COLORADO SPRINGS — The Sand Creek Scorpions are in need of a new girls basketball coach. After taking the team to the Class 4A Final 4 in 2016, B.J. Johnson has left the program for a job in the NBA.
Johnson has accepted a position as the director of scouting for the Brooklyn Nets, after serving a similar position with USA Basketball.
“With much thought me consideration I have decided to leave USA Basketball for a position with the Brooklyn Nets,” he said in a statement. “I will be leaving Colorado Springs and this will not be able to return to Sand Creek next year. I will dearly miss the amazing young women and this school, but believe the program will continue to maintain its high standard of excellence. With those returning and new additions I’m excited to continue to follow our program from afar. I will always be a Scorpion.”
The loss of Johnson is a huge blow for the Scorpions, but athletic director, Jared Falice, is happy to see one of his coaches receive a unique opportunity.
“This is a tremendous, once in a lifetime opportunity for BJ, and we wish him well in his next endeavor with the Brooklyn Nets,” Felice said. “Coach Johnson has greatly contributed to the sustainability of success our girls basketball program has enjoyed and we will continue to hold high expectations for the future of our program.”
Felice added that he hopes to name a new girls basketball coach within the next month.
Four Colorado Springs-area football players are getting an opportunity to compete with the U.S. national football team.
Peter Hong, Cameron Crowe, Zander Offutt and Justin Ragland are all taking part in the U.S. Development Games that are being hosted at the University of California-Davis this week.
Hong plays at Sand Creek while Crowe, Offutt and Ragland are all players at Doherty. All four players are entering their senior seasons. Alex Pizolla and Soctt Sellars from Doherty are also attending the event.
Doherty will also send Brandon Deas to the same event next week, but he will attend at the University of Texas-Arlington campus.
“It’s really neat,” Doherty coach Jeff Krumlauf said. “It’s just different. Everything is competing in the Springs and now they’re going out to California to compete with kids from across the country.”
Part of the experience this week includes joint practices with various teams, development sessions that are led by NCAA coaches as well as former NFL players 7-on-7 and full games. The camp is a non-contact event.
The event concludes Saturday, at which point the four players will head home and begin preparation for the 2016 high school football season.
So much so that he has become a big-time target for CU basketball coach Tad Boyle among other schools in the Pac-12.
So with his senior season looming, it was time to figure out where Schwartz is in his decision making process. And since we had him, we wanted to get the scoop on his experience with USA Basketball, what he does in his down time and his thoughts on the athletic culture at Sand Creek.
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Question: You recently spent time at the USA Basketball U17 tryouts, what was that experience like for you?
Schwartz: I really liked the experience. Just going up there was a blessing and a great opportunity being the only one there from Colorado. I thought it was just really cool to mesh with new guys and play with some great players.
Q: Was it a different style or level of play than what you’re used to when you’re playing club ball or playing with Sand Creek?
Schwartz: I think basketball is pretty universal. It’s nothing much more than I’ve already seen and to me, the club ball adjustment definitely helped transition for USA. And definitely training as hard as I was.
Q: Is it something that factors into what you’re going to be going through in the next couple of months with your college decision looming and your senior season starting up?
Schwartz: I don’t really know. I’m just trying to look at what’s going to fit me. I don’t really look too much at other people and what they’re doing.
(Josh Watt/CHSAANow.com)
Q: But speaking of other people, Hunter Maldonado just announced that he was going to head up to Wyoming. It’s a guy you know and have played against. What are your thoughts on his commitment and and did it get you thinking that it’s getting to a point where you have to make a decision?
Schwartz: I was definitely happy for him. I’m happy he got something. A lot of kids get overlooked out here so I’m really happy for him. But as far as affecting my decision, it didn’t really do much for me. I’m really just trying to see what’s the best I can get in July.
Q: I’d probably get fired if I didn’t ask right now, but have you narrowed your choices down to a top five or top three considering the offers you have?
Schwartz: I’m expecting to get a couple more, hopefully in July; a couple more Pac-12 schools. Then hopefully I’ll take my visits. But I know for sure I’m going on a visit to CU and Stanford.
