Defense, 3-pointers lift Ralston Valley girls hoops to win over Pine Creek
ARVADA — There was no way Ralston Valley seniors Ashley Van Sickle, Michaela Shaklee, Chloe Gillach and Sarah Bevington were going to lose their final home game at Ralston Valley High School.
“I’m proud of how we played tonight,” Van Sickle said after a 50-31 win against Pine Creek in the Class 5A girls basketball round of 16 state playoff game Tuesday night. “That was a great last game at the Mustang Range. We put our hearts out on the floor.”
Besides being the final home game for Ralston Valley’s core four seniors, there was also the fact that a third straight trip to the state quarterfinals was also on the line. Van Sickle, Montana State-recruit, has been at the center as Ralston Valley’s leading scoring for four straight years.
Ralston Valley has amassed an impressive 86-18 record over the last four years. The Mustangs would like to add three more victories over the next few weeks as they head to the Denver Coliseum for the Great 8 on Friday.
“We are going to find out if we are very good or really good here on Friday,” Ralston Valley coach Jeff Gomer said.
The Mustangs are one win away from matching last season’s berth into the 5A state semifinals. Standing in the way for No. 4th-seeded Ralston Valley is a very familiar foe — No. 12 Cherry Creek. It will be the third meeting this season between the Mustangs (24-1 overall) and Bruins (18-7). Ralston Valley is 2-0 so far against Cherry Creek.
“Their freshman point guard (Jana Van Gytenbeek) is amazing,” Shaklee said. “We have to prepare the next couple of days because it’s going to be a big match-up.”
Van Gytenbeek had a game-high 17 points and 12 assists as the Bruins went to the Western Slope for their Sweet 16 game and easily handled No. 5 Fruita-Monument, 71-43.
The state quarterfinal game will be played Friday, March 3, at the Coliseum. Game times for the four Great 8 games at the Coliseum will be Wednesday.
No. 13 Pine Creek held a 6-game winning streak entering Tuesday’s game. The Eagles finished their season with an 18-7 record and for the third straight year Pine Creek lost in the round of 16.
The Eagles shot well early trailing Ralston Valley 15-14 after the first quarter, but the Mustangs buckled down on defense holding Pine Creek to single-digit points per quarter the rest of the way.
“We had to be on help side and fight through picks,” Van Sickle said of the defensive change after the first quarter. “We just played great team defense.”
Gomer commended the job Bevington did on Pine Creek’s 6-foot-1 senior Courtney Stanton. The Eagles’ main post player had four points early in the first quarter, but was held in check the rest of the way.
The other huge factor for the Mustangs was their 3-point shooting. Ralston Valley finished with 10 3-pointers on the night, including eight in the opening half as the Mustangs grabbed a 33-19 cushion at halftime.
“That is what the 3-ball does for us. It gives us those little runs,” Gomer said. “We aren’t going to hit them all game long, but we seem to hit them in bunches.”
Gillach and Shaklee each hit three 3-pointers. Both finished with 13 points each to lead the way for the Mustangs. Junior Sammy Van Sickle pitched in 10 points, while her older sister Ashley finished with six points. Bevington had eight points.
Gillach and Shaklee shut the door on Pine Creek early in the fourth quarter with an 8-0 run to push the Mustangs’ lead to 45-27 with 6 minutes remaining.
“I knew someone had to step up on the court,” Shaklee said of the start of the fourth quarter. “We wanted to make them tired and keep attacking them. We were hoping to seal the deal in the fourth.”
That’s precisely what Ralston Valley did as its extended its winning streak to 24 games.
