Windsor girls basketball reaches state title game, set for rematch with Roosevelt

DENVER — It’s safe to say that the Windsor High School girls basketball team is hungry for another shot at a state title.

The Wizards are hoping the third time is the charm after advancing to their third consecutive state championship game with a 65-35 drubbing of Glenwood Springs in the Class 5A Final 4.

The No. 4 Wizards were runners-up in 4A last season, boasting a 26-0 record until they lost to Mullen in the state championship game. They also reached the championship game during the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season, again falling to Mullen.

“They’re very hunger,” Windsor coach Karin Nicholls said. “They’ve dedicated this to somebody in their life, somebody who really matters to them, and I think we’re more connected than we’ve ever been. We’ll take some time to relax for a second, then it’s right back to work on a quick turnaround.”

The No. 8 Demons, fresh off an upset of top-seeded George Washington in the Elite 8, posted a 6-2 lead on back-to-back 3-pointers during their first two possessions. From there, though, it was all Windsor, with the Wizards dominating on the offensive boards and creating turnovers. A first-quarter stretch with six offensive rebounds resulted in eight points and helped push their lead to double digits. Glenwood Springs closed to within five points with a run early in the second quarter, but Windsor responded with a rally of its own to lead 35-22 at half. They put the game away by winning the third quarter 14-2.

“We felt like we could use our depth to do some things on the offensive boards and we were up 15-3 at halftime,” Nicholls said of the advantage on the glass, which saw the Wizards double up their opponents 40-20 in total rebounds. “In the third quarter, usually if we’re up we tend to be a little lazy, and we held them to two points. I’m very proud of my team and their effort there.”

Raegan Johnson and Brooklyn Jiricek had 10 points apiece for Windsor, while Glenwood Springs’ Tory Taylor led all scorers with 13 points.

**

(2) Roosevelt 59, (3) Durango 39

From the first bucket to the final whistle, Roosevelt never trailed Durango en route to a 59-39 victory and a spot in the 5A championship game.

The No. 2 Roughriders held the No. 3 Demons to single digits in the first two quarters, using a suffocating press to elicit not only steals and other Durango errors, but also multiple 10-second calls.

The intensity came, in part, because of what Roosevelt coach Enoch Miller said was a poor shooting performance in their 51-47 win over Air Academy in the Great 8.

“We can’t come out on this court that we’re not used to and rely on our ability to shoot it well,” the coach said. “I mean, we’re capable. When we’re locked in on D, we’re really good and that was our focus tonight.”

Five of Durango’s 11 first-half points came from the free-throw line, where Ellie White went 4-for-4. But from the floor, the Roughriders held the Demons to 3-of-20 shooting with no makes from beyond the arc.

The Demons offense picked up in the second half, shooting 66% from the field, but the turnovers continued with the Roughriders’ press and in-your-face defense.

On offense, Roosevelt led by as many as 28 points, using a balanced, inside-out attack. Five players finished with eight points or more, with Madison Moyers leading with 17 points on 3-of-5 shooting from deep.

The Roughriders will take on No. 4 Windsor on Saturday, with a chance to win the first girls basketball state championship in school history.

“They want it bad,” Miller said. “They’ve been talking about it since the summer. They know what type of talent we have and what we’re capable of. But they also know that Windsor is a really good team and it’s not going to be easy. We’re going to do everything we can over the next 24-to-48 hours to try and get ready. We want it bad, especially against Windsor.”