Boulder – Harrison coach Tamie Hollon certainly is correct. The Class 4A girls basketball season has been going on for quiet a while, so there shouldn’t be any surprises, Hollon said.
Still, the Panthers’ speed and aggressiveness out of the gate seemed to stun Glenwood Springs, and the Demons never fully recovered as Harrison won 57-41 on Wednesday at the Coors Events Center.
“We aren’t a big team, so we have to be quick,” Harrison senior Alystia Moore said. “Speed and defense, that’s what works for us.”
Colorado Springs’ Harrison (24-3) will play Broomfield on Friday for the school’s first basketball title. Moore scored 16 points and recorded 10 rebounds and six steals while teammate Paige Ricker went 8-of-11 at the free-throw line on the way to 15 points.
Ricker hit a 3-pointer on the game’s opening shot to start Harrison on an 11-3 run. Glenwood Springs used its inside-out offense to cut the deficit to three points, 13-10, after Kelsie Hert completed a three-point play.
Hert led the Demons (20-5) with 16 points, senior Sam Ciani finished with 12 points and 14 rebounds, and Sharaya Selsor added 11 points. They were the major offensive contributors for Glenwood Springs, making its first Final Four appearance.
“We struggled running our offense,” Ciani said. “Their press worked really well against us, but once we were able to bring the ball up, we couldn’t get it inside. That hurt us.”
The Demons seemed to be in a 10-point hole throughout the game, but they made a couple of runs. Midway through the third quarter, Selsor sunk a 3-pointer to make it 34-29. But Harrison sophomore Tracee Hamacher followed with a rebound and put-back in the paint before completing a three-point play.
The Panthers stayed active on defense, made their free throws down the stretch and answered every Glenwood Springs run.
“I don’t think our press and our speed surprise people, because that’s what we do,” Hollon said. “At this point, I don’t think there are any surprises.”
Glenwood Springs 10 9 12 10 – 41
Harrison 18 10 11 18 – 57
Glenwood Springs – Denney 0 0-0 0, K. Selsor 1 0-0 2, S. Selsor 3 3-4 11, Hert 5 6-8 16, Ciani 6 0-3 12, Derby 0 0-0 0, Young 0 0-0 0, Vincent 0 0-0 0. Totals 15 9-15 41.
Harrison – Pennington 3 2-4 8, Hamacher 2 1-3 5, Ricker 3 8-11 15, Taylor 2 5-6 9, Moore 7 2-3 16, Harris 1 0-0 2, Ingargiola 0 0-0 0, Hollon 1 0-0 2, Tefft 0 0-0 0. Totals 19 18-27 57.
3-pt. goals – S. Selsor 2; Ricker. Total fouls – Glenwood Springs 18, Harrison 16. Fouled out – None. Technicals – None.
