Grandview set for 6A girls basketball title game tilt with Legend

DENVER – Grandview is a tough No. 1 seed to doubt when it comes to winning the Class 6A girls basketball championship.

But for a while, those who didn’t want to doubt the Wolves had to be a little nervous. They took the best shot that Pine Creek had to offer and despite being down 10 points, rallied to get a 39-35 win over the Eagles to return to the 6A state championship game. The Wolves last played for – and won – the state title in 2023, beating Monarch 38-28.

Heading into the final weekend of action at Denver Coliseum, the Wolves knew they’d be getting everyone’s best shot, and felt that taking a haymaker and surviving in the semis is a good way to head into the state championship game.

“It’s really good for us,” senior forward Sienna Betts said. “We’re really confident in our ability and where we’re going to go. It was really good for us to have a challenge.”

Betts led all scorers with 18 points and she also grabbed eight rebounds.

She had to battle through a solid performance from one her closest friends in Pine Creek forward Brooklyn Stewart. Before fouling out late in the game, Stewart notched a double-double, scoring 16 points and grabbing 10 boards. She was 2-for-3 from 3-point range and was a big reason why the Eagles led 20-10 at one point in the game.

“She’s an amazing player,” Betts said. “She’s the best teammate I’ve ever played with my entire life. I’ve played with her my since around fifth grade.”

The Wolves started closing the gap late in the second quarter and took a one-point lead in the half. In the third, they stretched their lead out to 32-24 at one point.

With a comfortable lead in the fourth, they started to stretch some possessions out a little longer to burn some clock and limit possessions for Pine Creek. By the time the Eagles had to start fouling, Stewart picked up her fifth. She ends her career taking the Pine Creek girls program the furthest it has ever gone in the state tournament.

The Wolves return to the title game after losing to Mullen in the Sweet 16 last year. It’s been a fixture on their mind all season and having to work through the Final 4 to get there is a reminder of how tough – and joyful – it is to win a championship.

“I hope it’s a confidence builder for them,” Grandview coach Josh Ulitzky said. “It’s nice to see them happy again. I feel like after we won at the [Great] 8, they weren’t happy. To get to the state championship is awesome. We have a colossal task ahead of us.”

(7) Legend 59, (14) Riverdale Ridge 50

The memory of last year’s stumble in the 6A girls Final 4 only served as motivation for Legend. The Titans built a big lead, only to see it disappear before battling through the rest of the second half to beat Riverdale Ridge to advance to the program’s first-ever girls basketball state championship game.

Mason Borcherding had another standout game, scoring a team-high 17 points to go with three rebounds and two assists. But after picking up her fourth foul, she was forced to the bench and watched as Aubrey Cook made a couple of clutch baskets to send the Titans into the fourth quarter with a six-point lead.

“I’m so proud of my teammates,” Borcherding said. “They really stepped up. Everyone from the guards to the post. Everyone stepped up.”

Legend built a lead as big as 17 points in the first quarter before a noticeably sluggish Brihanna Crittendon got the Ravens back into the game.

It was a momentary flashback to last year’s Final 4 where the Titans were leading Regis Jesuit only to see the Raiders erase a 10-point Titans lead in the fourth quarter. That was very much on Legend’s mind as Crittendon was powered her way to a game-high 20 points and closed the gap.

“We made it this far last year and we knew we had to get one more,” Borcherding said. “We just had to keep playing out harder and we had to get to that next game. We knew we could do it if we all came together.”

They came together enough and will now head into Saturday with a chance to make even more school history. This is the first time Legend has made the state title game, but the Titans were never content to just get there, they want to win. And there’d be no better way leave the Coliseum on Saturday than beating Grandview to claim the school’s first basketball title, boys or girls.

“They’re a great team,” Borcherding said. “We’re definitely going to have to work hard these next couple of days. We’re really excited about this meeting.”