With the Burlington girls basketball team focused on shutting down Denver Christian’s twin towers, Lauren Baity made herself at home in the paint.
Baity displayed impressive post moves Saturday as Denver Christian eased into the Class 3A state quarterfinals, dominating Burlington 66-44 to win the Crusaders’ regional.
Baity scored 19 points and shot 9-of-12 from the field. The 5-foot-8 junior forward provided the power as the Crusaders controlled the boards and disrupted Burlington’s offense. The Cougars shot only 30 percent from the field.
“Oh, absolutely, they shut us down offensively,” Burlington coach Mike Warren said. “There’s no getting around it.”
The Cougars (13-11) contained Denver Christian’s two 6-foot starters, holding senior Kiley Gill and junior Chelsea LeFebre to a combined 13 points. But the Crusaders (23-1) consistently made crisp passes and hit open shots, and often found themselves with second and third looks at the basket when they missed.
“We weren’t as prepared as I would have liked to be for the gimmick defense” that targeted Gill and LeFebre, Denver Christian coach Becky Mudd said. “But our other kids stepped up huge and helped us win.” The Crusaders not only shot an impressive 47 percent from the field, they managed nearly 50 percent more shots than the Cougars.
Junior guard Mimi Swiatkowski helped the Cougars stay close early, accounting for Burlington’s first six points. But Denver Christian’s Caitlin Matthies hit a 3-pointer late in the first quarter that gave her team a 21-8 lead. The rout was on.
Aleja Cuellar led Burlington with 14 points. But the Cougars’ shooters couldn’t find any rhythm from the outside, finishing just 3-for-13 on 3-point attempts.
“We were definitely cold in the first half, and that’s not typical for us,” Warren said. “We typically are an outside, perimeter team.”
Burlington 8 11 8 17 – 44
Denver Christian 21 15 14 16 – 66
Burlington – Duell 0 0-0 0, Swiatkowski 2 5-6 9, Sullivan 0 0-0 0, Hudler 0 0-0 0, Cuellar 5 4-6 14, Anderson 3 0-0 7, Warren 4 3-4 13, Witzel 0 0-0 0, David 0 1-2 1, Stolz 0 0-0 0. Totals 14 13-18 44.
Denver Christian – Gill 3 0-0 7, Van Deren 4 0-0 8, Landhuis 2 1-2 5, Conner 0 0-0 0, Lai. Baity 3 1-1 7, McManus 1 0-0 2, Lau. Baity 9 1-2 19, Matthies 5 0-0 12, LeFebre 3 0-0 6, Van Denend 0 0-0 0, Rosendale 0 0-0 0. Totals 30 3-5 66.
3-point goals – Warren 2, Anderson; Matthies 2, Gill. Total fouls – Burlington 6, Denver Christian 14. Fouled out – None. Technicals – None.
