4A Girls Basketball: Holy Family Pulls Away for 8th State Title

DENVER – Holy Family secured its eighth program title and its second state championship in the past three seasons with a 52-46 win over Kent Denver on Saturday at the Denver Coliseum.

The fourth-seeded Tigers found a way to pull ahead in the third quarter and eventually hoisted the trophy. 

“I think the one thing I’m most proud of, more than lifting that trophy today, is that we were just present for one another,” Holy Family coach Mike Quintana. “We learned to fight, and they are sisters.”

The game was statistically balanced at the half, and with Holy Family leading 23-22, it could have been anyone’s game. 

The third quarter is where the Tigers got on a hot streak, outscoring Kent Denver 20-9 while shooting 8 of 14 from the field, including 4 of 8 from 3-point range. They built their lead to 15 points, 43-28, and they led by at least seven points until the closing minutes.

Of the third quarter, Quintana said, “I think it was just us getting our calmness about us, our poise. And then we just kind of settled in, you know, our nerves calmed down a little bit.”

Quintana is no stranger to winning. He was a big part of the championship Holy Family boys team in 1998 as a player, before later returning as a boys assistant coach.

Seven previous girls program titles (2008-11, 2013-14, and 2023) were secured by longtime coach Ron Rossi, who led the program for more than two decades. Quintana served as Rossi’s assistant coach where he got to experience that winning feeling once more with the 2023 championship team. 

As a head coach, Saturday marks his first state title.

“It starts with Ron Rossi,” Quintana said. “We definitely stand on his shoulders and what he has done with this senior core.” 

Alexia Oaxaca led the Tigers with 19 points shooting 5 of 7 from the 3-point line. Priya Lucas was not far behind with 18 points and seven rebounds and was a big part of the lead the Tigers gained in the second half.

“Today is bittersweet for me,” Quintana said. “I’ve got to go in there (the locker room) and tell four seniors goodbye. … I would give that state trophy back in a heartbeat to coach them one more year.”

Holy Family, which added a second 4A title to its six 3A crowns, will continue to make the climb to compete at the 5A level next year.