A little heat was welcome during this wicked winter, even if it was the type of warmth generated by sparks flying between rival basketball teams.
Cherry Creek and Mullen, schools that are not on speaking terms, battled on the court for the second time this season. And the Mustangs again were victorious, this time with a more convincing 59-42 final score in a cross-classification Centennial League girls basketball game Friday night at Mullen.
“It’s always a grudge match like this,” Mullen senior Jenna Erdle said. “We beat them by one point at the buzzer at their house last time. It’s always crazy when we play, and it’s nice to come away with another win.”
Erdle hit three 3-pointers in the first half and finished with 15 points, and sophomore Laura Palmere scored a team-high 16 before fouling out. Jamie Maynard went 6-for-7 from the free-throw line on the way to 11 points as the Mustangs made 19-of-23 attempts from the stripe.
It’s been a bit of a mysterious season for Mullen (12-7 overall, 8-2 league), No. 7 in The Denver Post/9News Class 4A rankings.
The defending state champion Mustangs started the season 3-5 with a tough out-of-state schedule and then won seven in a row, including that 50-49 decision against then-undefeated Cherry Creek. But then they lost back-to-back games against Overland and Fairview, teams with a combined record that hovers at .500.
Things seem back on track with four regular-season games remaining and Mullen in line for a league title.
“I think we just lost our focus for a bit. We came out with some really high-scoring wins and then we beat Creek. I think we got big heads,” Erdle said.
If it weren’t for Mullen, Cherry Creek would be perfect this season.
The Bruins, No. 4 in 5A, are 16-2 overall and 8-2 in league. Nine- and seven-game winning streaks have been interrupted by their biggest rival.
Cherry Creek 13 5 16 8 – 42
Mullen 14 12 16 17 – 59
Cherry Creek – Haddock 1 0-0 2, Andersen 3 2-5 10, Scholbe 6 1-2 17, Brown 1 0-0 2, Morton 1 0-0 2, Roberson 2 3-5 7, Rattiner 0 0-0 0, Hooten 0 0-0 0, Lozow 0 0-0 0, Miller 1 0-0 2. Totals 15 6-12 42.
Mullen – Palmere 5 6-8 16, Thompson 2 3-4 7, Maynard 2 6-7 11, Watson 1 0-0 2, Erdle 5 2-2 15, Kormondy 2 0-0 4, O’Callaghan 1 2-2 4, Huggins 0 0-0 0, Heringer 0 0-0 0, Hess 0 0-0 0, Crump 0 0-0 0. Totals 13 19-23 59.
3-pt. goals – Scholbe 4, Andersen 2; Erdle 3, Maynard. Total fouls – Cherry Creek 21; Mullen 16. Fouled out – Palmere.