Q: When are you hoping to make a decision?
Schwartz: I just want to do it before the (high school) season.
Q: Going into your senior season, you have a new coach and it’s going to be a different atmosphere. Do you have any goals for what you want to do with Sand Creek next year?
Schwartz: There’s a lot. Obviously (I want to win) a state championship, Gatorade Player of the Year, everything I can get out of this year. I want to go out with everything I can and leave Sand Creek proud and leave a legacy.
Q: With you being considered one of the top players in the state, does that add a lot of pressure on you or are you able to still have a lot of fun with your high school season?
Schwartz: I think it adds a lot (of things). It puts a target on my back for sure, but I don’t think I have any pressure. I deal with pressure pretty well now that I’ve gotten into music and stuff and I have good people around me to help fill with down time.
Q: What do you do in your down time?
Schwartz: I just make music. I have a lot of ideas and I just put them out there.
Q: Is that something you want to do when you go to college, regardless of where you go?
Schwartz: Yeah. I’m probably going to try and major in business and minor in music.
Q: What kind of music are you centered on?
Schwartz: It’s just off the computer, I don’t play a real instrument.
Q: You’re more mixing stuff together then?
Schwartz: Yes and no, I just make beats and stuff.
Q: Do you every do anything with it that you try and tie back into basketball? Do you make warmup tracks or stuff you want to play in the gym during a game?
Schwartz: I have thought about that. They’ve asked me, but we’ll see how that goes. I don’t know yet.
Q: Over the last couple of years, I’ve noticed the Sand Creek athletic department is really trying to boost its level of competition and it’s overall image. Is that something you guys feel as much as I’m trying to see it from an outside perspective?
Schwartz: Yeah. Mr. Felice, our athletic director, I think he’s wiped out every coaching staff when he came in. He’s just really trying to change the culture for every sport. He’s really trying to make some moves.
Q: Does that excite you for what can happen at the school if the trend continues?
Schwartz: No doubt. I’m definitely going to be coming back as much as I can. I know a lot of young kids that will be coming to Sand Creek, so (it’s nice) to see them actually want to come instead of going to (other schools).
Q: What’s going to be different about your game with Coach Hawkins being there?
Schwartz: Oh man. He’s going to put a killer instinct in me. He’s got that attitude and he’s really going to drill it in me.
Q: In what way? What is he going to have you do this year that you didn’t do a lot of next year?
Schwartz: First off, we don’t have Jordan (Phillips) anymore. I’m sure I’ll have to take on more of a load and I think he’s going to make sure I’m taking what I deserve and not being so passive when I should be shooting. He really wants me to be great.
Q: In order to do that, what do you have to do for the rest of the summer in order to be that great player for Sand Creek as well as Colorado high school basketball?
Schwartz: Just keep competing and try to stay healthy. As of now, I just started a diet and I’m trying to lose a couple of pounds so I can try to get faster and more explosive. Just doing the little things to help my game.
Through all the moments that we saw, we complied a list of some of our favorites moments from the past year.
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Cherokee Trail overcomes tragedy to take Class 5A volleyball title
The Cherokee Trail volleyball team began the season dealing with something no high school kids should have to deal with. Before the season, a friend and teammate, Celeste James, passed away.
West Grand gives football coach Chris Brown 306th win
Chris Brown. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)
Playing with heavy hearts following the death of a teammate earlier in the week, West Grand football gave coach Chris Brown career win No. 306 last fall to tie a state record.
The 8-man team played just three days after quarterback JD Guess was killed in a car accident while driving home from practice.
“The win tonight had little to do with me,” Brown wrote in an email afterward. “First, credit goes to Eric Guess [JD’s father] and Will [his brother, and a former player at West Grand], our amazing assistant coaches, an unbelievable crowd, and a tremendous effort from our kids.”
Christian McCaffrey finishes second in Heisman voting
Christian McCaffrey. (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
A whirlwind of a regular season put Valor Christian alum Christian McCaffrey in the national spotlight. The Stanford star was named a finalist for the 2015 Heisman Trophy and finished as the runner-up to Alabama running back Derrick Henry.
