Equal amounts of pressure and motivation will fuel Eads’ run at a second consecutive Class 1A girls state basketball championship.
Playing in the same district with rival McClave, winner of three consecutive titles from 2004-06, the Eagles will take any advantage they can get. Eads won it in 2003, so that’s five consecutive titles for the schools separated by about 35 miles on the Eastern Plains.
“I have a lot of friends at McClave, but when it comes to basketball, things get pretty intense,” Eads point guard Jordan Barnett said.
Behind Barnett and The Denver Post’s reigning 1A player of the year, Talli Han-sen, Eads begins defense of its title today.
“We know that to defend our title, to get another one, we’ll have to work twice as hard as anyone else,” said the 6-foot-1 Hansen, who averaged 20 points and nearly 16 rebounds per game last season.
It’s no secret that opponents will double-team Han-sen on most offensive possessions. Bound for Regis University, Hansen said she is used to it. “I’ve always been double- or triple-teamed since I first started playing. You just have to fight for your position,” she said.
Barnett has seen Hansen get mugged from her view on the perimeter, and that can be a good thing.
“I try to get Talli a ton of touches, but it works out best to spread the shots around to everyone,” Barnett said. “When they put two or three defenders on her, it opens up a ton of shots for everyone else.”
Barnett is the team quarterback, setting up the offense, putting teammates in the right spot and pulling the trigger on almost every play.
“Jordan is very savvy,” said Lane Gooden, who returns as Eads’ head coach after more than 15 years. “A lot of times she will make something happen when it doesn’t look physically possible.”
Gooden won three titles at Eads (1987, 1990, 1991) before taking over the boys program for seven years and then assuming an assistant’s role for the boys and girls teams. He replaces Shawn Randel, who has won championships in three sports — girls and boys basketball and, this fall, football.
Around the classification, Jerrica Mallard will pace McClave while Kara Dishman will do the same for Haxtun. Flagler will follow the lead of Shelby Fritzler, and Amy Marin is the go-to scorer for Caliche. North Park has some holes to fill, but confidence from last season’s runner-up finish is a plus.
The Denver Post/9News poll
1. Eads
2. Haxtun
3. McClave
4. Flagler
5. Caliche
6. Merino
7. Fleming
8. Stratton
9. Dove Creek
10. North Park
1A players to watch
Kyndall Alvarez, La Veta, Sr., 5-10
Jordan Barnett, Eads, Jr., 5-7
Janelle Cass, Pawnee, Jr., 5-10
Kara Dishman, Haxtun, Sr., 5-4
Amy Einspahr, Fleming, Sr., 6-3
Morgan Fox, Stratton, Jr., 6-0
Shelby Fritzler, Flagler, Sr., 5-8
Talli Hansen, Eads, Sr., 6-1
Jerrica Mallard, McClave, Jr., 5-3
Amy Marin, Caliche, Sr., 5-5
Tae’lor Purdy, Deer Trail, Jr., 5-9
Brittany Sciacca, Aguilar, Sr., 5-10
Haley Sheldon, Kim, So., 6-0
Kelsey Souza, North Park, Sr., 6-0
Tara Wille, Elbert, Sr., 5-5
