When the shots are falling, they can fall often. And that was the case for Battle Mountain’s Gabriela Cabellero in the Huskies 72-34 win over Summit on Thursday.
Cabellero went off for 41 points, a Battle Mountain girls basketball record for sure, and after conferring with boys coach Phil Tronsrue, girls coach Jim Schuppler believes that it is an overall basketball record for the school.
She even gave the state’s single-game 3-point record a scare as she knocked down 10 triples, just two shy of the 12 that Alamosa’s Emily Lavier set just last season.
“Once Gabi started seeing the shots fall, it was over,” Shuppler said.
Overall, Cabellero shot 70 percent from the floor and went 10-for-15 from long range. It wasn’t just that she took a lot of shots to chase points, it’s that the shots she took were finding the bottom of the net at an efficient rate.
As the Huskies (7-3 overall, 6-2 4A Western Slope) inch closer to the playoffs, it’s the kind of performance that can build momentum for the postseason.
“It invites confidence from everybody,” Schuppler said. “When you see the ball going through, you can do no wrong. We kept playing better through the game.”
Cabellero’s previous season-high was 27 in a win over Eagle Valley. Her 41 points on Thursday were a career-high as much as they were a record for the girls basketball program.
DENVER — Green Mountain’s girls basketball team found that extra gear Wednesday night.
The Rams — No. 2 in this week’s CHSAANow.com Class 4A girls basketball rankings — got their biggest test of the season on the road against No. 10 D’Evelyn. The Jaguars suffered a 37-point loss to the Rams nine days earlier, but D’Evelyn was determined to give Green Mountain a better test the second time around.
“I was 100 percent sure that D’Evelyn was going to give us a great game and they did,” Green Mountain coach Darren Pitzner said after the Rams won their 11th straight on the season with a 78-53 victory. “I’m really proud of our girls how they stepped up.”
Green Mountain sophomore Jayda Maves (23) goes up strong against D’Evelyn junior Maddie Topping (10) during the first quarter Wednesday night. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
The game was much closer than the final 25-point margin. D’Evelyn (10-2 record) cut Green Mountain’s lead to 56-46 with a 3-pointer by freshman Macy Scheer to open the fourth quarter. However, the Rams (11-0) outscored the Jaguars 22-7 the rest of the game to win going away.
“I’m super proud,” D’Evelyn coach Chris Olson said of his Jaguars. “We talked about bouncing back. You sometimes don’t get a lot of chances to make up for something bad. Keeping it a 10-point game through three quarters is a feat against (Green Mountain).”
D’Evelyn pressure defense and much better shooting than its previous meeting with Green Mountain kept the Jaguars within striking distance for the majority of the game. Freshmen Macy Scheer and Peyton Marvel, along with junior Maddie Topping combined to lead D’Evelyn with 35 points.
However, in the end the talented Rams were just too much for the Jaguars to handle.
“This shows how good we can be,” Green Mountain sophomore Jayda Maves said.
Maves finished with 15 points, despite missing more than five minutes of the first quarter. The sophomore was fouled on a driving layup and hit her head against the padded wall behind the basket. After getting checked out by D’Evelyn trainer she was back on the court in the second quarter.
“Catching my breath was probably the hardest thing,” Maves said recovering after going full-force into the wall on the layup attempt. “I wanted to go back in no matter what.”
D’Evelyn junior Maddie Topping (10) drives on Green Mountain junior Shea Murphy (14) during the second half Wednesday night. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
Maves ended up scoring 13 points in the second half.
It was a balanced scoring attack for the Rams as all five starters — Maves, Olivia Sears, Shea Murphy, Avery Oaster and Courtney Hank — finished in double-digit points. The starters combined for 70 points.
“Courtney and I definitely have a really good chemistry, but it isn’t just us. It’s a whole team thing,” Oaster said of how her and Hank dominated inside at times against the undersized Jaguars. “All of us shine during our moments because we are all working together.”
Hank finished with a game-high 21 points and Oaster finished with 14 points all in the paint or from the free-throw line.
“Our kids just get so tired trying to defend that,” Olson said of Hank and Oaster inside. “What I think they do so well in they are composed and don’t rush things. They are methodical how they play in the post.”
Green Mountain is well on its way to what D’Evelyn’s girls basketball program accomplished earlier this decade. The Jaguars won four straight 4A Jeffco titles from 2012 to 2015. D’Evelyn was 4A state runner-up in 2012 and 2013.
Evergreen took over the mantle of the dominant team in 4A Jeffco with three straight trips to the 4A championship game. Coach Amy Bahl led the Cougars to back-to-back 4A state titles in 2017 and 2018.
“This year we definitely have that window and we have to take advantage of it because we have Courtney,” Oaster said of last year’s 4A Jeffco League MVP and only starting senior for the Rams this year.
Another hurdle that Rams have in front of them is advancing to a state championship game. Green Mountain came close last season, losing to Holy Family 38-31 in the 4A state semifinals at the Denver Coliseum the day before the COVID-19 pandemic cancelled the remainder of the state basketball tournament.
Green Mountain senior Courtney Hank (33) scored a game-high 21 points in the Rams’ victory Wednesday night. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
Olson, who guided those D’Evelyn teams to the state champion game twice nearly a decade ago, believe the Rams have what it takes to be that next 4A Jeffco team to go after a state title.
“They are definitely in that caliber,” Olson said of Green Mountain being a state championship contender this season. “You saw how they just blew this game open. It was a 10-point game and then all the sudden it’s a 25-point lead. I think they have a great shot. They have all the pieces.”
