Boulder – Caryn Jarocki can make it appear that all she has do is open the gates for her Highlands Ranch Falcons and let ’em run.
The talent of Jarocki’s squad can overshadow the fact that every player from senior standout Jaclyn Thoman to the last reserve on the bench knows exactly what to do on the court in every situation.
That was evident Friday night with the Falcons’ high-octane offense running without flaw and without pause on the way to a 69-54 victory over Legacy at the Coors Event Center to claim a second consecutive Class 5A girls state basketball championship.
“You know, the kids love to run, and I’m not going to stop them,” Jarocki said. “They have just gotten better and better at it the whole year and put it together in the playoffs.”
This is the fifth state title in eight seasons for Highlands Ranch (25-3), and the Falcons have reached at least the Final Four in all but one of those seasons. Boulder, with six championships, is the only big school with more titles than the Falcons. Class 1A Eads owns a state-best seven titles.
The stoic Jarocki allowed a smile to spread across her face as the Falcons stormed the court to collect the latest addition to the school’s trophy case. A former guard at the University of Denver, Jarocki has sent eight players to elite Division I programs, including Thoman, who will play at Boston College.
“Everyone on our team knows their role,” Jarocki said. “Coach J can put anyone into the game at anytime and they know what to do. No one tries to be an all-star.”
Legacy (24-4), making its deepest playoff run by far in the school’s seven-year history, took an early lead when Quincey Noonan drained a 3-pointer on the Lightning’s first possession.
That lead would stretch to 7-2 before Highlands Ranch took the game over with a 31-5 run that finally ended late in the second quarter on a driving layup by Melissa Jones. The Falcons went into halftime with a 39-20 lead.
“The second half, that was more of what is Legacy basketball, fighting and getting after it defensively,” Legacy coach Jody Welch said.
The Lightning did not fade, however. Mara Cosgrove completed a three-point play to cut the deficit to 50-42 in the opening minute of the fourth quarter. With 57 seconds remaining, Jones scored inside to again make it an eight-point game.
But Highlands Ranch would not be denied.
“We know we are one of the quickest teams out there, and we try to get out and get going,” Alyssa Fressle said.
Thoman led Highlands Ranch with 23 points and 11 rebounds, and Fressle finished with 18 points and seven rebounds. Jade Davis added 12 points to go with six steals.
For Legacy, Jones put up a game-high 25 points, going 9-for-24 from the floor. Quincey Noonan capped her freshman season with 11 points before fouling out.
Highlands Ranch24151020 – 69
Legacy1281915 – 54
Highlands Ranch – Fressle 8 1-2 18, Ryba 3 2-2 8, Davis 5 1-2 12, Tsukamaki 0 0-0 0, Thoman 8 5-9 23, Breidel 2 2-2 7, Burke 0 1-2 1, Fulps 0 0-0 0. Totals 26 12-19 69.
Legacy – Noonan 4 2-4 11, Cosgrove 3 4-5 12, Mathews 1 0-0 2, Long 1 0-0 3, Jones 9 6-9 25, Morton 0 1-3 1, Wittkop 0 0-0 0, Babcock 0 0-0 0. Totals 18 11-21 54.
3-pt. goals – Thoman 2, Fressle, Davis, Breidel; Cosgrove 2, Noonan, Long, Jones. Total fouls – Highlands Ranch 17; Legacy 17. Fouled out – Noonan. Technicals – None.
