Tied at halftime, Highlands Ranch found itself involved in a tough game for the first time in a long time.
Then the two-time defending state champion Falcons put it in gear and rolled by East 73-47 on Saturday in the Class 5A Great 8 at the Denver Coliseum.
Highlands Ranch increased its defense, cleaned the glass like a maintenance department and turned its transition game into a tidal wave while gradually wearing down East and making it a runaway.
“I told them it was like 0-0 at halftime, (and) we had 16 minutes,” Falcons coach Caryn Jarocki said. “We weren’t hitting our shots in the first half . . . but then Melissa Ryba started rebounding like a madwoman.”
And Highlands Ranch (23-3) gradually pulled away as East missed layups among an assortment of inside shots. Plus, the Angels weren’t much of a factor from the perimeter and didn’t get back on defense as the Falcons repeatedly raced down the floor.
“We knew they were tough and physical, but we played our game in the second half,” University of Colorado- bound senior Alyssa Fressle said.
Fressle led all scorers with 22 points, and teammates Taylor Johnson (16) and Jade Davis (10) helped with the scoring load. Ryba grabbed 15 rebounds and Johnson had 10.
Tied at 28 at the half, Highlands Ranch led by nine after the third quarter, then went on a 13-4 run, aided by Angels’ turnovers, to seal it.
For East, which finished with a 21-4 record, fatigue probably played a factor in ending his program’s most-successful season, coach Dwight Berry said, but he offered no excuses.
“We had a beautiful season,” he said.
Shae Kelley paced the Angels with 15 points. Dawn Wattley added 10 points and a team-high 14 rebounds.
East 14 14 7 12 — 47
Highlands Ranch 16 12 16 29 — 73
East — Ausler 0 0-0 0, Brame 0 0-0 0, Adams 0 0-0 0, Taylor 0 0-0 0, Sanders 3 2-4 9, Wattley 4 2-2 10, Christianson 1 4-5 6, Jackson 0 0-0 0, Nailey 0 3-5 3, Samuels 0 0-0 0, Kelley 7 1-2 15, Wiese 1 2-2 4. Totals 16 14-20 47.
Highlands Ranch — Fressle 7 8-10 22, Fulps 2 3-6 8, Mallon 0 0-0 0, Hawkins 1 0-0 2, Johnson 6 4-8 16, Seifert 0 0-0 0, Floyd 0 0-0 0, Ryba 4 1-2 9, Davis 4 0-0 10, Burke 1 4-5 6. Totals 25 20-31 73.
3-pt. goals — Sanders; Davis 2, Fulps.
