“Our gameplan was to come out strong right from the tip-off. Just give it our all,” senior Hannah Kochen said. “We had to push the ball and make sure we had defensive stops. That was our goal.”
Windsor gave the Colts a mighty scare in the girls basketball Final 4 in a 53-41 game. Pueblo South started with a red-hot 9-2 run led by Kochen’s seven points. That would be a theme for the Colts.
“She’s a senior and I think she’s feeling it,” coach Shannan Lane said. “She feels like she can take over if she needs to like today.
“We’ve had different players step up throughout the season — we’ve had games where Hannah (Kochen) scored six. Throughout the season, we’ve had different kids in double figures. Hannah waits until it’s her time — she’s a very unselfish player.”
The game consisted of runs from both sides: Pueblo South had a 9-2 run, and Windsor had an 11-2 run.
That 11-2 run by Windsor got the Wizards back into the game at the end of the second half. They rode the momentum into the third quarter where the game became a boxing match with each team trading baskets.
“We went flat. We had some miscommunication on defensive possessions which drives me crazy because all they had to do is open their mouth,” Lane said. “We knew they ran a five-out offense, and it’s tough to board when you get crashers from the three-point line. We didn’t take care of the boards the first half. We did a little better job the second half.”
Kochen announced herself yet again on the court with a three pointer midway through the third quarter to give Pueblo South a 32-30 lead. She had 24 points in the game.
“I have to give the credits to my teammates,” Kochen said. “They got me open, so all the credit goes back to my teammates. It’s a team sport.”
The Colts held the lead the rest of the game.
Kochen scored on back-to-back possessions in the final minute of the third to stretch the lead over Windsor 40-32 with 28.6 seconds left in the quarter. She had seven points in the third quarter alone. In the fourth, Pueblo South extended the lead to 10.
“We had to push each other, we had to make sure defense came first because defense wins games,” Kochen said. “Our defense really had to step up.”
Besides Kochen’s streaky scoring, the difference for Pueblo South came inside with Gabi Lucero. Lucero was a force on both ends in the lane.
“She does so much for us on the boards,” Lane said. “She can rebound and use her body inside and reach up and get it.”
Her style of play fit the game perfectly. She got second, even third-effort rebounds. She got blocks, she altered shots, she bodied her opponent in the paint.
Lucero finished with eight points, 14 rebounds and four blocks. A senior, this is her last run.
“Her knee has been bothering her — she’s got one more game and she may be heading into surgery after this,” Lane said. “We’re just trying to keep her as healthy as we can.”
Windsor had extremely balanced scoring and came out with a never-back-down attitude. Michaela Moran and Hollie Hoffman gave the Wizards solid efforts with eight and 14 points, respectively. `
Evergreen sophomore Claudia Dillon takes a jumper during the Class 4A girls Final 4 game against Pueblo West. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
DENVER — Evergreen will get another shot at its first girls basketball title in the school’s history.
After losing to Valor Christian in the Class 4A girls basketball state championship game last season in Boulder. The No. 3-seeded Cougars defeated No. 2 Pueblo West 45-29 in the first Class 4A semifinal game Thursday at the Denver Coliseum.
“I don’t think anyone expected us to get back to where we were,” Evergreen’s lone senior Keigan Drysdale said about the return trip to the title game. “We are lucky enough, especially as a senior, to be able to get back here twice now.”
Evergreen’s 6-foot-2 sophomore Claudia Dillon led the way with 19 points and a dozen rebounds in what was the Cougars’ fifth straight victory. Evergreen (24-3 overall) had lost to Golden and Valor toward the end of conference play before starting its playoff run.
(Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
“At the beginning of the season we didn’t know how good we were going to be,” Dillon said. “The fact that we are back here for the second year in a row without Sam (Kisiel) and some of those other seniors is kind of a big thing.”
Kisiel ended her career as one of the Cougars’ all-time leading scorers last year with 1,336 points. Evergreen graduated a handful of seniors from last year’s state runner-up team.
“It’s a huge advance to have us here last year,” Evergreen coach Amy Bahl said of playing on the big stage again. “We felt very prepared. There isn’t that nervousness or uncertainly. We know what it takes to win here.”
