Lakewood – Highlands Ranch’s bid to return to the top of Class 5A girls basketball will be taken in appropriate segments.
The Falcons, one of the state tournament’s four No. 1 seeds, refuse to get caught napping.
They were thorough Thursday in dispatching Fort Collins 69-37 at Alameda’s Pirate Pit in the 5A Sweet 16. Next up: Air Academy on Saturday at the Denver Coliseum in the Great 8.
Highlands Ranch is eager for the next round – but not too eager.
“Our next game is against Air Academy and that’s the one we’re focused on,” Falcons junior guard Jaclyn Thoman said. “It’s one game at a time for us.”
State champion from 1999-2002, Highlands Ranch (21-3) raced to a 9-0 lead and left the Lambkins (14-11) in its dust.
Thoman missed her first two shots badly, including a layup attempt that hit the bottom of the backboard, so she said she decided it may be a good idea to involve her teammates. It worked. She dealt nine assists, grabbed eight rebounds and frequently led a Falcons’ break that got to the basket. She added seven points.
Ali Thorderson (20 points), Jade Davis (13) and Melisa Ryba and Abby Thorderson (10 each) led a thorough Highlands Ranch effort.
Dana Iverson led Fort Collins with 10 points.
Fort Collins 4 8 12 13 – 37
Highlands Ranch 17 14 18 20 – 69
Fort Collins – Hall 3 2-3 8, Bailey 1 0-0 2, Minchow 3 1-2 7, Orton 0 1-4 1, Iverson 4 1-1 10, Cochran 2 0-0 6, Demrow 0 0-0 0, Foster 0 0-0 0, Ackley 1 0-0 2, Ringenberg 0 1-2 1, Bello 0 0-2 0, Girardi 0 0-0 0. Totals 14 6-14 37.
Highlands Ranch – Fressle 2 0-1 4, Thoman 3 1-1 7, Al. Thorderson 7 4-5 20, Ryna 5 0-0 10, Davis 5 2-2 13, Ab. Thorderson 4 1-2 10, Glen 2 0-0 4, Tsukamaki 0 1-2 1, Burke 0 0-0 0, Fulps 0 0-0 0, Floyd 0 0-0 0. Totals 28 9-13 69.
3-pt. goals – Cochran 2, Iverson; Al. Thorderson 2, Davis, Ab. Thorderson. Total fouls – Fort Collins 13, Highlands Ranch 16. Fouled out – Fressle. Technicals – None.
AIR ACADEMY 55, DURANGO 52: Never mind that the Kadets probably missed every conceivable type of shot at least once against the Demons.
They kept coming.
“That was it,” coach Ivan Chambers said. “That’s what we talked about after three quarters. If we make shots, we’re up by 20. Tonight, we couldn’t throw it in the ocean. But we persevered.”
And how. The Kadets could have been turning in their uniforms today. Instead, they rallied from an 11-point deficit in the third quarter, a 10-point difference in the fourth and now prepare for Highlands Ranch.
Air Academy scrapped throughout, then finally started to make shots. Two big free throws by Halley Hollenga with 39 seconds to play gave the Kadets (22-3) a 52-49 lead. A late free throw by Kaeleigh Helsham sealed it.
Hollenga’s 12 points paced Air Academy, which finished 14-of-59 from the floor.
Megan Cherry paced the Demons (20-4) with 19 points, but she missed a key free throw with nine seconds remaining that would have tied the game.
Durango 6 16 16 14 – 52
Air Academy 10 8 14 23 – 55
Durango – Penning 1 3-6 5, Sieber 0 5-6 5, Cherry 5 9-10 19, Crowell 2 0-0 4, Garcia 3 5-7 11, Cushing 1 0-0 2, Keresey 1 0-0 2, Haidaris 0 1-2 1, Montoya 1 0-0 3. Totals 14 23-31 52.
Air Academy – Helsham 3 4-6 10, Maloney 2 0-0 5, H. Hollenga 3 6-9 12, Sherman 0 3-6 3, R. Smidt 2 5-6 9, Scott 1 4-5 6, L. Smidt 3 3-4 10, Kent 0 0-0 0, Beal 0 0-0 0, M. Hollenga 0 0-0 0. Totals 14 25-36 55.
