Brihanna Crittendon said it wasn’t agony watching the fate of her high school career unfold without her on Wednesday night.

The Riverdale Ridge senior — Colorado’s all-time scoring leader — was on the bench in foul trouble when the 13-seed Ravens took control in their 62-51 win over No. 4 Broomfield in the Class 6A Sweet 16.

“Honestly, it wasn’t hard (watching),” Crittendon said. “I was enjoying it even though I was supposed to be in the game. I enjoyed how the girls played without me. I mean, they did exactly what they needed to do when I was off the court. It was special.”

After picking up her fourth foul in the opening minutes of the third quarter, Crittendon was seated as her team turned a one-point lead into a double-digit advantage. Without their phenom, the Ravens closed the third on a 22-8 run to take a 53-39 lead entering the fourth.

Crittendon returned with 4:08 remaining and scored six of her team’s final nine points to seal the win. The University of Texas commit and the Ravens now need three wins at the Denver Coliseum to capture their second state championship.

Crittendon led Riverdale Ridge to its first state title as a sophomore, winning the Class 4A championship in 2024.

Friday’s Class 6A Great 8 games

No. 1 Cherokee Trail vs. No. 9 Legend; No. 2 Arapahoe vs. No. 7 Highlands Ranch; No. 3 Valor Christian vs. No. 6 Denver East; No. 5 Northfield vs. No. 13 Riverdale Ridge.

The biggest surprise in the Sweet 16 was Riverdale Ridge’s win at previously unbeaten Broomfield. Crittendon, who scored 22 points despite sitting out most of the second half with four fouls, was on the bench and thrilled to watch her team turn a one-point lead into a double-digit advantage.

Elsewhere, the top three seeds in the classification advanced. Peyton Jones had 21 points and Kate Fuessel added 20 as No. 3 Valor Christian beat Arvada West 67-63 in overtime.

No. 7 Highlands Ranch had the most lopsided win on Wednesday, beating No. 10 Erie 73-26. Meanwhile, in the No. 8 vs. 9 game, No. 9 Legend outscored No. 8 Columbine 31-9 in the second quarter and won 70-53.

In the Great 8, No. 1 Cherokee Trail and No. 9 Legend will face each other for the third time this season. The Cougars beat the 2025 runner-up twice, including 71-61 in overtime on Jan. 17. Aaliyah Broadus had 27 points in that win.

Friday’s Class 5A Great 8 games

No. 1 Lutheran vs. No. 9 Pueblo East; No. 2 Green Mountain vs. No. 7 Mead; No. 3 Montrose vs. No. 6 Air Academy; No. 4 Windsor vs. No. 5 Standley Lake.

Mead’s Madi Clark crossed 1,000 career points as the seventh-seeded Mavericks closed its Sweet 16 game on an 8-0 run to beat No. 10 Roosevelt 46-44.

The top seven seeds in the bracket advanced. No. 1 Lutheran won by 34. No. 2 Green Mountain won by 32. No. 4 Windsor and No. 5 Standley Lake each won by 20. And No. 3 Montrose won by 14.

The only other close game in the round of 16 was Air Academy’s 58-53 win over No. 11 Thompson Valley.

In the 8 vs. 9 game, No. 9 Pueblo East beat No. 8 Palmer Ridge 57-36. The Eagles, now 22-1, have won 20 in a row since losing to 6A Fruita Monument by three points during the first week of December.

Class 4A regional hosts

SEED TEAM
1 University
2 Timnath
3 Kent Denver
4 Holy Family
5 Sterling
6 D’Evelyn
7 Colorado Academy
8 Alamosa