It’s been a week since the girls basketball state tournaments opened and two days later state champions were crowned in Classes 1A, 2A and 3A. We look back the event with some thoughts on some great action and some great players who closed out their high school campaigns.
ALL PHOTOS PROVIDED BY OT SPORTSCHECK
CLASS 1A
The state championship battle between Flatirons Academy and Briggsdale was one of the best girls basketball games we’ve seen. Most of the time, games are disrupted by loose balls and bodies flying to the floor in pursuit of the ball which results in tie-ups and jump balls. The state finals were void of that issue and also sharply played by both teams which allowed for great flow and uninterrupted play.
Two stretches come to mind when thinking about the game. The first came in the first half shortly after I tweeted that teams could have trouble shooting since they were playing in a larger arena than UNC for the first time. But after that tweet, the two teams traded three-pointers on four consecutive trips down the floor. That stretch electrified the large crowd on hand and we quickly told our social media audience to disregard the previous tweet.
Stretch number two came at the end of the third quarter when Flatirons point guard Kenlee Durrill took control of the game. She finished the quarter with a three-pointer, an amazing spinning drive for a hoop and then a nice assist to a teammate. That flurry gave the Bison a 41-35 lead and possible command of the game but then Briggsdale’s Jenna Krise tossed in about a 55-foot shot to cut the lead in half. Again the large crowd on hand was excited and on their feet.
At the end, it was Flatirons who captured the big trophy for the second straight year. It was also the second straight season, the Bison had lost to Briggsdale in the regular season only to avenge that loss in the postseason; this time in the state championship game. Flatirons can also return their entire roster so they will be the preseason number one when the first polls come out in November.
The game though ended the fine career of Briggsdale senior Kylie Krise who averaged at least 15 points per game each of her four seasons. She finished with over 15-hundred career points and 104 three-pointers and those numbers include her COVID shortened junior season. She also collected 562 rebounds, 280 assists and 250 steals and will be a first-team all-state selection again when those awards are handed out. The Falcons also won 83 games during her four year career.
Lone Star made their first state tournament appearance one to remember. We mentioned before the tournament that we were happy the Longhorns got in so fans across the state would get a chance to see their talent. And that was the case. The Longhorns drew great attention from media members and CHSAA officials on hand and I heard from numerous fans on how good the Longhorns were and maybe they were not seeded high enough.
The Longhorns went 2-1 on the tournament to grab the consolation championship. Alivia Weathers had 48 points and 11 rebounds for the event. She also dished out 27 assists including a season best 16 against Sangre De Cristo which is just two shy of the overall state record. Alison Davis totaled 59 points including 32 against Sangre De Cristo. She also recorded two double-doubles and finished with 30 rebounds.
And let’s not forget about Cheyenne Wells. They lost to Lone Star in the consolation finals and did not return home with any hardware but what a run for the Tigers. They had not made the tournament since 1978 and their dash to the Great 8 this year was preceded by just one win the year before. In other words, they won as many games at the state tournament this year than they did for the entire 2020-21 season. Excellent work by the ladies and first year coach Jason Muth.
Fleming’s Whitney Chintala played her last high school basketball game as the Wildcats downed McClave for third place. A starter since day one, Chintala averaged at least 12 points per game each season and finished her four-year run with 1,301 points along with 400+ plus rebounds and over 330 steals and assists overall. And while classmate Zoe Vandenbark did not finish with the same level of stats, she also was an important player in getting the Wildcats to the state tournament each of her four seasons.
Other standouts for their programs that concluded stellar careers included the McClave duo of Anna Beckett (954 career points) and Maggie Chase (698) along with Sangre De Cristo senior Ashley Mortensen (654)
CLASS 2A
The championship game was an excellent battle between Holyoke and Sanford as the Dragons created a double-digit halftime lead and then held off a furious rally by the Indians. Going in, we thought Holyoke would have to stay away from foul trouble and take advantage of their size on both ends….and both things happened as they captured their first-ever girls basketball state championship. It was also a big day for head coach John Baumgartner as he finished off the double at Holyoke; adding a girls title to the boys championship he won with the school earlier in his career.
In the win, the Dragons committed just 11 fouls overall and no player committed more than three. Much of the reason centered on the 2-3 zone they employed for the entire game as the Indians could not penetrate inside to draw fouls. Sanford also struggled from the outside in the first half and fell behind 21-8 and even though those shots began to fall in the third and fourth quarter, the deficit was too large to completely overcome. The Indians cut it to three but had the ball just once with a chance to tie.
Kristin Vieselmeyer and Lauren Herman are two seniors who may have enjoyed the state championship the most. Starters since their freshman seasons, the two have worked hard in the past and fell a bit short. This year, the efforts paid off and both had tremendous games in their final high school appearance. Herman, with 14 points and 10 rebounds, had a double-double. She also collected five steals with three treys. Vieselmeyer added nine points, eight rebounds and four assists.
Vieselmeyer closed her career with 1,340 points and 833 rebounds; Herman with 843 and 702 along with 262 assists and 93 three-pointers.
