DENVER – With the memory of last year’s state title loss in its head, the Holy Family girls basketball dialed up the intensity in the fourth quarter.
The Tigers outscored Alamosa by 10 points to grab a 58-39 win over the Mean Moose to punch their ticket to the Class 4A girls basketball Final 4 for a third straight season.
The Tigers advanced to the state title game last year, but fell to Brihanna Crittendon and Riverdale Ridge. With the Ravens now in 6A, the Tigers are determined to reclaim their spot atop the 4A basketball ranks.
“We can’t take this for granted,” Tigers junior Enyiah Contreraz said. “Last year we lost that state championship and it hurt. We want to get back this year and just not take anything for granted.”
Two years ago, Holy Family beat D’Evelyn 49-44 to claim their seventh state title in school history. Last year’s loss to Riverdale Ridge was the first time that the program had reached the title game and not come away with a title.
But Wednesday’s Great 8 game, the kickoff to the final weekend of hoops at the Denver Coliseum, was a clear reflection of their mindset for the next few days.
Alexcia Oaxaca scored a team-high 12 points while Contreraz had 11 and Alyssa Quintana had 10. There was no one player standing out and powering this effort. The Tigers play a team game and have a team goal on their mind.
“We all wanted this together, not just as one person,” Contreraz said. “We struggled last year with passing the ball a lot, but we feel like we’re going far with how we play now.”
The Mean Moose kept the game close in the first half, heading into the locker room at halftime down just four points. Morgan Ortega scored a game-high 13 points and was 3-for-4 from 3-point range.
The Mean Moose finished 19-7 this season and advanced to the Great 8 for the first time since getting to the 3A Great 8 in 2019.
