5A girls basketball Great 8 roundup: Cherry Creek reaches first Final 4 since 2004
DENVER — Cherry Creek’s athletic department, through its rich history, has claimed 189 state championships — 105 more than any other school. But they have never won it all in girls basketball.
The Bruins’ bid for that first title continued as the No. 2 seed in the Alice Barron Region defeated the No. 1, Highlands Ranch, 47-43 in the first of four Great 8 games at the Denver Coliseum on Friday.
The victory secured a spot in the Final 4 for Creek for the first time since 2004, when it lost to ThunderRidge in the finals. The day started shaky for Creek as the team bus never arrived, so it had to scramble to get to the Coliseum.
Still, the Bruins stepped on the floor, scored the game’s first basket, and set the tone defensively.
Highlands Ranch, making its 10th appearance in the past 11 seasons in the Great 8, hung in throughout but only took a few brief one-point leads.
Ultimately, Highlands Ranch was undone by poor shooting, going 15-of-56 (26.8 percent) from the field, as Creek’s lanky 6-foot-plus sophomore trio of Molly Rohrer, Lauren McMillen and Laura Pranger made every look at the basket difficult for the Falcons.
The Centennial League champ’s largest lead was only 10 points as Highlands Ranch’s deficit was in single digits nearly all game, but Creek grinded out a victory.
“That’s kind of how we’ve played all year,” Bruins coach Chris Curneen said. “If we can keep people to about 40 points or below we’ve got a good chance of winning. We’re a very defensive team. We have some very long young ladies and it’s kind of hard to shoot over them.”
On offense, Pranger made timely baskets and led all scorers with 16 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Rohrer chipped in 11 and six and Brittanee Bivins, a junior guard, provided Creek with a spark off the bench.
“Brittanee was huge for us tonight, too,” Curneen said. “She did a great job. She’s kind of our girl who gets us going when we get a little stagnant.”
The Bruins have now taken the next step in the playoffs under fourth-year coach Curneen. They reached the second round of the state tournament three years ago, the Sweet 16 two years ago, the Great 8 last year, and now the Final 4.
“To get to the Final 4 is just huge for our program and to beat a team like Highlands Ranch with a Hall of Fame coach, that’s phenomenal,” Curneen said excitedly. “We’re just thrilled to death.”
Leilah Vigil led Highlands Ranch with 11 points and 10 rebounds and Blaire Braxton had 9 points and 10 rebounds.
(1) Monarch 70, (6) Fairview 42
Monarch senior Raegen Rohn will get her much-desired return trip to the Coors Events Center in Boulder.
Led by Rohn, the Coyotes (24-2 overall) earned a spot in the 5A girls Final 4 for the first time since 2012 on Friday night with a 70-42 victory over Fairview (16-11). It was a meeting between familiar foes when Front Range League rivals battled for a semifinal spot at the Denver Coliseum.
Rohn had a team-high 20 points to help Monarch get another crack at a state championship. Monarch lost to Legacy in the 5A 2012 state championship game 58-51.
“We ended on a heartbreaker my freshman year,” said Rohn, who came off the bench as a freshman three years ago. “I just wanted to get back.”
It took a little while for Monarch’s offense to get going Friday. Fairview’s defense held the Coyotes scoreless for nearly the first four minutes of the opening quarter. Rohn got Monarch’s offense on track with nine points in the first quarter to give the Coyotes a 16-14 lead after the first.
Rohn finished strong with nine straight points for Monarch during a two-minute span in the fourth quarter to seal the victory.
Monarch, top seed in the Sharon Wilch Region, dominated its Front League foe Fairview in conference play earlier this season. The Coyotes took a 62-28 victory Feb. 10, but that was with Fairview playing shorthanded. Senior and leading scorer Annika Lai missed the first meeting with Monarch because of a sprained ankle.
“We knew (Fairview) would come out ready to play,” Rohn said. “We knew we had to come out ready to play too.”
Sophomore Jasmine Jeffcoat (15 points and eight rebounds) kept Monarch clicking with strong second and third quarters.
It was all Monarch in the second half. The Coyotes outscored the Knights 42-19 in after halftime. Jeffcoat went 4-for-4 from the field in the third quarter and fellow sophomore Peyton Carter (11 points) heated up from the floor in the fourth quarter with a pair of 3-pointers.
“Peyton and Jasmine played awesome,” Rohn said. “They were really key in this game.”
Junior Macy Scott also had a nice game for the Coyotes coming off the bench for nine points and five rebounds.
The Knights came into the state quarterfinals as the Cinderella being lowest seed (No. 6) remaining in the tournament. Lai finished with a game-high 21 points in her final prep game.
(1) Broomfield 65, (2) Lakewood 39
Broomfield girls basketball coach Mike Croell led his team to the Great 8 or further 19 times in a row in 4A. He made eight finals appearances, and won five consecutive titles from 2007-2011.