What the Cougars did to defeat Pueblo West (23-4) and end the Cyclones’ 11-game winning streak was produce a remarkable defensive effort. Evergreen’s defense held Pueblo West to just 2-of-22 shooting in the first half. The Cyclones finished shooting just 8-of-40 (20 percent) from the field.
“That is what won us the game,” Drysdale said of the Cougars’ defensive effort. “Our shots weren’t always falling, but our defense was solid.”
The Cougars had an 8-0 run in the first quarter to take the lead, but Pueblo West responded with an 8-0 run of its own to grab a 12-10 lead with 5:13 left in the second quarter. Evergreen answered with a 7-0 run to grab the lead for good before halftime.
Evergreen put the game away in the fourth quarter with a 20-point outburst that included making 12 free throws down the stretch. Drysdale (11 points) and Dillon combined for 30 points. Juniors Meriel Hahn and Baylee Galan-Browne pitched in five points each for the Cougars.
(Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
“That our game-plan, we had to look to drive,” Bahl said of the Cougars attacking the basket. “We weren’t going to just rely on outside shooting.”
Pueblo West was led by junior Olivia Lough (12 points). She was the only Cyclone to reach double-digit points. It was the fifth straight season Pueblo West has been eliminated by a 4A Jeffco League team.
Pueblo West has become very familiar with Jeffco teams in the postseason. The Cyclones came into Thursday’s state semifinal having had their season ended in the playoffs by either Jeffco’s D’Evelyn or Valor the previous four seasons.
Evergreen has ever won a girls basketball state championship. The Cougars will get their shot at history in the 4A title game at 1 p.m. Saturday, back at the Denver Coliseum.
LOVELAND — The Paonia girls basketball team’s perfect season remains unblemished.
The Eagles, who entered the Class 2A state tournament at the Budweiser Events Center on Thursday as the No. 2 seed, continued their undefeated roll with a 55-44 victory over No. 7 Swink in the opening round.
But the game was closer than the score suggests.
Paonia, which has won all but one of its now 23 games by double digits, was tested by a Lions squad that also boasted an impressive resume. Swink had lost only twice before Thursday, and those defeats were to teams that finished No. 2 in 2A (Del Norte) and No. 4 in 3A (Centauri) in the final CHSAANow.com rankings of the season.
“That’s a team that probably shouldn’t have been a 7-seed,” Paonia coach Scott Rienks said. “(Swink coach Curt Lewis) is one of the best coaches in Colorado, and you know when you play him that he’s going to have his kids ready.”
The Eagles and Lions exchanged strikes throughout a tight-knit first half. Paonia leaned heavily on senior Emily Peiper, who finished with a team-high 16 points, to get its offense going early on.
After facing a slight, two-point halftime deficit, the Eagles put together an 11-2 run following the break to put themselves in position. But the Lions then found a way to match that pace and never trailed by more than eight points, pulling to within one late in the game.
Senior Sophia Anderson came through for Paonia in the second half, scoring 11 of her 15 points after halftime. Swink sophomore Brianna Denton led all scorers with 18 points and her teammate Kyla O’Neal put up 15.
“Having Sophia (Anderson) on the court in the second half was big. I need her on the offensive end,” Rienks said. “We know, with our pressure, that we can wear teams down. And that’s a big thing.”
Paonia advances to the Final 4, where they will face Del Norte at 4 p.m. Friday. Swink will play Haxtun at 11:45 a.m. Friday in the consolation semifinals.
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(1) Yuma 43, (8) Ignacio 18
A dominant second half powered the defending champion Indians past the Bobcats in first game of the state tournament on Thursday morning.
Ignacio (16-7) hung close with top-ranked Yuma (21-3) for the first two quarters, facing just a five-point deficit going into halftime. The Indians then broke the game open with a 17-4 advantage in the third quarter and never let up.
Yuma’s Cody Robinson finished as the game’s leading scorer with 19 points. Her teammate Avery Whitehead added another 10 points, which included hitting a pair of key of 3-pointers in the third quarter that put her team up for good.
The Indians advance to Friday’s semifinals, where they will play Wray at 7 p.m.