McCaffrey was in the national spotlight again less than three weeks later as he helped the Cardinal roll to a 45-16 win in the Rose Bowl. The former Eagle record 368 all-purpose yards in the game and scored two touchdowns.
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Holy Family, Chris Helbig has record-setting start to football season
Chris Helbig. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)
The start of the 2015 football season was a sprint, not a marathon for Holy Family quarterback Chris Helbig. The senior set a state record by throwing for 607 yards in the Tigers first game of the year in a win against Mountain View.
Helbig’s season came to a disappointing end as he tore his ACL and was unable to finish the football season or compete during the basketball season. Despite the injury, Helbig aims to continue his football career at the University of Colorado.
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Meeker’s T.J. Shelton win fourth wrestling title
Despite trailing early in his match, Meeker’s T.J. Shelton became the 19th wrestler in state history to win his fourth wrestling title.
Shelton accomplished the feat with a 16-7 major decision over Centauri’s Chris Martin.
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Houtsma recovers from crash to win nordic skate
Graham Houtsma. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Graham Houtsma took a nasty spill and lost one of his poles when he was leading the nordic skate at the 2016 state skiing championships.
He recovered, was a given a new pole by a teammate, and went on to win the race by one-tenth of a second.
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Kent Denver coach Scott Yates wins 300th game
Kent Denver’s Scott Yates. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Longtime Kent Denver football coach and athletic director Scott Yates won his 300th career game in October.
“It’s not a one-guy deal. That’s all there is to it,” Yates said after the game. “The school’s been great. The program has been a lot of fun. And the coaches and the kids that we’ve had the pleasure to work with is really what makes it.”
Yates was the fourth coach to reach the mark.
But like Brown’s 306th win, this milestone came in a wake of school tragedy. Kent Denver teacher Kristin Brown had passed away a week earlier, and the loss weighed heavy on the school.
“I don’t know if you heard him after the game, but after winning 300 games, he didn’t even talk about that,” said Kent Denver running back Will McKissick. “He talked about Ms. Brown, who we lost this week, and he talked about how there are more important things than football. I think that’s not your average guy.”
Kent Denver advanced to the 2A semfinals in the fall, which puts Yates’ career mark at 304-74. The state record, held by Brown and Pat Panek, is 306 wins.
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Regis Jesuit boys basketball coach Ken Shaw wins No. 700
Regis Jesuit players pose with coach Ken Shaw after he won his 700th game. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)
The greens at the Pueblo Country Club are no joke. But with a championship on the line, Silver Creek senior Erin Sargent refused to let them stop her from claiming the 4A girls golf championship in May.
She sank a birdie putt on 18 to top Caroline Jordaan and end her high school career as the best 4A golfer in the state.
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Mountain Range wins 5A softball title
Mountain Range won the 5A softball championship. (Tim Visser/TimVisserPhotography.com)
The 5A softball title went to a team that had never even reached the state tournament before. Mountain Range started play in 2009 and made the state tournament for the first time in 2015.
The Mustangs made the most out of the opportunity, coming away with the 5A championship with a 12-2 win over Pomona. It was only the second overall state championship in school history.
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Valor Christian avenges early-season loss to claim 5A football title
Pomona was good enough to beat Valor Christian in the regular season. But the Eagles proved to be tougher to handle with gold on the line.
Valor forced a turnover with less than three minutes left and was able to capitalize on it to come away with its sixth championship in seven seasons.
“In our program, we don’t want to focus too much on peaks and valleys,” Valor coach Rod Sherman said. “We lost a close game like this last year and tried not to be too devastated about it, and this year we’ll try not to be too over the moon.”
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Castle View’s co-ed spirit title felt like a win for all
In perhaps the year’s best example of all for one and one for all, the Denver Coliseum exploded with cheers for Castle View when it was announced the Sabercats had won the 4A/5A co-ed title.
The reason was easy, coach Heather Acampora has become known for actively rooting on all teams at the event, competition or not. With Acampora’s desire to see all teams succeed at the highest level, it was easy to be happy for her own team’s victory.
