Greeley – Alison Cheney is not a favorite of the opposition, no matter what the setting.
Cheney, recently graduated from Platte Valley, is feisty, incessant and tough. She will chase down every loose ball, battle for rebounds and score from any angle. And she will play at top speed even in games that are supposed to be fun – like the girls basketball all- state game presented by the Colorado High School Activities Association, featuring some of the top seniors from every corner of the state.
The Blue team, led by Cheney’s 20 points, beat the White 87-60 in the championship game Saturday at the University of Northern Colorado’s Campus Recreation Center, and Cheney was everywhere.
“I just have a passion to play basketball, no matter what game it is. I want to play in the big time some day down the line,” said Cheney, who will play for Western Nebraska Community College next season.
The Blue, a team made up of all guards and no true post player, took a double-figure lead in the first half and rolled.
Durango’s Megan Cherry, one of the top scorers in the state last season, scored 16 points. Justine Sandersfeld of Limon, winner of three straight Class 3A state titles, finished with 15 points. Greeley West’s Sara Hemmings and Ouray’s Jeremey Rose Fagrelius each added 12 for the Blue.
“I don’t know how we worked so well together. I guess we just got lucky,” Cherry said.
Brecca Gaffney of Northridge led the White with 12 points, while Colorado State-bound Raysha Ritter of Grand Junction scored 10.
Gaffney enjoyed the games and the weekend more than the final outcome.
“It was so much fun. My team was great, but I’m not too happy about the score,” said Gaffney, who will play for the Colorado School of Mines.
Cheney said she had fun, too, but anyone guarding her or being guarded by her might not have said the same thing.
At one point, after Cheney played some especially scrappy defense on Centauri’s Amanda Gylling, the referee stopped play for a foul off the ball and Gylling gave Cheney “the look” and a little elbow to go with it.
Later, with her team up by its biggest margin – 27 points – and less than a minute to play, Cheney jumped into a crowd of bodies battling for a loose ball. She came up with it.
“This team really clicked after only two practices. We almost scored 100 (points) in the first game and we almost got there again in this one,” Cheney said.
In the third-place game, Longmont’s Lindsey Moller hit a game-winning jumper with three seconds left to get the Black team past the Red 73-72.
CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
BLUE 87, WHITE 60
Blue 23 20 21 23 – 87
White 15 19 14 12 – 60
Blue – Megan Cherry (Durango) 8 0-1 16, Sara Hemmings (Greeley West) 6 0-0 12, Alison Cheney (Platte Valley) 5 8-9 20, Justine Sandersfeld (Limon) 3 9-10 15, Kathleen Majewski (Mullen) 3 2-4 9, Ashley Burke (Hotchkiss) 2 1-2 3, Jeremy Rose Fagrelius (Ouray) 5 2-4 12, Sarah Manuel (Rye) 0 0-0 0. Totals 32 22-30 87.
White – Brecca Gaffney (Northridge) 5 2-4 12, Liza Kelley (Pagosa Springs) 1 0-0 2, Mari Katherine Raftopulous (Moffat County) 4 1-3 9, Elizabeth Fetzer (Haxtun) 2 1-1 5, Amanda Gylling (Centauri) 0 2-2 2, Khrystynn Benavides (Del Norte) 2 1-2 6, Janette McCarroll (Centauri) 2 2-2 6, Raysha Ritter (Grand Junction) 4 2-3 10, Kaitlin Soehner (Idalia) 2 0-0 5, Danielle Spor (Norwood) 1 1-2 3, Melinda Johnson (Grand Valley) 0 0-0 0. Totals 23 12-19 60.
3-point goals – Cheney 2, Majewski; Benavides, Soehner. Total fouls – Blue 14; White 21. Fouled out – Majewski; Gaffney. Technicals – None.
THIRD-PLACE GAME
BLACK 73, RED 72
Black 14 14 23 22 – 73
Red 24 15 15 18 – 72
Black – Tiffany Gordon (Widefield) 5 2-5 12, Chelsea Williamson (Boulder) 2 0-0 5, Holly Valdez (CSCS) 2 0-0 4, Kami Dahlberg (Peyton) 2 0-0 5, Aubree Alley (Walsh) 2 0-0 6, Kristine Lewis (Kim) 4 0-0 10, Lindsey Moller (Longmont) 4 0-0 8, Rae Bean (Bear Creek) 4 1-1 9, Jacquelyn Stewart-Velez (Strasburg) 2 2-2 6, Chelsea Lyles (Harrison) 4 0-0 8. Totals 31 5-8 73.
Red – Sarah Duggan (Pawnee) 1 1-2 3, Joni Horning (Stratton) 1 4-4 6, Angela Orozco (Eaglecrest) 7 2-4 16, Jessi Glazier (Wiggins) 1 1-2 3, Katie Mackey (Eaton) 9 2-4 22, Kia Kassman (Holyoke) 3 3-6 10, Emily Schenck (Holly) 2 0-0 4, Taija Shelton-Bennett (Eaglecrest) 4 0-0 8. Totals 28 13-22 – 72.
3-point goals – Alley 2, Lewis 2, Williamson, Dahlberg; Mackey 2, Kassman. Total fouls – Black 17; Red 11. Fouled out – None. Technicals – None.
