HIGHLANDS RANCH — There is more than one formula when it comes to surviving in the Class 5A girls basketball tournament. On Tuesday night, Highlands Ranch used a defensive formula that was aimed at limiting shot opportunities for Fairview.
It worked.
The Falcons were balanced in their scoring effort and held the Knights five total field goals to get a 45-26 win and advance to Friday’s Great 8 at the Denver Coliseum. It’s there that the Falcons will meet Continental League rival Regis Jesuit.
Seeing the same defensive effort from her team on Friday would make Highlands Ranch coach Caryn Jarocki very happy.
“We asked the kids to have hot hands on the shooters and know where their shooter was and know which ones were the shooters,” Jarocki said. “They did a really good job of recognizing who could shoot the three.”
But it wasn’t just guarding the 3-pointers that helped the Falcons (20-5) come away victorious. It was actually Fairview that scored the first basket of the game as Kailey Page made a nice move inside to get the Knights (16-10) up early.
That’s when everyone clamped down, from Payton Muma on the perimeter to Taylor Ray and Alex Pirog inside. Fairview didn’t score another field goal until there were just 57 seconds left on the clock in the second quarter.
“When we get down we just have to get pushing and talking,” Ray said. “We know our rotation so we just have to make sure they don’t score again.”
(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
Offensively, the Falcons were almost as good. Muma had everything going right from attacking the basket and kicking the ball out to finding her inside players cutting to the hoop and getting them the ball.
“With (Fairview) playing up tight on us, the posts were open,” Muma said. “Sometimes they’d get doubled and have to kick it out. Ball movement and rotation was very important.”
It was Sarah Mitchell getting the early looks for Highlands Ranch. She scored six of her eight points in the first quarter. Pirog scored a game-high 10 points, none of which came in the fourth quarter.
Neither team even knocked down a 3-pointer until there was 1:46 on the clock in the second. It was Muma connecting on it to help the Falcons build a 25-10 lead at halftime.
The Knights looked re-energized in the third and even cut the lead to 11 thanks a 3-pointer from Adaya Richmond and a basket from Emma Novak.
But like much of the first half, the Falcons clamped down in the fourth, not allowing a field goal and limiting the Knights to just five points.
“We know that defense wins,” Jarocki said. “Sometimes isn’t always there or isn’t very good so we have to be able to stay in games by playing defense.”
An effort like that is good enough to punch a ticket to the Great 8 at the Coliseum. The Falcons have made the Great 8 now for the sixth consecutive year.
A 58-51 win over Broomfield advanced Regis Jesuit to the same spot and the league rivals are now set for their second showdown of the year. Regis Jesuit claimed a 37-35 overtime win on Feb. 18.
If Highlands Ranch is going to advance to another Final 4, they’ll have to match their defensive effort from Tuesday at the very least.
“It’s extremely crucial,” Ray said. “We just have to rotate and talk on defense and make sure Avery Vansickle doesn’t shoot anything.”
LAKEWOOD — There is a reason why basketball coaches insist players work on free throws before, during and after practice.
Green Mountain sophomore Courtney Hank is a perfect example.
“I’ve been working on them a lot since freshman year,” Hank said of her free-throw shooting. “It has been a little struggle. Something finally clicked.”
Green Mountain junior Courtney Hank, middle, battled inside for a game high 23-point — including 15-for-18 from the free-throw line — Tuesday night against Durango. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
Making shots from the charity stripe are magnified even more during the playoffs and the spotlight Tuesday night was clearly on Hank. She stepped up to the free-throw line 18 times in the Class 4A girls basketball Sweet 16 game against No. 14 seed Durango.
“Courtney has been in the gym doing the extra work shooting on her own. It directly paid off to help win this game,” Green Mountain coach Darren Pitzner said after Hank’s 15-for-18 performance from the charity stripe helped lift the 4A Jeffco League champs and No. 3-seeded Rams to a 58-45 home win.
Hank finished with a game-high 23 points in a game that was close until the Rams (23-2 record) pulled away midway through the fourth quarter. Green Mountain went on a 12-2 run for nearly four minutes in the final quarter to grab its first double-digit lead of the game.
It was a struggled in the first half for the Rams. Durango held Green Mountain without a field goal in the second quarter to tie the game at 20-20 heading into halftime.