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Rainsberger caps incredible career
Katie Rainsberger. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
The 2016 state track meet proved to be the perfect sendoff for Air Academy senior Katie Rainsberger. After bringing home the cross country title in the fall, the Oregon commit swept the 800, 1,600, 3,200 and 3,200 relay to end her high school career as one of the top runners the state has ever seen.
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Sanford ties record for winning streak
Sanford won the 2A boys basketball title. (Jeff Tucker/jefferywtucker.zenfolio.com)
Sanford boys basketball won its third-consecutive 2A championship in March, and in the process extended its winning streak to 73 games. That ties the state record held by Ridway in 1993-96.
The winning streak dates to the middle of the 2013-14 season.
Sanford beat Resurrection Christian 63-58 in dramatic fashion to win the 2A title.
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Oliana Squires ties state tournament scoring record
Sand Creek’s Oliana Squires. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Oliana Squires put on an historic performance during the 4A girls basketball Final 4. The Sand Creek senior tied a state tournament record by scoring 43 points in the Scorpions loss to Evergreen.
Valor Christian went on to win the girls 4A title, but the scoring effort by Squires in the semifinals was the standout performance of the tournament.
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Gifs used to help pass time for 5A basketball bracket release
I might be tough to recall games off the tops of our heads, but the fun we all had while waiting for the basketball selection committee to release the 5A boys basketball was definitely one of the top moments of the year.
Vista Ridge, Sand Creek produce wild ending in boys hoops
In one of the craziest endings all year, in any sport, Sand Creek battled back from a 20-point deficit in the second half to take its first lead of the game on a Jordan Phillips 3-pointer (video above).
The Scorpions forced a turnover and possessed the ball with 10 seconds remaining, but a steal led to an open shot for Raymon Harper who would knock it down, giving the Wolves a huge win over their district rivals.
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Juarez throws a gem to give Holly first baseball title
Seven innings of dominance on the mound gave Holly its first baseball championship in school history, as the Wildcats came away with the 1A crown.
Ricardo Juarez threw seven innings, allowing only four hits while striking out six Fleming hitters in the win.
“Ricardo’s been our guys since he was a freshman,” Holly coach Dayne Eaton said. “We’ve been so close. Two years ago we knocked off a great Stratton team and then last year we tried to save Ricardo and got beat by Dove Creek and they went on to win it.”
Holly had fallen to Fleming in the 2013 1A title game.
The Lewis-Palmer girls soccer team finally got the state championship that barely eluded them a year ago. After falling to Cheyenne Mountain in penalty kicks in 2015, the Rangers needed to find the back of the net only once in 2016.
Annica Fletemeyer scored the only of goal of the game as the Rangers topped Valor Christian 1-0.
“I didn’t want to miss it, that’s what was going through my mind,” Fletemeyer said. “It was a great ball by Brianna (Alger). I didn’t want to miss it because I didn’t want to let my team down. It was just such a rushing feeling of emotion, so I’m just really glad I could put it away.”
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Colorado Academy wins fourth-consecutive field hockey title
Colorado Academy field hockey has won 70-straight games. (Lance Wendt/LanceWendt.com)
For the seniors on Colorado Academy’s field hockey team, the feeling of not winning a state championship will never be felt.
The Mustangs increased their winning streak to 70 games and captured their fourth state field hockey title in as many years.
“It’s definitely not routine,” Colorado Academy coach Veronica Scott said. “It’s beautiful for the seniors because there’s eight girls here who have not lost a game in four years. It’s their fourth championship. For them, that’s extra special.”
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Pueblo West finishes quest for first boys basketball title
Pueblo West was not among the early favorites to come away with the 4A boys basketball title. But that didn’t stop the Cyclones from storming through the bracket.
The win gave the Cyclones their first boys basketball championship in school history.
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Fairview girls tennis ends Cherry Creek’s 19-year state title run
Fairview girls tennis won this year’s 5A championship. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
For 19 straight years, Cherry Creek was the talk of 5A girls tennis. That run ended in may as Fairview became the first team since the Bill Clinton administration to best the Bruins for the team title.
