s just a senior heavy group that just kind of dialed in,” Bredow said. “We made a few adjustments defensively, and I thought we took better care of the ball in the second half against a little bit of pressure. I thought our shot selection was better in the second half as well.”

    Brandon Crocker led the Lions with 20 points. James Willis added 18, Brendan Edgerley had 14 and Josh Clausen finished with 11.

    Edgerley had a big steal early in the second half that led to a 3-point play, and the senior also had a steal-and-layup combo late in the third quarter. Edgerley scored six of the team’s seven points during one stretch to push Lutheran’s lead to 50-35.

    “I just thought Brendan played really well. He triggers so many things for us on both ends of the floor, and the rest of the guys really feed off his energy,” Bredow said. “When he’s making plays, we’re a much better team.”

    Kyle Rosenbrock led Brush with 14 points, all of which came in the second half. Austin Garcia scored 12 points and Niko Guzman added 10.

    [divider]

    (1) Faith Christian 61, (9) Jefferson Academy 54, OT

    The Eagles outscored Jefferson Academy 9-2 in overtime after the Jaguars hit two late free throws to force the extra session.

    Jefferson Academy led for much of the way and was up by seven going into the fourth quarter before Faith Christian rallied. Grant Harkness hit the go-ahead bucket, and added a free throw with 4.8 seconds left to make it 52-50. Harkness was whistled for a foul though, and the Jaguars’ Joe Rodriguez calmly sank both shots to tie the game.

    In overtime, Chance Bazz hit a go-ahead 3-pointer, and Gabe Hegarty followed with a three-point play to make it a six-point advantage.

    Harkness scored 18 points and Spencer Bazz added 17 for the Eagles. Joe Raff paced the Jaguars with 19 points.

    [divider]

    (2) Colorado Springs Christian 59, (7) Alamosa 44

    Sophomore Justin Engesser and junior Sam Howard combined to score 40 of the team’s 59 points as the Lions rolled past Alamosa.

    Engesser was 6-of-8 from the field and 5-of-6 from the free-throw line and added eight rebounds as well. Howard was 8-of-11 and blocked four shots.

    Josh Cody led the Mean Moose with 14 points and Ryan Brubacher added 13.

    [divider]

    (4) Colorado Academy 60, (28) Bayfield 44

    The Mustangs outscored Bayfield 29-18 in the second half to move back into the state semifinals.

    Colorado Academy, which finished second a year ago, received a game-high 21 points from junior Christian Hyatt and 17 more from Justin Bassey. Will Creedon finished with 10 points.

    Preston Hardy and Trevor Gabbard led Bayfield with a combined 23 points.

  • 2A boys basketball Great 8 roundup: Ignacio holds off Rye

    PUEBLO – This game came down to pressure-packed free throws and Ignacio’s Anthony Manzanares, Adison Jones and Wyatt Hayes were perfect.

    The trio combined to make 6-of-6 free throws in the final 42.7 seconds, vaulting the Bobcats to a 45-38 victory over Rye in a Class 2A quarterfinal game at Colorado State University’s Massari Arena Thursday night.

    “We absolutely practice free throws, and the guys came through when they were tired,” Ignacio coach Chris Valdez said.

    Ignacio (22-2), the No. 3 seed moves on to play No. 2 Sanford (25-0).

    “Sanford is tough, and they are the defending (2A) state champs,” Valdez said. “They are physical and they are aggressive and we are just going to go out there and give it a hard run.”

    A win seemed like the last thing the Bobcats would be celebrating early in the Rye game.

    “The thing is we came out and played so horrible in the first quarter,” said Valdez, whose team was trailing 5-2 after eight minutes of play against Rye. “We had our best player, Adison Jones in foul trouble, he had three fouls in the first quarter. The first half we wanted to hold on and stay with it and we ended up coming out with the lead.”

    The game was definitely in doubt late in the final quarter and when Rye’s Corban Pagnotta converted a 3-point play, the Thunderbolts were up 36-35.

    Instead of wilt, Ignacio answered.

    Jones drove to the basket and put in a bucket, putting the Bobcats ahead 37-36 with 2:18 left.

    The Bobcats were clinging to a 39-38 advantage when Manzanares made two free throws at the 42.7-second mark giving his team a 41-38 lead.

    Rye had a missed opportunity the next time down the court and with 20.7 seconds showing Jones made two more free throws to stretch the lead to 43-38. Hayes sealed the win with a pair of free throws with 13 seconds left.

    Hayes had a team-best 16 points and Jones added 13. Ty Zupancic had a team-high 10 points for Rye.

    [divider]

    Resurrection Christian 87, Burlington 32

    Top-seeded Resurection Christian jumped out to a 21-point first-quarter lead and cruised to the win.

