Green Mountain girls basketball takes OT victory in 5A showdown versus Lutheran

LAKEWOOD — Basketball fans got an early Christmas gift with two of the top Class 5A girls basketball teams in the state facing off Thursday night at Green Mountain High School.

Green Mountain — 5A Jeffco League champion and 5A state semifinalist last season — hosted the Lutheran Lions, who lost to eventual 5A state champion Mullen in the second round of the playoffs last year.

The Rams dominated the overtime period to grab a 49-41 victory heading into Winter Break. Green Mountain (6-1 record) scored the first seven points of the extra period to win its home opener.

“It’s good to have a game like this and win it,” Green Mountain coach Matteo Busnardo said. “You see what you struggled with and work on it.”

Green Mountain’s defense was stellar in the first half not allowing Lutheran (4-3) a field goal until midway through the second quarter. Still, the Rams only led 14-10 at halftime.

The Rams’ offense got it going in the second half with senior Kantyn Pearson, along with juniors Ella Cockrum and Addie Evans combining for four 3-pointers. Evans drained a 3-pointer with 6:50 remaining in the fourth quarter to give the Rams their biggest lead of the night at 34-21.

However, the Lions went on a 12-0 run over the span of three minutes to cut Green Mountain’s lead to 34-33. A handful of Ram turnovers and the Lions making a living at the free-throw line made it a game late.

“(Lutheran coach Robby Gabrielli) has done a great job. I’ve been watching them this year,” Busnardo said. “Lutheran is kind of my sleeper this year in 5A. I knew they were going to be tough. That 3-2 zone and pressure, we were struggling tremendously against it.”

Junior Cadyn Cavanaugh made a layup with about 12 seconds left to give Green Mountain 39-37 lead, but Lutheran junior Isla Koffmann scored on a runner in the lane to force overtime.

“We knew it was going to be a big game with the rankings,” Evans said.

Cavanaugh opened the scoring in the overtime with another layup as the Rams were able to break the Lions’ defensive pressure. Evans then had back-to-back buckets to push the lead to 45-39 with under a minute to go.

A nifty in-bounce play allowed Evans to come off a screen for an open layup.

“We drew up a new play. It wasn’t any of our book stuff because they knew all of our stuff from film,” said Evans, who finished with a game-high 16 points. “We knew (Koffmann) has four fouls and if we could draw to her she would be timid.”

Cockrum made 3-of-4 free throws in the final minute to seal the victory.

“I’m just so proud of them of pulling it out in high-level intensity,” Busnardo said of the win. “Great win.”

Green Mountain heads into Winter Break on a 3-game winning streak. The Rams’ lone loss was to 6A’s Cherokee Trail (6-0) back on Dec. 9.

“We have a target on us every game,” Busnardo said. “Going into the year we talked about rankings and who you are playing doesn’t matter. You just have to go 1-0 every day. Win the day and get better.”

Green Mountain returns to action against Chatfield on Jan. 2. It will be a 5:30 p.m. tipoff at Green Mountain High School.

While the start of the 5A/4A/3A Jeffco League play is nearly a month away, Evans has a clear mindset for conference play.

“We know we can’t lose a (league) game before Standley Lake,” Evans said. “That will be our league championship.”

Green Mountain close conference play Feb. 16 at home against the young and talented Gators that are off to a 6-0 start.