Thanks to Sophie Pearson’s win in No. 3 singles, the Knights edged Cherry Creek by three points. But it took some time for the feat to sink in for Fairview coach Susan Stensrud.
“I’m not one hundred percent,” she said. “I don’t believe it one hundred percent. It hasn’t sunk in, but I’m so glad it’s this team of girls.”
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Valor Christian wins twice on a Sunday to capture 4A baseball
Valor Christian baseball won 4A. (Tom Robinson/CHSAANow.com)
Weather (shockingly) pushed the completion of the 2016 baseball championships back one day. So it was on a Sunday that Valor Christian was able to beat Pueblo West twice to come away with its first baseball championship.
It was the seventh team championship on the year for the Eagles which led all schools.
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Limon’s sportsmanship helps Rocky Ford en route to softball tourney
The Rocky Ford softball team returned to Limon in May to thank the community for its sportsmanship. (Tom Robinson/CHSAANow.com)
Rocky Ford softball was on the way to the 3A state tournament last fall, and when it passed through Limon, the team was met with a road block — and a banner directing the team to a parking lot.
The Rocky Ford team had two players who recently lost their parents, and the tragedies were “widely and deeply felt,” according to coach JC Carrica.
Limon’s community rose up. They prepared goody bags for each player, took the time to talk with the players who recently lost their parents, and then sent Rocky Ford off with honking horns and more banners.
“The girls were hanging their heads out of the bus window, yelling, smiling, of course taking pictures and selfies,” Carrica said. “It was just the encouragement and lift we needed. As we left Limon and entered the interstate, there was not a dry eye on the bus.”
Loveland ends Pine Creek football’s 37-game winning streak
(Josh Watt/CHSAANow.com)
Pine Creek football was a juggernaut this season, storming it was through the 4A ranks.
But then the Eagles ran into Loveland, a No. 13 seed which stunned Pine Creek with a 26-14 win in the semifinals. The loss ended a 37-game winning streak for Pine Creek, which spanned two championships.
Loveland advanced to the 4A title game, where it lost to Windsor.
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Regis Jesuit stuns Monarch to win hockey’s championship
Regis Jesuit won hockey’s championship in the winter. (Ray Chen/ArrayPhoto.com)
Monarch was the team in Colorado hockey this season, entering with a 21-0 record, and beating teams by a combined score of 20-4 on its way to the championship game.
The Coyotes even took a 1-0 lead 13 seconds into that championship game, against Regis Jesuit in March.
Oh, but. The Raiders stormed back with six unanswered goals to stun Monarch and win the title, 6-1.
Sand Creek has named former Mitchell and Palmer coach Rob Hawkins as the new boys basketball coach.
Hawkins takes over for Mark Bowers, who left the program after the 2015-16 season.
“I am excited that I have been given the opportunity to coach basketball at Sand Creek High School,” Hawkins said in a release. “I have a vision to build a Scorpion basketball culture that is based on toughness, discipline, and hard work.”
It helps that Hawkins will have guard D’Shawn Schwartz on the roster. Schwartz will be entering his senior season and is regraded as one of the top overall recruits in the state.
The 2015-16 all-state boys basketball players of the year. (Photos: Ray Chen/ArrayPhoto.com; Jeff Tucker/jefferywtucker.zenfolio.com; Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)
The 2015-16 all-state boys basketball teams are presented by CHSAANow.com, ColoradoPreps.com and MaxPreps.
These teams were created following a lengthy process which included nominations from leagues, and then a week-long vote of coaches.
A specific player of the year vote was held in each class, as was a vote for coach of the year.
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Class 5A
Overland’s De’Ron Davis is the 5A boys basketball player of the year. (Kevin Keyser/KeyserImages.com)
Mark Bowers was 33-16 in his two years as the Sand Creek boys basketball coach. (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
After a disappointing 15-9 season that ended with a first round exit in the Class 4A boys basketball tournament, the Sand Creek Scorpions are in search of a new basketball coach.
CHSAANow.com has learned that Mark Bowers has been informed that the school intends to have the basketball program move on without him.