Ignacio was led by Alejandra Lujan, who had a team-high eight points, while Morgan Herrera contributed seven. This was the Bobcats’ first state appearance since 2013 and first under fourth-year coach Shance Seibel. They move to the consolation semifinals, where they will face Simla at 8:45 a.m. Friday.
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(4) Wray 66, (5) Simla 25
The Eagles were dominant from start to finish in the opening round, punching their ticket to the Final 4.
Wray (18-6) boasted a strong, balanced offensive attack that featured Paige Beckman and Morgan Smith, who finished as the game’s top scorers with 12 points each. Megan Godsey and Paige Brown were also big factors with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Simla (19-5) was unable to post a double-digit scoring quarter and suffered from getting out to a slow start and early 7-0 deficit. Jerraldawn Rector finished as the Cubs’ leading scorer with six points.
The Eagles will face top-ranked Yuma in the Final 4 at 7 p.m. Friday. The Cubs will meet Ignacio in the semifinals of the consolation bracket at 8:45 a.m. Friday.
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(3) Del Norte 59, (6) Haxtun 44
It was anybody’s game at halftime, as the Tigers and Bulldogs went back and forth only to be separated by just three points after two quarters. Then the separation began.
Del Norte (22-2) returned to the floor with a 14-3 run after the break, creating a gap that proved to be too big to recover from for Haxtun (19-5)
Bailey Jones was the star of the game, scoring an eye-catching 27 points that included going 8-for-8 and the free-throw line and knocking down a trio of 3-pointers. Teammate Kendra Parra also reached double figures with 10 points.
Dawson Knode finished as the Bulldogs’ leading scorer with 21 points, while Callie Dickerson added 11.
Del Norte advances to the Final 4, where it will face No. 2 Paonia at 4 p.m. Friday. Haxtun will play No. 7 Swink in the consolation bracket at 11:45 a.m.
LOVELAND – For the first time in three seasons, there will be a new Class 2A boys basketball champion.
Sedgwick County knew seeding wouldn’t guarantee anything at the state tournament, especially considering its opening-round matchup on Thursday afternoon at the Budweiser Events Center.
Across the court from the top-seeded Cougars, who have only lost one game this season, still stood a tall order in having to get past back-to-back-to-back reigning champion Sanford. The clash between the two was intense as expected, and in the end Sedgwick County (23-1) did just enough to edge the Indians 40-38 in the final minute.
“It was wild, especially in that atmosphere,” coach Stacy Woodhams said. “They have good fans, we have good fans – it was pretty loud in there.”
After giving up the first two baskets, the Cougars got things going with an early scoring run that provided them a slight lead for the majority of the game. Senior Michael Nein, who finished leading all scorers, was explosive in the first quarter and put up all 14 of his total points before halftime.
The Indians (16-8), however, remained within striking distance the entire time. After trailing by as many as 10 points in the second half, Sanford began to put together its comeback bid.
Aided by Sedgwick County’s late offensive struggles that included 18 total turnovers, eight of which were in the fourth quarter, Sanford started to chip away at its deficit. The Indians finally tied the game at 36-36 with 2:30 left to play and defensively held the Cougars to just four points in the final quarter.
Sanford then took its first lead since the early moments of the game in the ensuing minute thanks to the late performance of senior Casey McDaniel, who finished with a team-high 10 points. Also helping the Indians offensively was senior Derick Faucette’s nine points.
Sedgwick County was able to regain its lead with less than a minute to play to punch its ticket to the Final Four. The No. 1 Cougars will face Highland at 8:30 p.m. Friday.
“They had a little mojo,” Woodhams said of Sanford. “We’re young and we showed it a little bit. … But I was happy. Whenever you get a win this time of year, it’s a good thing.”
Sanford moves to the semifinals of the consolation bracket, where it will play Akron at 1:15 p.m. Friday.
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(2) Holyoke 43, (7) Fowler 38
Thursday’s first boys game remained close all the way up until the final minute, when the Dragons prevailed to avoid an opening-round upset.
