Given the opportunity, all 16 of the coaches with teams left in the Class 5A girls basketball state tournament will trot out the old “one game at a time” line when asked about their chances of winning the 2006 championship.
Every team still playing, they say, is a threat, and at least half of them could win it all. There is no Abby Waner-led ThunderRidge or Ann Strother-led Highlands Ranch looming large and unbeatable over the rest of the field. So we have to take it “one game at a time,” they say.
As usual, the coaches are right.
“Highlands Ranch, ThunderRidge, Horizon – those names are still popping up,” Air Academy coach Ivan Chambers said. “But every team in the state, with the exception of Doherty (23-1) and Grand Junction (19-2), has three or more losses. In the past, you would think about getting so far before running into Highlands Ranch and then you didn’t see yourself going any farther. But now, any team is beatable on any given night.”
Air Academy (21-3) will meet Durango (20-3) and 5A leading scorer Megan Cherry when Sweet 16 play begins today at Alameda and Manual’s Thunderdome.
Many teams like their chances of playing in the March 10 title game at the Coors Events Center in Boulder. But the championship trophy has not left the community of Highlands Ranch in six years, and getting it out of there will not be easy. ThunderRidge (19-3) is the three-time defending champion, and senior Jayna Hartig is finding her comfort zone as the leader of a talented group that includes shooter Hannah Breidel, inside force Kelly Hartig and a core of rapidly improving underclassmen.
The Grizzlies will play Palmer (16-9), and Grand Junction, with star post player Raysha Ritter, will face Eaglecrest (13-10) in the bracket’s Carol Callan Region.
On that side of the bracket in the Sharon Wilch Region, 2005 runner-up Horizon (19-4) will take on Dakota Ridge (17-7) and Heritage (18-6) will try to beat Arapahoe (18-6) for the second time in two weeks.
Horizon is as dangerous as any team still standing. Hannah Tuomi, the state’s leading rebounder the past two seasons, has become more of a scoring threat, while 6-foot-2 Cara Lambert and senior guard Sasha Crosby create a potent inside-outside combination.
Heritage also could contend. Kelsie Gourdin can take over a game, Andrea Swanson has established herself in the post and Britney Haugen, Caitlin Jackson and Beckett Brennan can score in double figures.
On the other side of the bracket is Highlands Ranch (20-3), which won the three titles before ThunderRidge went on its run. Guard Jaclyn Thoman is one of the most potent scorers in 5A, Ali Thorderson can shoot and rebound, and athletic sophomore Alyssa Fressle has grown into a major threat. Highlands Ranch will play Fort Collins (14-10), an up-and-down team this season that could be waiting to strike.
“Fort Collins is dangerous, really concerning, mostly because they are so physical,” Highlands Ranch coach Caryn Jarocki said.
Doherty, with 5A’s best record, will play Cherry Creek (14-10) and Rocky Mountain (20-3), a top-ranked team all season that appears to have regained its footing after a late stumble, will meet Boulder (15-8).
