Nothing seemed to be working for Heritage on Thursday, and after scoring just three points in the second quarter against Arapahoe, the end of the season looked like it was closing in.
And then the improbable happened, as the Eagles started to pour in the points while erasing a 14-point, fourth-quarter deficit. With momentum on its side, Heritage drained free throw after free throw down the stretch for a 68-59 overtime victory over the Warriors in the Class 5A girls round of 16 at Manual’s Thunderdome.
“We knew this would be our last game if we lost. It would have ended our season, and we didn’t want that,” said Heritage senior Kelsie Gourdin, who had an outstanding game with 21 points and 20 rebounds.
Beckett Brennan capped the comeback with one of her five 3-pointers in the second half to tie the score at 47 with less than a minute in regulation. Both teams scored once more, and then it was all Heritage (19-6) in the extra frame.
Brennan finished with 18 points and Caitlin Jackson went 10-for-13 from the free throw line for 14 points.
Arapahoe (18-7) lost Kate Denning and Amy Barczuk to fouls for the overtime period, and Allie Hastings fouled out soon after. Diana Hentschel scored a team-high 15 points, Denning had 14 and Meaghan Kenna finished with 11 rebounds.
Arapahoe 16 8 16 9 10 – 59
Heritage 10 3 13 23 19 – 68
Arapahoe – Hastings 2 0-3 4, Ke. Denning 2 2-4 7, A. Barczuk 1 3-4 5, Hentschel 6 1-2 15, Ka. Denning 6 1-2 14, Hancock 0 0-0 0, S. Barczuk 3 0-1 8, Kenna 1 0-0 2, Durkin 1 2-2 4. Totals 22 9-18 59.
Heritage – Haugen 2 2-2 7, Jackson 2 10-13 14, Brennan 6 1-4 18, Swanson 1 2- 4 4, Gourdin 4 13-17 21, Dylla 2 0-0 4, Pfannenstein 0 0-0 0, Semin 0 0-0 0. Totals 17 28-40 68.
3-pt. goals – Hentschel 2, S. Barczuk, Ke. Denning, Ka. Denning; Brennan 5, Haugen. Total fouls – Arapahoe 33; Heritage 17. Fouled out – Hastings, A. Barczuk, Ka. Denning; Gourdin. Technicals – None.
HORIZON 77, DAKOTA RIDGE 66: Horizon’s Hannah Tuomi is too humble to claim her 35-point, 23-rebound effort against Dakota Ridge in the Sweet 16 was any kind of personal statement.
Instead, the junior just said she was happy her team would live to play another game.
Horizon held off a late surge from Dakota Ridge for a victory on Thursday night at Manual’s Thunderdome, and Tuomi seemed to be everywhere.
The state’s leading rebounder the past two seasons, Tuomi pulled down nine offensive boards, went 8-for-9 from the free-throw line and hit a 3-pointer for added measure.
“I just wanted to win,” Tuomi said.
“We knew we had to come out with a lot of intensity, and then it was just had to keep our composure and stay in control.”
Nikki Trujillo scored 14 points. Cara Lambert added 10.
Horizon (20-4), the state runner-up a year ago, will face Heritage in the quarterfinals next weekend.
Dakota Ridge (17-8) fell behind early, but back-to-back layups by Brooke Pendergraft cut Horizon’s lead to 72-66 with less than 2 minutes left to play. The Hawks, however, hit their free throws and drained the final minutes off the clock.
Lindsi Holm led the Eagles with 16 points, Jenna Santistevan had 13 and Tiffany Tripp, Pendergraft and Lauren Holm all finished with 11.
Dakota Ridge 6 16 25 19 – 66
Horizon 15 18 25 19 – 77
Dakota Ridge – Santistevan 6 1-2 13, Branting 1 0-0 2, Tripp 5 0-0 11, Pendergraft 5 0-0 11, Li. Holm 6 2-6 16, La. Holm 3 5-8 11, Noel 1 0-0 2, Baal 0 0-0 0. Totals 27 8-16 66.
Horizon – Stephenson 0 2-4 2, Medina 1 6-7 8, Trujillo 6 0-2 14, Crosby 1 0-0 3, Tuomi 13 8-9 35, Lambert 4 2-2 10, Shotts 1 0-0 3, Herz 1 0-0 2, Neises 0 0-0 0, Barringer 0 0-0 0. Totals 27 18-24 77.
3-pt. goals – Li. Holm, Tripp, Pendergraft; Trujillo 2, Crosby, Tuomi, Shotts. Total fouls – Dakota Ridge 13; Horizon 17. Fouled out – Pendergraft. Technicals – None.