Holyoke (20-4) came out hot, shooting well from behind the arc to take early control. But Fowler (20-4) was quick to respond in the second and third quarters to remain in contention.
The Dragons were led by MJ Taylor and Austin Herman, who scored 16 and 13 points, respectively. The Grizzlies’ Alex Proctor led all scorers with 17 points.
Friday will mark back-to-back semifinal appearances for Holyoke, which will face No. 6 Paonia at 5:30 p.m. Fowler moves to the consolation semis against No. 3 Del Norte at 10:15 a.m.
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(6) Paonia 45, (3) Del Norte 37
A scoreless second quarter put the third-seeded Tigers in a hole they were unable to climb out of, falling victim of an upset by the sixth-seeded Eagles.
Carlos Parra was the leading scorer for Del Norte (20-5), which led 12-4 after the first quarter. His late-game effort included hitting three 3-pointers in the final quarter in attempt to close the Tigers’ gap that fell short. Parra finished with 12 points and teammate Charlie Hayes contributed nine.
Paonia (22-2) was led by an impressive offensive performance from Dagan Rienks, who finished with a game-high 21 points. Triston Mautz also reached double figures with 10 points.
The Eagles move on to the semifinals, where they will face No. Holyoke at 5:30 p.m. Friday. The Tigers will play No. 7 Fowler at 10:15 a.m. Friday in the consolation bracket.
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(5) Highland 69, (4) Akron 57
Koby Anderson’s banked-in 3-pointer from just past mid-court to beat the buzzer before halftime was a prime example of the way things would go for the Huskies. Simply, in their favor
Highland (24-0) continued its undefeated roll using a fast-paced offense and stingy defense on the other end of the court. Akron (19-5), after trailing by 11 at halftime, closed the gap in the fourth quarter, getting to within one with six minutes left to play before Highland took back control.
Anderson led the Huskies with 20 points, while Cole Rouse and Reese Anderson added 15 and 10 points, respectively.
The Rams’ late-game push was led by Levi Basler, who scored 13 of his 20 total points in the final quarter. Brock Benson scored 14 points and Jordan Herder had 10.
Highland advances to the semifinals to face top-seeded Sedgwick County at 8:30 p.m. Friday. Akron will play Sanford at 1:15 p.m. in the consolation bracket.
DENVER — At a stage of the state tournament where there is always doubt on who will advance, Grandview decided to erase that doubt early on.
Mission accomplished. With a 60-27 win over Regis Jesuit in the Class 5A Final 4, the Wolves will play in Saturday’s state championship game, the first title game in program history.
“I think I was a little bit nervous just because of that reason that we’ve never made it past the Final 4 at Grandview,” senior guard Michaela Onyenwere said. “I’ve been here three times and never made it past so maybe I was a little bit nervous. I’m glad we pulled it out.”
The UCLA commit was her usual self, going for 23 points, 10 of which came in the first half.
It was a slow start offensively for both teams, but it was Allyah Marlett who knocked down a 3-pointer to give Grandview a 4-3 lead, its first of the game. And the Wolves never looked back.
The Raiders finished the first quarter without making a field goal, only mustering three points off free throws.
“I thought we defended well,” Grandview coach Josh Ulitzky said. “We had to work on the other end, but hold our opponent to a single digit is a good quarter.”
Things only got worse as sophomore Francesca Belibi picked up her third foul less than a minute into the second quarter.
“That was the game,” Regis Jesuit coach Carl Mattei said. “As soon as Fran is not able to play right away, the whole feel, the whole belief is gone.”
The Wolves were able to take advantage. On top of Onyenwere’s ability to control the flow of a game, Leilah Vigil was able to dominate inside.
Of her 14 points, she also scored 10 in the first half.
“I’m a 5-foot-8, but I play like I’m 6-foot-4,” Vigil said. “I’m always going to go into the game with a good mindset. No matter how big they are, I’m going to force them to foul me.”
Grandview shot just under 31 percent from the field in that time while the Raiders on shot 21.
With Belbi back in the game for the start of the second half, the Raiders were more competitive, but were still far outmatched. The sophomore didn’t score her first points of the half until early in the fourth quarter and by that time, the game was well in hand for the Wolves.
