With the regular season winding down, Mullen’s girls basketball team answered a lot of questions in a 58-44 victory over visiting Fairview on Wednesday night, clinching the Centennial League.
Facing a full-court press? Let Molly Wilhelm break it. Need some rebounds with 6-foot-2 Bianca Holley out with an injury? Meghan Hurley will pull them down. What about points? There’s Carrie Wagner behind the 3-point line ready to shoot.
What about the looming playoffs?
“We are on an upward slope right now,” Wagner said.
Mullen (19-2, 13-0), ranked third in The Denver Post/9News Class 4A poll, has one regular-season game left to stay perfect in what amounts to a 5A league.
Wagner triggered an early burst for the Mustangs with four 3-pointers to finish with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Hurley outrebounded the Knights by herself in the first half, finishing with 13 rebounds and 14 points. Meanwhile, Wilhelm kept her grip on the ball in the face of Fairview’s first-half press.
“Molly is an amazing ball-handler,” Hurley said. “She is underrated because she doesn’t score a lot of points, but she won’t turn it over, either.”
Fairview (10-11, 5-8) fell into an early hole with cold shooting but was able to cut the lead to 12 early in the fourth quarter. Jordan Puckett led the Knights with 11 points, and Anne Litsey had a team-high eight rebounds.
“We didn’t come out as mentally prepared as we should have,” Litsey said. “But this team never gives up. … Our record could be better, but the playoffs are a new season.”
The Mustangs started the game with a 12-0 run and stretched that to 16-2 before Fairview hit its first field goal. The game looked like a blowout when Mullen went up 30-11 in the second quarter, but Fairview kept it respectable by going into the half down 33-20.
Mullen started to stretch its lead again when Kathleen Majewski stole the ball and went the distance for a layup, and the lead reached 20 when Wilhelm completed a three-point play.
A basket by Fairview senior Emily Vinson early in the fourth quarter cut the lead to 48-36, as close as Fairview would get.
Fairview 7 13 12 12 – 44
Mullen 19 14 15 10 – 58
Fairview – Cabral 2 4-6 8, Puckett 3 4-7 11, Oviatt 1 4-4 6, Bailey 0 0-0 0, Litsey 1 0-0 2, Pitkin 0 0-0 0, Fuhrman 0 2-4 2, Ellison 1 2-2 4, Henritze-Hoye 2 1-2 6, Vinson 1 0-2 2, Watkins 1 1-2 3. Totals 12 18-29 44.
Mullen – Wilhelm 2 3-3 7, Erdle 2 0-0 4, Hurley 6 2-4 14, Wagner 6 2-5 18, Majewski 2 3-4 8, Webb 1 0-0 2, Maynard 2 0-1 4, Halliburton 0 1-3 1, Palmere 0 0-1 0, Kormondy 0 0-4 0, O’Callaghan 0 0-0 0, Crnkovich 0 0-0 0, Crump 0 0-0 0. Totals 21 11-25 58.
3-point goals – Puckett, Henritze-Hoye; Wagner 4, Majewski. Total fouls – Fairview 22; Mullen 24. Fouled out – Webb. Technicals – None.