3-pt. goals – Montoya; Maloney, L. Smidt. Total fouls – Durango 25, Air Academy 21. Fouled out – Maloney. Technicals – None.
DOHERTY 52, CHERRY CREEK 34: It went hot and cold, as in hot for the Spartans and cold for the Bruins.
Doherty, which won its 16th consecutive game and will meet Rocky Mountain on Friday in the Great 8, made 11 of its first 14 shots in running to a 26-10 lead midway through the second quarter.
“We have some good shooters and they just came out and made shots,” said Doherty senior Emily Stockman, who made her first five.
The Spartans (24-1) kind of coasted the rest of the way, even looked a little flat at times, but coach Stephanie Leasure attributed most of it to “Cherry Creek switching defenses and playing hard.”
Stockman led Doherty with 16 points and Allison Rosel added 12. The Spartans also had early success getting the ball inside.
As for the Bruins (14-11), who reached double figures in scoring in only the fourth quarter, it went the other way. They made just 16-of-47 shots, took more than four minutes to score their first basket and suffered through the indignity of attempting zero free throws, a definite oddity in tournament play.
Kelley Andersen paced the Bruins with nine points.
Cherry Creek 8 6 9 11 – 34
Doherty 19 16 9 8 – 52
Cherry Creek – Holliday 2 0-0 5, Scholbe 3 0-0 6, Andersen 4 0-0 9, Senn 2 0-0 4, Walters 2 0-0 4, Johnson 2 0-0 4, Miller 0 0-0 0, Kennedy 0 0-0 0, Morton 1 0-0 2, Cummiskey 0 0-0 0. Totals 16 0-0 34.
Doherty – Stockman 7 2-2 16, Deas 3 0-0 8, Hill 1 1-2 4, Bowers 0 1-2 1, Rosel 6 0-1 12, Weldon 1 0-0 3, Crockett 0 0-0 0, Rossoll 2 0-0 6, Phillips 0 0-0 0, Thomas 0 0-0 0, Brennan 1 0-0 2. Totals 21 4-7 52.
3-pt. goals – Andersen, Holliday; Deas 2, Rossoll 2, Hill, Weldon. Total fouls – Cherry Creek 13, Doherty 6. Fouled out – None. Technical – Senn.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN 76, BOULDER 48: Do not be fooled by the final score – it was a game through three quarters.
However, the Lobos (21-3) erupted for 31 points over the final eight minutes, most on layups through transition, to run past the Panthers.
Stephanie Hejde’s 19 points paced three others in double figures for Rocky Mountain. Ari Curtis (17 points), who was 7-of-7 shooting, and Alana Curtis and Jocelyn Zarling (12 each) headed the late wave.
For Boulder, Zoe Pericak and Chelsea Williamson each scored 14 points.
Boulder 13 12 14 9 – 48
Rocky Mountain 15 11 19 31 – 76
Boulder – Williamson 3 5-6 14, Metoyer 5 2-4 13, Pericak 6 2-4 14, Hartman 2 1-2 5, Rojas 1 0-0 2, Salance 0 0-2 0, Smith 0 0-0 0, Soell 0 0-0 0, Pagratis 0 0-0 0, Luce 0 0-0 0, White 0 0-0 0. Totals 17 10-18 48.
Rocky Mountain – Hejde 8 3-5 19, Al. Curtis 6 0-0 12, Chevron 1 1-2 3, Ar. Curtis 7 2-4 17, Glisan 1 0-0 2, Gleiforst 1 0-0 3, Zarling 4 1-1 12, Schmitz 0 0-0 0, Cawrsc 0 0-0 0, Connolly 1 0-0 2, Peters 1 0-0 2, Johnson 1 2-2 4. Totals 31 9-14 76.
3-pt. goals – Williamson 3, Metoyer; Zarling 3, Ar. Curtis, Gleiforst. Total fouls – Boulder 15, Rocky Mountain 14. Fouled out – None. Technicals – None.