“I’m very proud of the girls. Much better composure in the second half,” Pitzner said. “We were really tested. Major credit to Durango. They had awesome fans here. They are extremely well-coached.”
The final fourth-quarter push by Green Mountain had plenty of players in key roles. Senior Riley Shoemaker hit a 3-pointer with 5:42 left in the fourth quarter to push the Rams’ lead to 41-37. Sophomore Shea Murphy scored in an inside bucket 20 seconds later.
“The balance was really good,” Pitzner said of the final stretch with seven different players scoring in the second half for the Rams. “The girls did a good job slowing the game down. We did a good job pounding the ball inside in the second half.”
Green Mountain freshman Jayda Maves (23) jumps into the passing lane as Durango junior Kyle Rowland (12) tries to break the Rams’ full-court press. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
Hank had her second 3-point play of the second half the hard way with the layup and foul with 4:18 remaining to make the score 46-37. Sophomore Avery Oaster had a nice inside basket for the Rams and Shoemaker scored on a driving layup to make it a double-digit lead.
“The seniors didn’t want this to be our last game,” Shoemaker said of the halftime talk. “We talked about coming together and stop playing as individuals.”
Hank finished out the game going 8-for-9 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter. Shoemaker finished with 10 points. Senior Maddie Phillips added eight points.
“Of course we have ambitious goals of what we want to accomplish this year, but much more important in the big picture for us is savoring every day together,” Pitzner said. “Continuing to push each other and work together as a family.”
The Rams ride their 9-game winning streak into the 4A state quarterfinals. Green Mountain hosts No. 11 Sierra on Friday, March 6, with a ticket to the Final 4 at the Denver Coliseum next week on the line. Sierra took a 43-40 road win over Thompson Valley on Tuesday night.
“It’s crazy. I never thought we’d get this far,” Hank said. “We are excited and we’ll see where it goes.”
Durango (15-10) closes out its season with the program’s first winning record since advancing to the Sweet 16 during the 2016-17 season. Freshman Mason Rowland scored a team-high 18 points off the bench for the Demons in the season-ending loss.
Durango junior Brenna Wolf (4) gets defensive pressure from Green Mountain sophomore Avery Oaster (24) and Courtney Hank (33) during the third quarter Tuesday night in the Class 4A Sweet 16 game at Green Mountain High School. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
The calendar has turned to March, which in the world of high school sports can only mean one thing – Basketball. It is time for state tournaments, March Madness and, yes, the annual rhetoric about the merits of the shot clock.
For the almost one million boys and girls who participate in high school basketball, there is nothing quite like the state tournament. Although there are great memories from the one-class days, led by Carr Creek’s almost upset of powerhouse Ashland in Kentucky in 1928 and Milan’s Cinderella victory in Indiana in 1954, today, basketball provides more opportunities for girls and boys teams to be crowned state champion than any other sport.
This month, about 450 girls and boys teams will earn state basketball titles in championships conducted by NFHS member state associations. Multiple team champions are crowned for both boys and girls in all states but two, with the majority of states sponsoring tournaments in 4-6 classifications for each, and four states conducting state championships in seven classes.
That is truly March Madness, which is appropriate since the term was first used in connection with high school basketball. Although the tag line became familiar to millions on a national scale in relation to the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship, the NCAA shares a dual-use trademark with the Illinois High School Association (IHSA), thanks to H. V. Porter, the first full-time executive director of the NFHS.
In his final year as IHSA executive director in 1939, Porter published his “March Madness” essay in reference to the mania surrounding the IHSA’s annual state basketball tournament. Eight years later, in a 1947 Associated Press article, Porter said, “Naturally, we think basketball has done a lot for high school kids, but it’s done something for the older people, too. It has made community life in general a lot more fun each winter.”
While many things have changed in the past 73 years, the value of high school sports – and especially state basketball tournaments – remains as strong as ever today. In some states, seemingly the entire community will travel to the site of the state tournament in support of the high school team.
As a footnote to the use of March Madness, Scott Johnson, recently retired assistant executive director of the IHSA in his book “Association Work,” discovered through research that the first recorded mention of March Madness in relation to basketball occurred in 1931 by Bob Stranahan, sports editor of the New Castle Courier-Times in Indiana.
While the sport remains strong and March Madness is set to begin in earnest across the nation, there is a belief by some that the addition of a shot clock would make the game even better.