“It is time to take our boys basketball program to the next level,” athletic director Jared Felice said via text message. “We are grateful for Coach Bowers’ service to Sand Creek High School athletics.”
Coming into the 2015-16 season, there were high hopes for the Scorpions. They came in at No. 6 in the CHSAANow.com preseason rankings and many believed they would contend with Lewis-Palmer for the Pikes Peak Athletic Conference title.
The talent on the court, which included standouts D’Shawn Schwartz and Jordan Phillips, only helped to bolster those expectations.
After a couple of losses to 5A opponents, it appeared that Sand Creek was having difficulty on the defensive end of the floor.
A 93-54 loss to the Rangers on Jan. 6 showed just how outmatched the Scorpions were at that point of the season. They were able to bounce back and win their final six games of the season, avenging earlier losses to both Palmer Ridge and Vista Ridge in the process.
But the 54-52 overtime loss to the Jaguars ended a season that had been filled with such promise.
In his two years at Sand Creek, Bowers went 33-16. Felice said he hopes to name a new coach by May 1 at the latest.
Dave Ramirez (front) watches his Pueblo East team take the field during the 2014 Class 3A state championship game. (Mark Adams)
COLORADO SPRINGS — Sand Creek has hired Dave Ramirez, the former Pueblo East coach who won a Class 3A state title in 2014, as its head football coach. Athletic director Jared Felice confirmed the hire to CHSAANow.com.
Ramirez stepped down as the coach of the Eagles after winning a state title and joined the coaching staff at Liberty for the 2015 season.
But after one year as an assistant, Ramirez was ready to to get back in the saddle as a head coach. The opening at Sand Creek was turned out to be the right opportunity.
“As we begin this new era of Scorpion Football I want to clearly state that our goal from day one is to build a championship program,” Ramirez said in a statement. “I truly believe we have the players, the tools, and the necessary fire to take those steps. I am eager to meet my team and begin the process.”
The Scorpions went 0-10 last year and the prospect of bringing in a coach that has taken a team to a state title was just too good for Felice to pass up.
“Coach Ramirez possesses all the essential qualities of a successful program leader,” Felice said. “We are excited and fortunate to have him on board.”
Ramirez will see the Lancers for the next two seasons as both teams have been placed in the “Southern 3” conference in the recently approved 4A conference alignments.
Follow all of this offseason’s coaching movement in our tracker.
BOULDER – With no time left to think, Logan Newhall put up the most important shot of the season for Evergreen’s girls basketball team.
As the ball dropped through the net, the Cougars had a split-second to breathe a collective sigh of relief – and then the celebration began.
Newhall’s last-second layup put the exclamation point on a terrific start to the Class 4A state girls semifinals Thursday at Coors Events Center in Boulder. The senior capped a tense 36 minutes of play with the game-winner, sending Evergreen past Sand Creek 71-70 in overtime and into the 4A state title game Saturday afternoon.
Evergreen (24-3) will be playing for its first state championship when the Cougars take the floor at 1 p.m. against either Valor Christian, which beat Holy Family.
“I think the shock still needs to wear off,” Cougars coach Amy Bahl said. “It’s amazing. It feels great. I’m on cloud nine, floating right now.”
Evergreen is headed to its first title game. More photos. (Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)
Evergreen snapped the Scorpions’ 24-game winning streak and withstood a state tournament record-tying 43 points from Sand Creek’s Oliana Squires. The senior had tied the game with a clutch 3-pointer with 25 seconds left in regulation, but the Scorpions (24-2) just missed a last-second layup to force overtime.
“I knew she was going to get those points – maybe not that many, but I knew she would score quite a bit of their points,” Bahl said. “We just had to let it go and move on to the next player. I think the girls obviously responded to that.”
Neither team gave an inch in OT. Squires tied the game at 68-68, and then stole the ball with 22.4 seconds left before being fouled. She hit both free throws to give the Scorpions the lead, and Evergreen freshman Claudia Dillon hit 1-of-2 attempts on the other end to make it a one-point game.
