Greenwood Village – Rarely has the home court been so hazardous for the Cherry Creek girls basketball team.
One game after a big victory over Dakota Ridge and one game before a showdown against Mullen, the only team to beat the Bruins this season, Centennial League rival Overland came calling Wednesday night.
Cherry Creek turned a close game into a blowout, only to watch the Trailblazers rally in the final minutes. But in the end, Cherry Creek slowed the pace and steadied the ship for a 62-50 victory.
“Overland had its runs, but we had our runs, too,” Cherry Creek’s Allison Scholbe said. “We did not play a consistent game, but we didn’t give up. We didn’t get in the flow like we normally do, but we kept at it and got the job done.”
Cherry Creek (15-1, 7-1 league) is No. 4 in The Denver Post/9News Class 5A rankings but trailed 12-10 after the first quarter. The Bruins took the lead with a 9-1 run that was highlighted by Kelley Andersen’s assist to Rachel Roberson in the paint.
Overland (9-6, 3-5) hit a couple of shots, but Scholbe made a 3-pointer to trigger another run, this time an 8-0 advantage for the Bruins.
The Trailblazers played a dismal third quarter, shooting just 2-for-14 from the floor, and found themselves in a 49-32 hole heading into the fourth quarter thanks to a 10-1 run by the Bruins.
Despite appearances, the game was not over.
“We have our ups and downs,” Overland’s Stormye Everett said. “We start to rush and then we turn the ball over. That’s why we’ve lost the games we have, because we start to rush. … If we played consistently at the high level we are capable of, we could beat every team in our league.”
Everett scored a game-high 19 points, with teammate Sharee Goodlow adding 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Both players had pivotal roles as Overland climbed back into the game. Goodlow’s wild shot in the paint made the score 54-48 in favor of Cherry Creek with two minutes remaining, but the Bruins chewed up what was left of the clock and made their free throws to clinch the win.
“We’re not used to that type of tempo. They are an extremely athletic team,” Roberson said.
Andersen led Cherry Creek with 18 points. Scholbe finished with 17 points, 11 rebounds and three steals. Roberson scored 14 points to go with 13 rebounds and two blocked shots.
Overland 12 14 6 18 – 50
Cherry Creek 10 22 17 13 – 62
Overland – Henegan 1 4-6 6, Everett 5 9-11 19, Lekahal 2 1-2 6, Goodlow 6 0-2 12, Marshall 0 0-0 0, Butler 0 0-2 0, Lindsay 1 5-6 7, Khan 0 0-0 0. Totals 15 19-29 50.
Cherry Creek – Miller 2 0-0 5, Andersen 5 8-13 18, Scholbe 6 3-5 17, Lozow 2 0-0 6, Roberson 5 4-5 14, Haddock 1 0-1 2, Morton 0 0-0 0, Brown 0 0-0 0, Rattiner 0 0-0 0, Hooten 0 0-0 0. Totals 21 15-24 62.
3-point goals – Lekahal; Scholbe 2, Lozow 2, Miller. Total fouls – Overland 17, Cherry Creek 19. Fouled out – Goodlow. Technicals – None.
