Colleen Sullivan scored 31 points Tuesday night as No. 9 Mesa Ridge shrugged off a slow start to eliminate No. 8 Elizabeth in the first round of the girls Class 4A state tournament 79-63.
The Grizzlies (12-12) trailed 20-9 after the first quarter but outscored the Cardinals (16-8) 27-12 in the second.
Sullivan hit three 3-pointers and was 8-for-10 from the free-throw line to help set up a second-round matchup Friday at Golden (20-3), which is seeded No. 1 in the Tracy Hill Region.
Pueblo West pulled a mild upset in the Tracy Hill Region as the 10th-seeded Cyclones defeated No. 7 Skyview 33-24.
All high seeds advanced in the Lou Piel Region, although No. 5 Cherokee Trail (18-5) had a close call in a 44-40 victory over No. 12 Liberty (4-20). The teams were tied 27-27 entering the fourth quarter.
Pueblo South (15-8) defeated a young Mountain Range team 53-21 and advanced to face defending champion and No. 3 seed Mullen (15-8). Mullen, which plays in the 5A Centennial League, has yet to face a 4A team this season.
Sierra (17-5), the region’s top seed, will play No. 8 Greeley Central (15-9) after the Wildcats took care of No. 9 Cheyenne Mountain 51-45.
In the Brenda House Region, No. 9 Thompson Valley upset the status quo with a 50-44 victory over eighth- seeded Falcon. The Eagles’ reward is a trip Friday to play No. 1 Broomfield (22-1), which is undefeated this season against 4A teams. Its only loss was 51-48 to two- time 5A runner-up Horizon on Dec. 8.
Centaurus (17-5), the No. 2 seed in the region, gets No. 7 Mountain View after the Mountain Lions (15-9) routed No. 10 Woodland Park 80-32 behind 22 points from Ashlyn Rhule, who shot 9-for-12 from the floor.
Britney Creamer scored 15 of her game-best 25 points at the free-throw line to lead No. 6 Montrose (15-7) past No. 11 Palisade (11-12) 58-47. The Indians will travel to Alamosa (19-4) to play a Mean Moose team that finished second in the South Central League.
All higher seeds advanced in the Tanya Haave Region, led by No. 7 Thomas Jefferson’s 58-56 victory over No. 10 Longmont. Avyn Vaden scored 21 points and Janette Jackson added 13, despite shooting only 1-for-6 from the free-throw line, to push the Spartans (14-10) into the second round. They play Pueblo Central (17-4) next.
Greeley West cruised past Conifer 77-33 in a matchup of No. 8 and No. 9 seeds. The Spartans (14-10) now will travel to Craig to play the region’s No. 1 seed, Moffat County (21-2), which has a one-point loss to Glenwood Springs as its only in-state blemish this season.
Third-seeded Glenwood Springs (17-4) lurks at the bottom of the region and will play No. 6 Northridge (16-8) after the Grizzlies defeated No. 11 Summit 58-44.
