Highlands Ranch – The only thing that stopped Highlands Ranch standout Jaclyn Thoman from scoring Saturday night was the buzzer.
Thoman’s 22-point first half was only slowed when her final attempt of the second quarter was waved off as time ran out, but the Falcons already had made their statement for the evening. Highlands Ranch cruised to a 106-34 victory in its first in-state game this season, pushing its record to 5-0.
And, just as good teammates do, the Falcons had each other’s back – Jade Davis hit a 3-pointer at the third-quarter buzzer to make up for Thoman’s close call.
“Once we start to hit it, we can’t slow it down,” Davis said.
Thoman, a junior, scored 17 points in the first quarter and sat for much of the second and third quarters to finish with a game-high 33 points. Davis contributed 18 points, sophomore Alyssa Fressle comfortably slid into her starter role to score 17 points, and Ali Thorderson added another 14 points.
Highlands Ranch, ranked No. 1 in The Denver Post/9News Class 5A poll, controlled Hinkley (2-3) from the opening tip.
Fressle, who averaged less than three minutes of varsity playing time as a freshman, hit an early 3-pointer, stole the ball at midcourt and drove to the basket for two more to help open a 17-3 lead. Thoman hit a 3-point shot to open the second quarter, and the score ballooned to 41-9 with four minutes to play in the half.
For Hinkley, Jazmine Murray, Britney Hayes and Ieisha Smith each scored eight points.
But even with its impenetrable lead, Highlands Ranch could not seem to slow down. With a 60-point lead and 5:27 left to play, the Falcons scorched the court with a running offense that had the Thunderbirds flustered.
“We love to play a fast-paced game. That’s where we get most of our points,” Fressle said.
Hinkley 7 9 11 7 – 34
Highlands Ranch 30 23 28 25 – 106
Hinkley – Murray 3 2-2 8, B. Smith 1 1-3 3, Hayes 3 2-4 8, Reed 3 0-0 6 I. Smith 3 2-5 8, Fogle 0 0-0 0, D. Smith 0 1-2 1, Fisher 0 0-0 0. Totals 13 8-16 34.
Highlands Ranch – Fressle 8 0-0 17, Thoman 14 2-2 33, Al. Thorderson 5 3-3 14, Davis 7 2-2 18, Ab. Thorderson 4 1-1 9, Ryba 1 2-2 4, Glen 2 1-2 5, Tsukamaki 0 0-0 0, Burke 3 0-0 6. Totals 44 11-12 106.
3-pt. goals – Thoman 3, Davis 2, Fressle, Al. Thorderson. Total fouls – Hinkley 10; Highlands Ranch 13. Fouled out – None. Technicals – None.