    The Cougars ran their record to 24-0 and will play No. 4 Simla (23-2) at 8:30 Friday in the semifinals.

    Tanner Ervin (24 points) and Mike Stevenson (17 points) paced the Cougars. Resurrection Christian is aiming to win its first boys basketball title in school history.

    [divider]

    Simla 55, Meeker 44

    Simla’s Kyler Hamacher poured in nine of his game-high 14 points in the fourth quarter, leading the Cubs to the victory in a first-round game.

    With eight minutes to play, Simla appeared to be reeling as it was holding on to a slim 36-33 advantage after just scoring three points in the fourth quarter. The Cubs regrouped for the win and Hamacher wasn’t the only star.

    Cody Norris (11 points), Noah Scott (10) and Jason George (10) all scored in double-figures as well for Simla.

    [divider]

    Sanford 61, Holyoke 57

    Perennial power Sanford received 27 points from Miles Caldon to edge the Dragons.

    Sanford led 30-24 at intermission and was able to hold on and win, thanks outscoring in the fourth quarter. Caldon, a guard, scored eight points in the fourth and was 6-for-8 from the free throw line. Clayton Peterson added 10 points for the Indians and Tito Fierro had 23 points in the loss for Holyoke.

  • ThunderRidge returns to 5A girls hoops title game for first time since 2005

    ThunderRidge Monarch girls basketball
    ThunderRidge is moving on to the 5A title game. More photos. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)

    BOULDER — If there was one play that summed up Thursday night’s Class 5A girls basketball semifinal matchup in which the ThunderRidge Grizzlies topped the Monarch Coyotes 46-31, it was this: ThunderRidge forward Jaz’Myne Snipes missing an easy bunny at the rim, only to get the rebound and lay it in while getting knocked to the ground.

    It was that kind of game — a knock-down, physical affair that only really got going in the second half. Both squads came out slow out of the gate, but the Grizzlies were able to stake themselves to an early 9-3 lead by finding a few seams in an otherwise stout Monarch defense.

    Still, despite the early advantage, things looked out of sorts for the Grizzlies, who usually try and push the pace and run up the score on opponents.

    “We struggled a little bit to put the ball in the hole. Their zone slowed us down a little bit. It put us into a half-court offense and I think it put us back on our heels,” said ThunderRidge head coach Paula Kruger. “Thank God for our defense. These kids do whatever it takes to win. It doesn’t have to be pretty; it just has to be a W at the end.”

    With the Grizzlies were up early, it looked like the game might get away from the Coyotes before it could really begin. But Monarch guard Raegen Rohn was able to stop the bleeding, thanks to a couple pull-ups late in the first that kept the Coyotes within striking distance.

    ThunderRidge Monarch girls basketball
    More photos. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)

    The game didn’t get much faster in the second quarter — with both teams shooting just around 25 percent from the field, ThunderRidge maintained their slight edge, 18-14 heading into halftime.

    After the break, however, things began to heat up, and Snipes really began to shine. Muscling her way into position and for big rebounds, the five-foot-eleven junior, along with fellow junior forward Taylor Rusk, were able to give the Grizzlies a little breathing room.

    Rusk finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds on the night, while Snipes added 14 points and 8 boards.

    “After halftime I think we realized we just needed to breath. We were up, we only let up 14 points, but with our style, we should have had more points than that,” said Snipes. “We were settling for threes. So we decided to attack more, penetrate, and shots started falling for us.”

    It helped that the Coyotes began getting loose with the ball. Monarch turned the ball over six times in the third quarter and 14 times in the game, and ThunderRidge was able to turn those turnovers into easy fast-break points and grow their lead to nine, 32-23, at the end of three.

    From there, ThunderRidge just had to hang on — though it wasn’t always easy with Rohn handling the ball for Monarch. She finished with 16 points in her final game with the Coyotes.

    The win means that ThunderRidge will square off against Broomfield Saturday to try and win their first 5A state championship since 2005. The two squads have already seen each other twice this year, with ThunderRidge winning both matchups.

    For second-year head coach Krueger, it’s her chance to add to the already storied tradition of Grizzlies basketball after taking over the team last season.

    “I’ve played in three state tournaments; I’ve played in three national championship games. I coach in three national tournaments, and I was an assistant coach in a couple high school tournaments,” said Krueger. “ Seeing the joy these kids have in being here is far greater for me than any personal accomplishment.

    This is a really good basketball team, and they’ve set themselves up to be here at the beginning of the year. I couldn’t be happier for these kids.”

    Tip-off is set for 3 p.m. at the CU Event Center in Boulder.