In 30 seconds, East’s girls basketball team showed why it doesn’t have to wait for someone to hand it the Class 5A Denver Prep League title.
The Angels have the ability to take it on their own.
East turned a big lead into a blowout with a nine-point scoring flurry in the final 30 seconds of the first half and coasted to a 62-38 league victory over George Washington on Saturday at Manual’s Thunderdome.
“That run got us hyped. It let us know we could take control of the game,” East junior Dale Samuels said.
The Angels (12-6 overall, 4-0 league) have four games remaining until their regular-season finale against Montbello, the only other city team with an undefeated league record.
“What helps us is our nonleague schedule,” East coach Dwight Berry said. “That schedule gets us to another level, then we get to our league and they can’t play at that level.”
Samuels, Renee Williams and Carlie Christianson each scored 10 points. Samuels added six rebounds and five steals.
Eleven Angels scored, including Brooke Durant with eight points. Dawn Wattley led the team in rebounds with eight.
“We have a really, really good bench. If Coach wanted to, he could sub us in five at a time,” Christianson said.
George Washington (11-8, 3-1) struggled with its half-court offense. The Patriots made just five of their first 26 shots from the floor before putting up two more points in the fourth quarter (20) than they had scored in the previous three quarters.
Shae Kelley scored a team-high eight points, Ashley Pogue hit two 3-pointers for seven points and DeLawna Miller scored six of her seven points in the fourth quarter.
The Angels took a 16-6 first-quarter lead, but the real statement came in the second quarter when East went on a 20-4 run highlighted by the wild 30 seconds just before halftime.
“We just got after it,” Christianson said. “We worked as a team to trap the ball, and that led to easy, open looks that we finished.”
East 16 20 11 15 – 62
George Washington 6 7 5 20 – 38
East – Durant 3 0-0 8, Williams 4 0-0 10, Christianson 4 2-8 10, McPherson 1 0-0 2, Samuels 3 3-4 10, Wattley 2 2-3 6, Calbart 2 2-2 6, Groce 0 1-2 1, Finnie 3 0-1 6, Jackson 0 0-2 0, Sanders 0 2-2 2, Hayes 0 1-2 1. Totals 22 13-26 62.
George Washington – Cosme-Gonzales 2 0-2 4, Miller 3 1-2 7, Anderson 0 2-2 2, Hayes 1 3-8 5, Pogue 2 1-2 7, Kelley 3 2-8 8, Smith 2 1-2 5, Meadows 0 0-0 0, Caldwell 0 0-2 0, Ayers 0 0-0 0. Totals 13 10-28 38.
3-pt. goals – Durant 2, Williams 2, Samuels; Pogue 2. Total fouls – East 23; George Washington 17. Fouled out – Hayes. Technicals – None.
