DENVER — The Jekyll and Hyde elements of D’Evelyn’s girls basketball team were on display Monday night in a non-league game against Conifer.
D’Evelyn had just one basket through nearly the first five minutes and trailed the Lobos 5-2. After missing shot after shot, the Jaguars poured in 19 points in the final 3 minutes, 15 seconds of the first quarter to take a 21-7 lead after the first eight minutes.
“It’s been happening a lot lately,” D’Evelyn senior Jill Smith said of the slow start. “We have been learning to overcome it by going to the basket.”
The Jaguars continued to demonstrate impressive scoring touch racking up 32 points in the second quarter to take a commanding 53-14 lead at halftime. D’Evelyn, No. 8 in the CHSAANow.com 4A girls hoops preseason rankings, went on to improve its record to 3-1 on the season with an 83-37 victory over former league foe Conifer.
“We can score zero in four minutes and score 32 in eight minutes,” D’Evelyn coach Chris Olson said. “That is kind of the team we are. We’ve got to find a way to score easier baskets at the bucket.”
Seniors Payton Sampson, Smith and junior Angi Reed had 13 points each to pace the Jaguars. Sampson started a stretch of D’Evelyn outscoring Conifer 30-4 with her 3-pointer with 3:15 left in the first quarter.
Sampson and Reed both drained a trio of 3-pointers each before Olson went deep into his bench midway through the third quarter with D’Evelyn leading by as much as 51 points.
“I’ve been struggling for awhile,” Sampson said of her outside shot. “It felt pretty good to actually hit some shots.”
Complementing the Jaguars’ outside shooting with their signature full-court pressure defense that gave the Lobos fits. Conifer turnovers led into some easy buckets for D’Evelyn as the Jaguars took control after the rough start.
“This is probably one of the fastest teams we’ve ever had. That’s our advantage and we have to use it,” Olson said. “If we aren’t pressing and forcing turnovers then it’s a little tougher for us.”
Despite the loss, second-year Conifer coach Cara Walderman was pleased with her team’s effort. The Lobos (0-3 record) moved out of 4A Jeffco for the currently two-year cycle and will play in the Colorado 7 League for at least the next two years.
“I told them at halftime that it might seem we are down a bunch, but they were playing their hearts out. They really did,” Walderman said. “We’ve just got to control our turnovers and knock down shots.”
Conifer struggled to a 3-20 record last season, including a 2-12 league record.
“I’m happy to still be playing these Jeffco teams because they make us better. It’s the competition that I was always used to,” said Walderman, 2010 Conifer graduate, about playing Golden, D’Evelyn and Evergreen in non-league games. “I’ve got a lot of pride that way.”
Walderman is high on starting freshman point guard Jordyn West that finished with six points against D’Evelyn.
“I saw her (West) as an eighth-grader coming to our camps and I’ve been excited from there on,” Walderman said. “She leads the team really well. For her to be playing every minute of every game as a freshman is important for us.”
Junior Casey Schaeffer also had a nice game against D’Evelyn. Schaeffer had a team-high 16 points for the Lobos.
D’Evelyn is looking to get back into the 4A state title contender conversation after advancing to the state quarterfinals the past three seasons. Last year the Jaguars needed back-to-back overtime victories in the first two rounds of the state tournament to make the Great 8. League rival and eventual state runner-up Evergreen ended D’Evelyn’s season.
“We are trying to build on our tradition,” Olson said. “These kids have to build their own legacy. It’s their time now to make their mark. We talk about living up to that tradition.”
The Jaguars play a trio of games at the Northglenn Tournament starting with Rifle on Thursday, Dec. 8.
The Lobos have a little time to assess their first three games before another non-league road game against Ponderosa on Monday, Dec. 12.