Sand Creek’s Deja Derrell missed a free throw on the other end, and a lane violation on the second attempt gave the Cougars the ball back with 6.9 seconds remaining. On the inbounds to Dillon, the freshman beat the press and dished the ball to Newhall, who drove the lane and connected.
So what was running through her mind?
“It’s now or never,” Newhall said. “If you’re going to shoot it, you better shoot it now. I’m just really glad it went in.
“Everyone at the end of the game I think kept their composure really well,” Newhall added. “So everyone did a great job. Claudia did a great pass to me for the end shot. It was really just a team effort.”
The Cougars looked like they might start to pull away in the third quarter after taking a 42-33 lead. But Sand Creek went on a 9-0 run to close out the quarter and hit the first two shots of the fourth.
After enduring a cold spell, Evergreen rebounded behind the play of Samantha Kisiel. The senior scored 14 consecutive points midway through the fourth quarter and finished with 20 on the day.
“I was like ‘I’m not going to lose. This could be my last game right now and I’m not going to let it get away,’” Kisiel said. “So I stepped up. I knew I was going to have to at some point.”
Dillon added 14 points for Evergreen and Hannah Orr scored 11. The team outrebounded Sand Creek 37-26 and overcame 23 turnovers.
“I knew it was going to be tough. I knew either team could get it in the end,” Newhall said. “Which obviously showed with the back-and-forth of the game.”
Squires was 13-of-21 in her final game for Sand Creek. Her 43 points tied the output of Grandview’s Michaela Onyenwere a year ago, and Ridgway’s Tracy Hill in 1982. Liah Davis added 18 points and eight rebounds.
Valor Christian girls basketball beat Holy Family in the 4A Final 4. More photos. (Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)
BOULDER — After a season of battling it out for a league championship, Valor Christian and Evergreen are taking their next game one step further.
But the Eagles (26-1 overall) did the little things right. And in the end, that’s what helped power them to a 63-30 win over Holy Family (20-7). As a result, Valor Christian is going back to the Class 4A girls basketball state championship game.
They won the state title last year, beating Sand Creek 73-47. Sand Creek fell to Evergreen earlier Thursday night, setting up a title game that will see two Jeffco League teams battle it out for the championship.
“How great is that,” Valor coach Jessika Caldwell said. “I will take having two Jeffco coaches in the final and also two female coaches in the final. I think that’s pretty great.”
Caldwell knows her opposing coach well. She and Evergreen coach Amy Bahl played club basketball together and have been friends since their high school days.
And if the Eagles are as scrappy Saturday as they were in the semifinals, it should make for an exciting game.
Going into halftime, the Eagles led the Tigers 28-16, but were shooting just 36 percent from the field. Where they made up their ground was by hustling to lose balls and getting second-chance points to build a double-digit.
“Coming into CU, it’s a totally different arena,” Eagles guard Madison McCoy said. “The lighting is different, everything is different about the court and we just knew that if our shots weren’t falling that we had to get it inside.”
In the closing seconds of the second quarter, a Kim Childress shot attempt fell short and McCoy was there for the put back as time expired.
And from that point on, the momentum was in Valor’s hands.
“The lead that we came in with, we just kind of put aside and set it back to 0-0 going into the second half,” Heidi Hammond said. “We knew that we had to fight hard because they were going to give us everything they had.”
Hammond led all scorers with 19 points on the night with 17 of them coming in the second half.
The Eagles must now turn their attention to a team they are very familiar with in Evergreen. The Cougars couldn’t find a way to beat Valor in the regular season, but in a state championship situation, the Eagles know that they can’t take their league rival lightly.
“I love that they get the opportunity to be out here and we get the opportunity to be out here,” McCoy said. “It just kind of shows that we had a hard league and we always wanted to come back here so we had to keep fighting.”
When the teams tip on Saturday, the Eagles will not only have an advantage in having beaten the Cougars twice, but also playing on such a large stage. While Valor Christian will be playing in the state final for the second time, Evergreen will be making its first appearance in a state championship game.
“The best part is to come out and beat them again,” Hammond said. “They’ve studied us well, they played twice to two really close games. They know just about everything that we do, but we also know what they do. It’s going to come down to who has the most heart.”
