Something special mounting in the hills of Evergreen
DENVER — Back-to-back trips to any state championship game is impressive.
In just five seasons at the helm of Evergreen’s girls basketball program, coach Amy Bahl has already accomplished the feat of making the Cougars a team expected to make a deep run into the state tournament every season. Since taking over the program at the start of the 2012-13 season, Evergreen has a 96-35 record under Bahl’s guidance.
“It’s crazy. You don’t expect that,” Bahl said after Evergreen won the program’s first girls basketball state title with a 45-35 victory Saturday against Pueblo South at the Denver Coliseum. “I don’t want to get emotional, but you do all this stuff and it pays off.”
With consecutive trips to the Class 4A title game while amassing a 49-7 record, the Cougars have establish themselves as a 4A powerhouse.
Historically, Evergreen has been most recognized for its volleyball success. The Cougars claimed nine volleyball championships in 10 years from 1976 to 1985.
“I want it be a basketball school,” Evergreen junior Baylee Galan-Greene said after the Cougars improved last year’s remarkable season by one win. “We’ve worked so hard for this. It’s a basketball school now. I’m down with that.”
The journey for Evergreen’s girls basketball team weaved through several obstacles on the way to having shots at the school’s first girls basketball state title in 2016 and 2017.
The Cougars’ 2016 drive to their first appearance in a girls hoops title game was led by the one of the program’s all-time career leading scorers in Sam Kisiel, a bevy of seemingly tireless guards spearheaded by seniors Logan Newhall and Hannah Orr and freshman sensation Claudia Dillon.
“Losing players like that honestly hurt us, but it motivated us to try harder and push through it,” Galan-Browne said. “Our motto this year was to go out, have fun and win some games.”
Evergreen’s lone senior Keigan Drysdale admitted their were plenty of questions heading into this season.
“None of us knew what to expect,” Drysdale said. “I don’t think any of us expected us to be here and winning this (state title).”
Playing in the competitive 4A Jeffco League has been a benefit recently. There has been a representative from Jeffco in the 4A title game 5-of-6 season — D’Evelyn (2012 and 2013), Valor (2015 and 2016) and Evergreen (2016 and 2017)
Evergreen’s three losses this season came against 4A Jeffco champion Golden (two losses) and two-time defending 4A state champion Valor, who defeated Evergreen in the 2016 state championship game.
“I told the girls (after the loss to Golden) we weren’t going to win league, but we still have a shot at winning state,” Bahl said. “Not a lot of teams who don’t win their league have that ability. They used that as motivation for sure.”
Getting back to a third state championship game in 2018 wouldn’t be a stretch with everyone back except for Drysdale.
“I always tell the girls it about building a tradition at the school and a system, a system you believe in,” Bahl said. “When everyone (players, parents and community) is on your side you can do good things like this. I tribute all this success to everyone.”
