Littleton – Highlands Ranch point guard Jaclyn Thoman has played in a lot of big basketball games.
But nearly every game is a big game when you are the defending Class 5A state champion, as Highlands Ranch is, and Thoman treats them as such. She also holds a grudge.
The Boston College-bound senior put the Falcons on the fast track from the opening tip and controlled Heritage for a 60-45 victory in a Continental League game Friday night in the Eagles’ gym. It was sweet revenge for Thoman and her teammates after losing to Heritage last season.
“We came into this game looking at last year. We could not hit a shot against them,” said Thoman, who scored all but three of the Falcons’ 17 first-quarter points. “It was pretty much just payback for last year.”
Thoman finished with a well-rounded stat line: 19 points, six assists, six rebounds and four steals.
Hers wasn’t the only standout performance, as Melisa Ryba scored 13 points and grabbed eight rebounds and Jade Davis added 10 points.
The Falcons (12-2 overall, 3-0 league), No. 2 in The Denver Post/9News poll, also ripped off Heritage (5-7, 0-2) for more than a dozen steals and led by as many as 23 points.
Thoman, as she has been for four years at Highlands Ranch, was the catalyst. She scored 14 consecutive points in the opening quarter, mostly off the fast break, before dishing out three assists in the second quarter.
The Falcons blew open the game before halftime behind Ryba’s nine-point second quarter, and the defending champions cruised to the finish line from there.
With three 6-footers in the starting lineup – Andrea Swanson (6-2), Ann Dylla (6-0) and Kari Pfannenstein (6-0) – the Eagles had a noticeable height advantage. But the Falcons’ speed trumped Heritage’s size this time.
Pfannenstein led the Eagles with 13 points.
Highlands Ranch 17 22 12 9 – 60
Heritage 8 12 11 14 – 45
Highlands Ranch – Fressle 2 4-4 8, Tsukamaki 1 0-0 3, Thoman 8 3-4 19, Ryba 6 1-2 13, Davis 4 2-3 10, Breidel 3 0-0 6, Burke 0 1-2 1, Floyd 0 0-0 0, Fulps 0 0-0 0, Seifert 0 0-0 0, Hawkins 0 0-0 0. Totals 24 11-15 60.
Heritage – Brennan 1 0-0 3, Dylla 0 2-2 2, Swanson 4 0-1 8, Semin 0 0-0 0, Pfannenstein 5 2-3 13, Stirling 1 0-0 3, Brickley 3 0-0 7, Musgrave 3 1-2 7, Little 0 2-2 2. Totals 17 7-10 45.
3-point goals – Tsukamaki; Brennan, Pfannenstein, Stirling, Brickley. Totals fouls – Highlands Ranch 15; Heritage 11. Fouled out – Fressle. Technicals – None.