Freshman point guard Jada Moore paced the Raiders offense with eight points, but the team overall wasn’t able to get any rhythm.
The Wolves now have a chance to to come away with a state title that many felt they were going to be in the running for last year.
But a 69-67 loss to ThunderRidge in last year’s Final 4 torpedoed those hopes.
When they take the floor on Saturday, they hope the lessons from that semifinal will carry them into the school record books as the first girls basketball team to raise a championship banner.
All they have to do until then is stay mentally focused.
“I don’t think that’s an issue,” Ulitzky said. “They’re very focused on what potentially lies ahead.”
CENTENNIAL — Arapahoe girls soccer started the season with a 5-0 home win over Lakewood. The Warriors used four goals in the second half to secure the win.
DENVER – Mark Engesser was at a loss for words Thursday afternoon.
The Colorado Springs Christian girls basketball coach had just watched his team rally from an eight-point deficit in the fourth quarter to force overtime. From there, the Lions held Manitou Springs scoreless on their way a 38-32 victory in the Great 8 of the Class 3A state tournament at Hamilton Gymnasium on the University of Denver campus.
Engesser was already thinking about what his postgame speech might sound like after CSCS entered the fourth quarter trailing 31-23. But the Lions (23-2) outscored the Mustangs 15-1 in the fourth quarter and overtime combined to advance to Friday night’s semifinals against top-seeded Sterling.
“I didn’t see that coming at all,” said Engesser, whose team defeated Manitou Springs for a third time this season. “Maybe some of the girls just got in a better rhythm and got used to the fans. I can’t describe how that happened, I really can’t. That was amazing.”
Megan Engesser scored 13 points, pouring in six points during a fourth-quarter flurry that tied the game up. Manitou Springs (16-9) opted to hold the ball for the final three minutes to gain the final shot, but the Lions’ stifling defense didn’t allow Mustangs senior Shelby Megyeri to get off a good attempt.
“I was scared to death to go man. We switched to man, full-court, and our girls showed they could do that,” Mark Engesser said. “Katie Hildenbrand, just an amazing defensive effort on Shelby Megyeri.”
In overtime, Katie McGrath and Rachel Ingram knocked down buckets. Madison Mackie put the game away with two free throws.
“I never thought that we were going to lose,” Megan Engesser said. “I wanted to give everything I had tonight. I was praying the whole time.”
Ariana Olson scored 10 points to lead Manitou Springs.
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(1) Sterling 44, (9) St. Mary’s 38
The top-seeded Tigers finally broke through with a big fourth quarter to stave off the upset bid from No. 9 St. Mary’s.
Sterling (25-0) struggled from the floor for much of the night, trailing by as many as five points in the third quarter. But the Tigers regained the lead for good early in the fourth quarter and outscored the Pirates 13-6 down the stretch.
Brooke Polenz scored a game-high 21 points for Sterling. For the Pirates (21-4), Makenna Bodette led the way with 17 points.
After 11th-seeded Pagosa Springs rallied in the fourth quarter to force overtime, No. 3 Lamar did just enough to advance to Friday’s semifinals against Centauri.
Cali Clark scored a game-high 16 points and nine rebounds before fouling out to pace the Savages (23-2). Cassie Forgue added 13 points.
Lamar led 34-25 in the third quarter, but managed only 12 points in the second half.
Morgan Lewis led Pagosa Springs (18-5) with 15 points and 12 rebounds. Megan Farrah chipped in with 10 points for the Pirates.
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(2) Centauri 41, (10) Liberty Common 37
(Katie Pickrell/CHSAANow.com)
Centauri rode a strong third quarter to a four-point victory in the quarterfinals, advancing to play Lamar in Friday’s semifinals.
The No. 10 Eagles held a one-point lead at halftime, but the Falcons (23-1) outscored Liberty Common (21-4) by six points in the third quarter.
Ember Canty scored 11 points and had a game-high 16 rebounds for Centauri, and Melissa Wilson added 10 points. Caroline Van Berkum grabbed 10 rebounds.
Halley Miklos led Liberty Common with 17 points and 13 rebounds and Hannah Kohl added 10 points.