Green Mountain has a road game next week at Golden before closing out the regular season at home against Evergreen before the state tournament begins Tuesday, March 9.
“We are very excited and we have scoped out some teams be might play in the state tournament,” Maves said. “We are just so excited to finish up and hopefully become state champs for 2021.”
D’Evelyn is scheduled to host Littleton on Friday before travels to Wheat Ridge next week to prepare for its postseason run.
“This will help us moving forward and I hope it helps (Green Mountain),” Olson said. “We talked a little bit about the responsibility to our league and helping each other to get better.”
The back-to-back 4A Jeffco League champs and Falcon are the two remaining undefeated teams in 4A, but Pitzner know how tough it is to reach that state championship game.
“I’m optimistic about where we are at, but cautiously because I know how good the top 4A talent is,” Pitzner said. “I know we have work to do, but I’m excited and I love coming to practice every day. These girls are willing to do the work that it takes.”
Green Mountain junior Olivia Sears (2) drives on D’Evelyn senior Megan Stein (11) during the top-10 match-up. The Rams took a 78-53 victory where all five started finished with double-digit points. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
ARVADA — Ralston Valley’s girls basketball simply found a way to win Tuesday night despite the odds.
The Mustangs — No. 6 in this week’s CHSAANow.com Class 5A girls basketball standings — shot under 30 percent from the field and were outscored by Mountain Vista in three of four quarters in the non-league games. However, Ralston Valley walked off its home court with its seventh straight win after a 49-44 victory.
“We kind of needed one like this,” Ralston Valley coach Jeff Gomer said. “We haven’t played a close game in a long time. We needed some adversity going into the playoffs.”
Ralston Valley senior Brooklyn Seymour (14) drives to the basket during the Mustangs’ 49-44 victory over Mountain Vista on Tuesday night. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
Ralston Valley (9-2 record) looked to be in control with a 20-8 lead after the first quarter, but Mountain Vista (6-5) gave the Mustangs all they wanted for the final three quarters.
The Golden Eagles knocked down seven 3-pointers in the final three quarters, while Ralston Valley didn’t make a 3-pointer after the first quarter and finished the game 2-for-15 from long range.
“There is definitely a lot to learn,” Ralston Valley senior Sydney Bevington said. “When Mountain Vista started knocking down 3-pointers they got the momentum and we got sloppy. We got away with it tonight, but we won’t get away with it against a better team.”
Mountain Vista never took the lead, but cut the Mustangs’ lead down to as few as 3 points in the second half. Senior Sara Vafaie led the Golden Eagles with 16 points, including a trio of 3-pointers.
“There was a minute there where it was getting a little hectic, but Gomer calmed us down a little bit,” Bevington said. “We just needed to focus. At one point we were just throwing up shots because we were so rushed.”
Ralston Valley went to a sagging man-to-man defense in the fourth quarter that was able to slow down Mountain Vista’s offense. In fact, there was a stretch of nearly five minutes in the fourth quarter than neither team scored.
“When we were having problems scoring that is when I decided to spread the floor,” Gomer said. “We are a good free-throw shooting team. I figured we would get to the line, but that didn’t go well either.”
The Mustangs missed the front-end of three one-and-one attempts from the free-throw line late in the fourth quarter. However a pair of free throws by freshman Sophia Sabus and one from senior Brooklyn Seymour in the final minute helped seal the victory. Seymour pulled down a whopping 14 rebounds in the win.
Ralston Valley junior Saya Sabus, left, finds her path to the hoop blocked by Mountain Vista senior Madrid Klabunde during the first half Tuesday night. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
“We will definitely be going hard in practice the next few days,” said Ralston Valley junior Saya Sabus, who combined with her younger sister for 19 points.
Bevington had her normal consistent night with 16 points to lead the way for the Mustangs. The four-year starter is in her final days as a Mustang, something she isn’t ready to dwell on yet.
“I don’t want to think about it. It’s sad,” said Bevington, who has signed to play at Santa Clara University. “It has been good.”
Bevington has been much better than good over the past four years. She will finish her career with some remarkable stats … 1,000+ points, 700+ rebounds, 300+ assists, 200+ steals and 100+ blocks.
“She plays both ends of the court. She rebounds, blocks shots … we ask her to do a lot,” Gomer said about Bevington. “She is probably the best all-around player we’ve ever had. I’ve had some girls that were maybe better in some spots, but she does everything. It’s been a great career and she has become a great leader for us.”
Ralston Valley’s record is 68-20 over the past four seasons with Bevington being a big piece of the puzzle. She also had some large shoes to fill right away. Ashley Van Sickle, a junior now playing hoops at Montana State University, finished with nearly 1,400 points running the Mustangs’ offense for four straight years before Bevington.
“I had a really good point guard who was ahead of me. She was a great scorer,” Bevington said of Van Sickle. “I wanted to standout in a few other areas and be an all-around player. I’ve been able to do that thankfully and contribute any way that I can.”
Ralston Valley closes out the regular season with a road game at Lewis-Palmer on Saturday, followed up with home games next week against Lakewood and Denver East. The state tournament brackets are scheduled to be released Monday, March 8, with first-round games starting up March 9.
Ralston Valley senior McKenna Nichols lines up a 3-pointer during the second quarter Tuesday night. The Mustangs won their seventh straight game with a 49-44 victory over Mountain Vista. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