Moving up to the biggest class in 2015, the Eagles haven’t skipped a beat.
On Friday, they kept their 5A championship hopes intact by defeating Lakewood 65-39 in the Great 8 at the Denver Coliseum.
The top seed in the Rhonda Blanford-Green Region, Broomfield seemed to have their hands all over the game, literally and figuratively, as their full-court press and active defense in the half-court allowed the Eagles to get their fingers into passing lanes and on loose balls.
They outscored Lakewood 36-4 in points off turnovers and 25-3 in second chance points. They also outrebounded the Tigers 36-20.
Broomfield, after being down 12-6 to start the game, buried the second seed 25-9 the rest of the first half to take a 31-21 lead at the break. Then, the Front Range champions coasted their way to Boulder for the state semifinals by outscoring Lakewood 34-18 in the final two quarters.
In 20 years, Croell’s teams have now made 14 Final 4s. This will be their first in the biggest class.
“It means a lot to us,” Broomfield junior forward Brenna Fankell said. “It’s our first year in 5A. We’re playing our best. I think now that we’re up in 5A it’s more of a challenge, but we accept that challenge.”
It’s fair to say it’s been more of a challenge for the Eagles’ opponents as they are now 24-2 with their only losses coming at the hands of fellow No. 1 seed ThunderRidge. Both defeats were in December.
At the Coliseum, Croell — who is in his last go-around in the state tournament before retiring — and his crew bullied Lakewood in the paint with Fankell (19 points, 12 rebounds) and the versatile Callie Kaiser (11 points, 9 rebounds). Kaiser, Breanna Chase (13 points), and Nicole Lehrer (12 points) helped Broomfield force 23 turnovers, while only committing nine in a dominant defensive effort.
“We have our girls up top who put pressure on their guards and the girls in the back just play strong and we try not to let them get into the lane for two,” Fankell said.
Broomfield will face Cherry Creek, winners over Highlands Ranch in the Great 8, on Thursday in the Final 4 at the Coors Events Center.
Lakewood reached the Great 8 for the second straight year. The Tigers were led by McKenna Bishop’s 14 points and nine rebounds. They only lose one senior from a team that finished with a 20-6 record.
(1) ThunderRidge 57, (3) Ralston Valley 36
They’re back.
ThunderRidge returned to the Final 4 of the 5A girls state tournament for the first time since 2011 with a 57-36 victory over Ralston Valley on Friday night at the Denver Coliseum.
“It’s been a long time. None of us have ever been there,” ThunderRidge junior Taylor Rusk said of advancing to next week’s state semifinals in Boulder. “It’s awesome. It’s a great feeling.”
The Grizzlies are chasing their first state championship since concluding a three-peat (2003, 04 and 05).
“For these kids it’s been on their mind since they were in the fourth grade,” ThunderRidge coach Paula Krueger said. “All praise to my players. They don’t care who gets the glory. They just want to win. Whatever it takes to win.”
ThunderRidge extended its winning streak to 16 games. The Grizzlies (24-2) haven’t lost to an in-state team all season. Both of their losses came at the Nike Tournament of Championships in Arizona.
Defense was ThunderRidge’s greatest tool in the first half. The Mustangs were held to just 4-for-19 shooting in the opening half. The Grizzlies went on a 12-0 run from the end of the first quarter to midway through the second quarter to grab at 23-9 lead.
“I’ve coached for 22 or 23 years. I’ve coached at high levels be it college or high school and honestly, I’ve never coached a defensive team like this,” Krueger said. “They adapt and adjust. They do what they are asked.”
Ralston Valley finished shooting 11-for-37 from the field. Senior Morgan Nishida (14 points) and sophomore Ashley Van Sickle (five points) hit 3-pointers in the second quarter for Ralston Valley to prevent ThunderRidge from climbing to even a more impressive lead then its 25-14 advantage at halftime.
Jaz’mye Snipes led the way for ThunderRidge with 12 points and five rebounds in the opening half. She finished with 14 points before fouling out with 4:32 left in the final quarter.
Junior Alyssia Martinez (10 points) also had a nice first half with eight points for ThunderRidge.
It was Rusk who took over the scoring duties in the second half. After being shutout in the first half, Rusk went for a dozen points in the third quarter. Her 3-pointer in the final seconds opened up ThunderRidge’s largest lead of the game 44-20 entering the fourth quarter.
“We have so many weapons on our team it didn’t matter,” said Rusk who finished with a game-high 19 points. “I got more opportunities in the second half.”
ThunderRidge squares off against Monarch (24-2) in the Final 4 on Thursday, March 12, at the Coors Events Center in Boulder.
Despite the loss, Ralston Valley has a promising future with only losing one senior — Nishida — to graduation. It was the second state quarterfinal appearance for the Mustangs in the past three seasons.
— Dennis Pleuss
