Aurora – Jenna Santistevan certainly knows how to recognize and use Newton’s second law of motion – force equals mass times acceleration – but it took awhile for her and her Dakota Ridge teammates to apply that formula to the basketball game in which they were playing.
With the toughest day of finals waiting for them this morning, the Eagles played with brains of mush but still managed to turn away Grandview in the second half for a 67-55 Class 5A nonleague girls basketball victory Tuesday night at the Wolves’ gym.
“We are all pretty nervous about the finals, so that was part of the way we played,” said Santistevan, who will tackle physics and algebra II finals today. “Those tests are always in the back of your mind and you want to push it to the back and play a good game. But I’m going home to study.”
Plus, it was a cold night, even in the gym – the district is on break and so is its heat.
Santistevan was one of four Eagles to score in double figures, and she finished with a game-high 18 points and 14 rebounds to push Dakota Ridge’s record to 6-1. Jennelle Branting and Brooke Pendergraft scored 12 points apiece, and Lindsi Holm heated up in the second half for 14.
For Grandview (3-5), Tiffany Woo, Nadyne Dolan and Kim Lockridge each scored 11 points, and Dolan pulled down nine rebounds. The Wolves didn’t have to worry about finals as Grandview is already on break, but they did have to worry about slowing down the bigger bodies on the court.
Dakota Ridge, with its size advantage, took a 14-11 lead after one quarter and stayed out front until the final seconds of the half. That’s when Lockridge, a freshman, made a basket after being surprised by a rebound that dropped right into her hands. Lockridge’s layup put Grandview ahead 28-27 going into the half, but the Eagles put their heads in the right place for the second half.
Joanna Noel started the third quarter by backing into the paint for a layup, Branting sank a jumper and Dakota Ridge was off on a 10-2 run.
“I don’t think we took care of the ball very well in the second half, so, ultimately, turnovers cost us the game,” said Woo, who scored 10 of her 11 points in the second half.
Dakota Ridge 14 13 20 20 – 67
Grandview 11 17 11 16 – 55
Dakota Ridge – Shepler 0 0-0 0, Santistevan 8 2-2 18, Branting 5 1-4 12, Callaway 2 0-0 4, Pendergraft 6 0-0 12, Holm 5 2-2 14, Baal 0 0-0 0, Noel 3 1-2 7. Totals 29 6-10 67.
Grandview – Woo 5 1-2 11, Enget 4 0-0 8, Herrell 2 0-0 4, Dolan 5 1-2 11, Williams 0 2-4 2, M. Freije 0 0-0 0, Greer 1 0-0 2, A. Freije 1 0-0 3, Kopel 1 0-0 3, Lockridge 4 3-4 11. Totals 23 7-12 55.
3-point goals – Holm 2, Branting; A. Freije, Kopel. Total fouls – Dakota Ridge 12, Grandview 12. Fouled out – None. Technicals – None.