Although there are some arguments for implementing the shot clock, the NFHS Basketball Rules Committee, similar to the other 14 NFHS rules committees, must make decisions based on what is best for the masses – the small schools with less than 100 students as well as large urban schools with 3,000-plus students. Rules changes will always be made with considerations for minimizing risks, containing costs and developing rules that are best for high school athletes.
Nine of our member state associations have elected to use a shot clock in their states, which certainly adds to the clamor for its implementation nationally. And, we at the NFHS have read the headlines, seen the social media posts and received the phone calls advocating for the shot clock’s adoption. However, the Basketball Rules Committee will continue to assess the shot clock based on the aforementioned considerations, as well its members representing all areas of the country.
We encourage everyone to support their local high school teams by attending this year’s exciting state basketball tournaments.
With the game tied at halftime, Regis Jesuit rode a strong third quarter to beat Broomfield 58-51 and advance to the Class 5A girls basketball Great 8.
MONTROSE — Defending Class 4A champion Mullen girls basketball is headed back to the Great 8.
The Mustangs, seeded No. 9, went on the road and beat No. 8 Montrose in a game they controlled from start to finish in a 65-40 win.
“I thought that our defense intensity was terrific,” Mullen coach Frank Cawley said. “We were able to pressure the ball all night and led to some key turnovers and some nice transition baskets.”
Junior Megan Pohs led Mullen with 24 points.
“Megan was special tonight,” Cawley said.
Cawley also pointed to Imani Perez and Alexa Dominguez (13 points) as key contributors.
“Imani’s work on the boards was a difference maker and Alexa Dominquez just does it all well,” Cawley said. “Lex is a coaches dream. She can play every position and brings great intensity every time she is in the game.”
Mullen built at 14-6 lead after the first quarter, and was up 31-13 at halftime. It was 46-23 after three quarters.
“Montrose is a great program and (coach) Steve (Skiff) does a great job,” Cawley said. “That is a very good team we played tonight and I am really proud of my team. All 12 contributed and we are excited to move on.”
Gracie Gallegos also had ten points for Mullen.
Montrose was led by Hadley Greiner, who had 14 points. Caraline Burwell had seven, and Jacie Casebolt had six.
“I could not be more happy with the effort and heart we showed against a really good Mullen team tonight,” Montrose coach Steve Skiff said. “Mullen is a very talented team and give them credit for coming in and executing their game plan. We had a great season and am proud of everything we accomplished.”
Mullen will host No. 16 Canon City, which upset No. 1 Sand Creek in the Sweet 16.
CHSAA commissioner Rhonda Blanford-Green has sent the following information to schools about the Coronavirus and state events:
I am in contact with multiple state and local agencies in regards to any changes that may occur with CHSAA culminating championships. The state and local agencies as well as our facility administrators have me on their “high alert” communications. If there are closures, logistics will be communicated to the membership and posted to CHSAANow immediately.
My suggestion is that these discussions and contingency plans happen at the local level should a school terminate contact and the state event still contested. Our plan is to conduct the championship events unless directed by state agencies and/or facility administration of cancellations.
The safety and well-being of our participants, staffs, volunteers and fans will be in the forefront of all decisions.
Well, that escalated quickly!! We’ve already been treated to a ton of action, exciting games, and of course some early upsets that none of the experts saw coming.
Let’s take a brief look and how we got here and look ahead to the 5A and 4A boys basketball Sweet 16.
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Class 5A
Chauncey Billups Region
(Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
We talked about Obi Agbim of the overall No. 1 seed Rangeview having a history of stepping up BIG come playoff time and he did just that scoring 25 points in the Raiders 40 point romp over Arvada West.
The Raiders will now face 16 seed Mountain Vista, who raced past Chatfield to the tune of 91-55! No need for the shot clock “call” when Rangeview and the Eagles hook up. Both squads averaging 75 points per game so the score keeper and statistician better be ready!
Vista will need all of Reece Kelly’s 18-point, nine-rebound average to have a chance of keeping up with the deep and talented roster of our top seed.
The higher seeds in the bottom half of the bracket played out just as the RPI predicted as well. But it wasn’t easy! Boulder, the 8 seed, held off a ThunderRidge squad we predicted would play tough to a two-point game, while Columbine held off their league foe Dakota Ridge by 5.
