GREELEY – The 1A girls basketball Great 8 took place Thursday inside the Bank of Colorado Arena. Advancing to the Final 4 were Flatirons Academy, Briggsdale, Fleming, and McClave.
(2) Flatirons Academy 64, (7) Cheyenne Wells 24
Flatirons Academy, the defending 1A champions, started their title defense with a commanding victory over Cheyenne Wells.
Leading the way for the Bison were Emily DeHaan and Kenlee Durrill, who scored 21 and 20 points, respectively. Annabelle Raker and Emma Cox were also in double digits with 11 and 10, respectively. For the Tigers, Paige Ryser was the leading scorer with 10 points.
The Bison completely controlled the first quarter, as they held Cheyenne Wells scoreless until the 2:23 mark, all the while gaining a 14-0 advantage. They led 19-4 after one quarter, and extended the advantage to 34-12 into the second half.
The second half didn’t get much closer, as the Bison led 53-20 into the fourth, and kept the lead steady for the 40-point victory.
(1) Briggsdale 59, (8) Lone Star 49
The top seeded Briggsdale Falcons got all they could handle from the Lone Star Longhorns but came away victorious to remain undefeated on the season. Briggsdale remains on track to try and reach their first title game since 2016, where they would seek their first girls basketball title in program history.
Briggsdale was led by the Krise’s, Kylie and Jenna, as they scored 27 and 12 points, respectively. Macie Klem was also in double figures, scoring 10. For Lone Star, standout Alivia Weathers led their efforts with 23, to get het over the 1,000 point mark for her career. Ali Davis added 12 points as well.
The game was tight all the way through, as Briggsdale only led by seven points after one, and six, 27-21, at the half. In the second half, Lone Star kept the game within striking distance, never trailing by more than 10 until the final buzzer, but the firepower of the top seeded Falcons proved too much.
(4) Fleming 43, (5) Sangre de Cristo 30
The Wildcats are back in the Final 4 after finishing runner-up to Flatrions Academy last season. They are seeking their first girls basketball title since 1981.
Fleming’s Whitney Chintala led all scorers with 20 points, finishing as the only player on either side with double digit points. Leading the scoring for the Thunderbirds was Peyten Metz and Tymber Rogers, who had eight apiece.
Fleming started off on an 11-1 run and held the Thunderbirds without a field goal until the two-minute mark in the first quarter. The Wildcats maintained the steady 13-6 lead after the first quarter. It was more of the same in the second, as Fleming continued to steadily build on their lead, which stood at 25-10 at the half.
Sangre de Cristo was only outscored by two in the third, 10-8, but they could not inch back in as Fleming held on for the 13-point victory.
(3) McClave 48, (6) Dove Creek 42
The girls saved the closest game for last, as McClave fended off Dove Creek to advance to the Final 4. The Cardinals are looking to get to the championship game for the first time since winning it all in 2009.
Three Cardinals made it into double figures, led by Anna Beckett who had 15. Behind here were Maggie Chase with 12 and Chloe Weber with 10. For Dove Creek, a pair of players finished with ten points with Kalie and Kylie Gatlin each reaching the mark.
The first quarter was a back-and-forth tilt, with Dove Creek taking a 14-10 lead. The scored remained tight into the locker rooms at 19-18 in favor of the Bulldogs.
McClave took a one-point lead coming out of the half, and quickly upped it to 10, 32-22, at the under four-minute mark. Dove Creek responded with four points to keep the deficit at single digits into the fourth, 34-27.
The Bulldogs kept the pressure on, getting to within a score with just under six minutes to play. They went on to tie it at the 4:30 mark, and then traded buckets before taking a lead one minute later.
One minute after that, McClave retook a 40-39 advantage. After a stop, they got a layup to go up three. After another stop on defense, they nailed two free throws to up the lead to five with just under two minutes to go.
Back-to-back fouls gave Dove Creek the chance at the free throw line, making it 44-42 in the final minute. After holding the ball, the were fouled with 27 seconds and hit both free throws to go back up four. After a missed Bulldog jumper, McClave held on for the six point victory.