Highlands Ranch – It arguably is the state’s best rivalry in girls basketball, and once again the showdown between ThunderRidge and Highlands Ranch did not disappoint.
In front of a standing-room- only crowd with plenty of volume, the owners of the past six Class 5A state championships took the game down to the final seconds, when Falcons guard Jaclyn Thoman toed the free- throw line and hit both shots with 2.7 seconds on the clock.
The clutch free throws Tuesday night gave visiting Highlands Ranch a 53-48 Continental League victory, ending ThunderRidge’s five-game win streak against the Falcons that included two state semifinal matchups.
“I usually make my free throws more (often) when I’m under pressure,” said Thoman, who scored 10 of her team’s first 12 points and finished with 31 – including six 3-pointers. “I knew if I made it, the game is over.”
Abby Thorderson scored seven points, Ali Thorderson contributed five and Alyssa Fressle finished with four points and six rebounds for the Falcons. Jayna Hartig led ThunderRidge with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Hannah Breidel added nine points.
Highlands Ranch, 5A’s top- ranked team, improved to 13-1 overall and 4-0 in the league. The Falcons won three consecutive titles from 2000-02. No. 4 ThunderRidge (11-3, 2-2) won the next three from 2003-05.
“I don’t mind losing if we can learn from it,” ThunderRidge coach Bill Bradley said. “I will venture to say that nobody else in the state will play in that environment. That kind of crowd can cause a team to stand up to the challenge.”
Highlands Ranch 14 11 17 11 – 53
ThunderRidge 9 6 18 15 – 48
Highlands Ranch – Fressle 2 0-0 4, Thoman 9 7-8 31, Ab. Thorderson 3 1-2 7, Al. Thorderson 2 0-2 5, Davis 1 0-0 2, Ryba 1 2-3 4, Glen 0 0-0 0.
Totals 18 10-15 53.
ThunderRidge – Evan 2 0-0 4, Luedtke 2 0-1 4, Miller 1 0-0 2, J. Hartig 7 5-7 19, K. Hartig 0 0-0 0, Breidel 3 0-0 9, Messer 0 0-0 0, Amos 1 0-0 2, M. Malcolm-Peck 2 2-3 7, B. Malcolm-Peck 0 1-2 1, Dederick 0 0-0 0. Totals 18 8-13 48.
3-point goals – Thoman 6, Al. Thorderson; Breidel 3, M. Malcolm-Peck. Total fouls – Highlands Ranch 14, ThunderRidge 16. Fouled out – None. Technicals – None.