Boulder will be rooting for Luke O’Brien in the future once he joins the Buffaloes but they won’t be on this night! O’Brien was an absolute “stat-stuffer” in the Rebels’ win with 27 points, 16 rebounds, and 7 assists!
The Panthers will obviously have to set their defense to slow Luke down, if possible! Both squads come in with identical 20-4 records … something has to give!
Chuck Williams Region
(Marcus Gipson/Jmariahimages.com)
The No. 2 overall seed got a strong scare from a game Fountain-Fort Carson squad who outscored the Knights 19-14 in the fourth quarter but the come back attempt came up just short, losing by 1.
Greyson Carter does a little bit of everything and averages 17 points 9 rebounds per game and will likely match up at time with Vista Peak’s AJ Lacabe, who was right at his average of 12 points in the Bison’s 11-point win over visiting Windsor in Round 2. All of the higher RPI seeds advance here.
When the Smoky Hill Buffaloes are rolling it’s an absolute SHOW! They were ready Saturday as they poured in 105 points and pulled away from Fossil Ridge.
The Buffaloes have a pure point guard senior leader in Quinten Rock who paces them and the ultra athletic Jalen Weaver. Add in Anthony Harris Jr’s high flying antics with his complete game coming together more and more as sophomores, they are definitely worth the price of admission!
What could stop a deep and talented team? A team with another four-year starting point guard with Chaparral’s Kobe Sanders, who can heat up this time of year. Sophomore Jeremiah Coleman is becoming a nightly stat-stuff fixture for Chap, who put up 91 points of their own vs Douglas County in Round 2.
Back in December Smoky pulled off a five-point road win in Chap’s house during tourney play but as we mentioned last week Chap’s youth has stepped up and the team is not what they were months ago. A fun PACE and PLACE to be here!
Larry Farmer Region
(Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
This region brought our first “upset” as a veteran George Washington squad, led by a Kendale Johnson Jr. back to scoring in the 20s recently, who took down an up and coming young Horizon squad. This made Horizon our highest-seeded team to lose at seed 14.
The Patriots will have even more on their plate as they will have to travel to No. 3 seed Ralston Valley, who had a strong 20-point first quarter and closed with a 21-point fourth quarter to beat Arapahoe by 11.
The Fever Crew loves senior leadership this time of year and Ralston Valley had three seniors score in double figures led by big man Caleb Rillos’ 21! GW has the athletes to compete with RV’s size…this will be SWEET.
The higher-seeds prevailed in the bottom half of the Farmer Region in Valor and Eaglecrest ready to meet in the Sweet 16.
Valor is the higher seed at No. 6 and got a test from Rocky Mountain but Roger Rosengarten was 6-6 from the field for 15 total points. Armando Miller, a dynamic junior, is the Eagles usual leading scorer and they’ll need both to keep up with the Raptors 67-point-per-game average, led by Zion Ruckard’s 17 points per game.
Eaglecrest lost to Overland by 9 in early February but were able to win Saturday’s match by 12 in their third game vs the Trailblazers this year.
The Raptors and Eagles will be one of the better Sweet 16 match ups we have!
Kent Smith Region
(Kevin McNearny)
This region provided our biggest upset of 2020 in the Regis Raiders going into the Bruins den and knocking off one of the hottest teams in the state, Cherry Creek.
Many felt that the Bruins earned the No. 2 or 3 seed spot with their late-season run and winning our state’s toughest league but the 29-seed Raiders were having none of it. The Fever Crew watched Regis get their first win over GW months ago after a rare 0-9 start in- and out-of-state. We mentioned then to not let that 0-9 start fool you! Coach Shaw has found a way to get this squad playing their best ball at the right time!
Regis is loaded with juniors and Michael Wolf led the huge upset with 21 points. Not much time for Regis to celebrate as the reward for knocking off Creek is a visit to Denver East who took down Legend at home in Round 2.
The Angels don’t have the depth of East teams of the past but have a core who can play with anyone in the state when playing their pressure style game. Sophomore Quis Davis led the scoring in the win over Legend with 17 points. A true battle of contrasting styles with East averaging 85 points per game compared to Regis’ 57.
Another surprise in bottom of this region with Broomfield seizing a 1-point win on the road at Pine Creek. Gets even tougher for Broomfield, as well, with their reward being a Sweet 16 visit to Grandview.
