Holy Family set to face D’Evelyn in 4A girls basketball championship game

DENVER – An undefeated season and a trip to the Class 4A girls basketball championship seemed to hang in the balance as Macy Sheer’s 3-pointer from the corner bounced on the rim more times than anyone would care for.

By the time the ball trickled through the net, D’Evelyn pushed the lead to five points which turned out to be the difference as the Jaguars beat University 49-44 in the Final 4.

“In coaching we call that a no-no-yes shot,” Jags coach Chris Olson said.

He wasn’t happy about the time and selection of a 3-pointer when his team was up by just two points. When it went it in, control of the game was firmly placed in D’Evelyn’s hands.

“I shot it and just hoped it would go in,” Scheer said. “[I saw it bounce around] and thought ‘Oooh, go in!’ And it just went in.”

Scheer finished the game with 12 points, second to Peyton Marvel’s game-high 22. But four of them came when they were needed the most. That 3-pointer put the Jags (27-0 overall) up five. D’Evelyn got the ball back and Scheer was fouled. All she needed to do was make one and that’s what happened as she hit the second of two.

It was a sigh of relief for the Jags. They were just 5-for-11 from the free throw line in the second half, giving the Bulldogs (24-3) lingering hope late in the game. Scheer had even missed a big one before she knocked down the 3-pointer.

“These kids just like that moment,” Olson said of the 3-pointer. “She didn’t like the moment before.”

But it all came out the way the Jags had hoped. They return to the state championship game for the first time since 2013. They lost back-to-back title games in 2012 and 2013 so program history is certainly in play on Saturday.

“This is their moment,” Olson said. “This is their run and this is their ride.”

For two more days and one very important game, the ride is still open.

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(1) Holy Family 31, (4) Lutheran 20

There’s no need to play four full quarters of basketball as long as a team can play the right three quarters. That’s exactly what top-seeded Holy Family did in its 31-20 win over No. 4 Lutheran in the 4A girls Final 4.

In the quarters that they scored, the Tigers (24-3) averaged over 10 points per quarter. The problem is they only scored in the final three quarters of the game. It was the Lions (23-4) getting out of the first with a lead, albeit a 2-0 lead.

Holy Family missed all 10 of its field goal attempts and both teams just seemed timid from the opening tip.

“For both teams, that was the lowest scoring game we’ve ever had,” Fiona Snashall said. “It was so neck-and-neck that we just felt all the nerves.”

And it was nerves. The Tigers knew in the back of their mind that Lutheran had gotten the better of them earlier in the season. In fact, they might’ve been nervous if anyone had told them ahead of time that they would match the 31-point total that they scored back on Jan. 30.

But the Tigers’ defense this time around was a lot better. Nikki McSpadden was a big reason for that Lutheran win with 12 points.

In the Final 4, she was held scoreless.

After the first quarter, Holy Family held Lutheran to just 18 points for the remainder of the game. The Tigers led 17-15 after the third and padded that lead by outscoring the Lions 14-5 in the fourth.

“It was genuine excitement,” Snashall said. “This was a team we lost to earlier in the season and it was by 12. They had the upper hand, it was on their home court so we knew what we were going up against. They’re a great team.”

And so is D’Evelyn. Now the Tigers turn their attention to the undefeated Jaguars for a what should be a solid state championship game.