Sanford also had a good tournament as their stingy defense allowed just 100 points in the three games. They moved past Wiggins in the first round easier than expected and followed up by handing Rye their first loss of the season in the semifinals. Trailing by 13 points at halftime in the finals against a quality team, the Indians could have easily given up but made a game of it and came close to winning the second title in school history. Asia and Cheyenne Caldon played their final game in a Sanford uniform and helped the program to 77 wins over their four years.
Rye also finished the tournament and the careers of Sophia and Sydney Adamson in great style with a last second win over Limon to capture third. Down one with 12 seconds to play, Sydney drove the length of the floor and nailed a well-defended runner for the game winner. She finished with 20 points and Sophie added 23 in their final high school contest. The win was the 86th in their career against just seven losses. They combined for over 26-hundred points during their four seasons.
Let’s also give credit to classmates Morgan Elarton and Gracie Graham who played along side the Adamson’s all four years and contributed in many ways. While the Adamson’s were scoring the points and getting the headlines, Elarton and Graham were content to screen, rebound and defend to help the Thunderbolts get the win. We can also toss in sophomore Jordan Holgerson-Rahl to that list this year.
For Limon, Trista Marx also played her final high school game, The 2A Player of the Year as a junior, she almost led the Badgers back into the state finals as a senior. Marx finished her four years with 1,200 points, nearly 600 rebounds and 318 steals. And in a program filled with great history and tradition, she will go down as one of the best to wear a Limon program.
Cedaredge put together a strong tournament run. They had finished third in 2016 so the consolation trophy they won this year represents their second best-ever finish. It was also just the second time the Bruins have won two games in a single state tournament; again equaling the effort from the 2016 crew. The Bruins now have eight wins all-time at the state tournament
Dayspring Christian nearly upset the eventual state champion Holyoke Dragons in the quarterfinals. They led much of the way before falling 33-30. The Eagles also played well in the consolation bracket in a 40-32 loss. The program is now 0-4 all-time in the state tournament but those losses are by a combined 18 points.
CLASS 3A
Very few fans, players and coaches if any were surprised when Platte Valley won the state championship last Saturday. The Broncos entered the tournament as defending state champions, were unbeaten overall, and had previous wins over 2nd seeded University and 3rd seeded Vanguard. Platte Valley won their three games by a combined 61 points and was never really threatened in the second half in any of those wins.
The wins finished off a tremendous four year run for seniors Cora Schissler and Brooke Bunting. The two years before the duo arrived on campus, the Broncos combined for just 14 wins but over the next four years, they captured 79 and two state championships. The Broncos now have five state titles in school history and the back-to-back efforts are their first since 2004.
Schissler closed up with 1,234 points, 196 three-pointers and 198 steals and was widely considered the leader of the group. Bunting just missed 900 career points (898) but added 460 rebounds, 353 assists and 314 steals as she has been one of the best all-around players in Class 3A the last four years.
Cora and Brooke also have younger sisters that they hope will continue the tradition at Kersey. Bree Bunting (811) has a chance to join the 1,000 point club and has also chipped in 374 rebounds, 145 assists and 167 steals. Schissler won reach 1000 points (649) but has solid numbers in rebounds (421), assists (188) and steals (149) already in her career.
University was easily the second best team in Class 3A this year. They finished 22-5 with three of those losses coming to the state champions. Despite that loss, there is a solid program building at University as the Bulldogs may be the favorites when the 2022-23 starts next winter. That’s because 13 of their top 14 scorers this year were underclassmen. That means the experience gained at the state tournament over the past two years may pay huge dividends in their next visit. The only loss for the Bulldogs from the state tournament roster will be senior Emry Trujillo. She averaged nearly nine points, three assists and three steals during her final year. Those numbers can be replaced by others but her leadership skills will be missed.
Vanguard and Grand Valley finished third and fourth as the Coursers beat the Cardinals 44-30 last Saturday. Both had strong tournaments and Vanguard will be on the list with University as one of the teams to beat next year. They too were underclassmen heavy as their top five scorers were non-seniors. The leader is Juliana Garcia. She’s averaged at least 11 points per game through her first three seasons and will enter her senior campaign needing just 26 for 1,000 on her career.
We really like the effort put forth by Grand Valley as well. Their first round win over St Mary’s (52-50) was the program’s first since 2008. And even though they dropped their last two games of the tournament, coach Scott Parker had to be happy with the way his team played over the final few weeks of the season. They avenged conference losses to Delta and Moffat County to win the district tournament and then won the regional round as well. Looking to next season, the Cards return top two scorers AbbeyRose Parker (15.5) and Jaycee Pittman (13.7). Both gained valuable experience while getting to play three games at DU this past week.
Lamar’s great run to end the season closed with a loss to eventual state champion Platte Valley last Thursday. But like other teams mentioned, the program will grow with state tournament experience that maybe was unexpected this year. Lamar was 10-6 before reeling off nine straight wins to reach the Great 8. Along the way, they beat Vanguard, St Mary’s and Eaton to grab a state quarterfinal berth. Talented freshman Brooklyn Robbins (11.4) will only get better next season and older sister Abby Robbins (13.3) will want to make a push during her senior year. A key loss is Alee Tice with her scoring, rebounding and leadership.