6-foot-9 senior Ryan Collins is leading Broomfield in points and rebounds and he will likely see a lot of the Grandview big man Caleb McGill who’s averaging 17 points per game.
The Eagles score at a faster pace then the Wolves who methodically wear you down with patience offense, depth, and size. The Wolves are senior heavy with four starters who have already committed to play college ball … the Eagles will have their hands full!
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Class 4A
Ron Vlasin Region
(David Harvey/ImageProPhotography.com)
Our overall No. 1 seed Mead scored more than 80 points again in their Round 2 win and now take their 75-point per game average up against Silver Creek, who survived a tight 2 point win over Thomas Jefferson to reach the Sweet 16. Silver Creek and Mead will face off for the first time this year.
The Fever Crew had a chance to see Mead live this year and they are a well-oiled machine with players that know their roles and don’t try to do too much. Kudos to the coaching staff because teams with this type of talent and depth are at time hard to “mesh” but it’s clear why Mead is No. 1.
Silver Creek’s Andrew Duquette is leading his squad with 19 points per game and they’ll need that and more to keep pace with Mead.
The bottom half of the Vlasin Region brought what many thought was a possibility with No. 25 seed taking down No. 8 seed Cheyenne Mountain. Cheyenne Mountain held the No. 1 spot in our rankings for a LONG stretch this year and New Mexico bound Javonte Johnson averaged an unreal 30 points and 10 rebounds for the ENTIRE season! However, this Lincoln Lancer squad has some stud seniors of their own in TJ Bamba (Washington State commit) and Ty Foster, who led the Lancers to an 8 point win on the road.
The Lancers now travel to Montrose, who is 20-4 on the season after Round 2 two-point win over Evergreen. Don’t look past Lincoln’s 15-10 record Montrose…these guys can hoop!
Larry Brunson Region
Glenwood Springs was not tested winning by 25 over Weld Central and their Sweet 16 opponent did face a tougher match with Green Mountain’s 50-46 win over Centaurus. Both teams average right in the mid-50’s in points per game and balanced team scoring across the board.
All signs show for this one to be close and come right down to the final minutes.
The bottom half of the bracket brings us a rematch! Back in December, Pueblo West handed Harrison a loss on their home floor 65-62. All of the higher seeds in this region advanced, as well, with Pueblo West getting Sand Creek by 3 and Harrison cruising past Sierra 55-28.
Taylor Harris is the lead man for Pueblo West here and junior Donta Dawson 19 points per game paces the Panthers in this rematch.
Guy Gibbs Region
(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
Only one team pulled an upset in this region with Widefield taking down Conifer by a convincing 13 points. The top seed in the region, No. 3 Longmont, humbled Palisade by 28 points!
Widefield’s upset success has been powered by senior Randall Days’ 20 points, 8 rebounds per game. Longmont comes in 21-3 behind Dallas Dye’s 15 points and 7 rebounds per outing.
19-5 Skyline vs. the 18-5 The Classical Academy is our Sweet 16 match bottom half of this region. Another region with all of the RPI higher seeds advancing.
Austin Robison is the stat-stuffer for Skyline at 14 points, 6 rebounds with Micah Lambert scoring 15 points per for TCA. Another match that either team can come out on top!
Richard Tate Region
(Dennis Pleuss/ Jeffco Athletics)
Very interesting region here! Again, the higher seeds rolled right through on the top and bottom part of the region. No. 4 seed Golden and No. 5 seed Northfield look to be on a collision course in the Great 8 but Erie and Pueblo East are both teams that have big upsets under their belts already in the regular season so they’ll be no fear on the road.
Golden won a three-point game in early December tournament play over Pueblo East so these two teams are familiar with one another. “Freshman Alert!” Allen Acevedo scored 16 points for the Demons in that tourney game.
In the bottom half Ladorian Havard is leading Erie in points, rebounds, and blocks, while he’ll see a lot of Nahsyah Bolar who averages a double-double of 18 points, 11 rebounds for the Nighthawks. The cream will rise!
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Get out and enjoy, folks! The Sweet 16 is the last opportunity to get out and support our awesome student athletes in 5A at their neighborhood gym and 4A only has a couple games left before we enjoy the Coliseum for a finish that won’t let us down!
