GREELEY — Defense in an exhibition game?
“We thought, ‘Hey, no one else does that,’ ” White team coach Ron Rossi said. “We even took a charge.”
It worked. Rossi, who coached the Holy Family girls to their first state basketball title in March, saw his squad dismantle the Black team 84-59 in the girls basketball all-state game.
“That was the difference for us. Our kids actually wanted to play defense,” said Rossi, The Denver Post’s All-Colorado girls coach of the year. “What was kind of fun, as the week went on, they just kind of grew and grew and grew as a team.”
A decided height advantage was exploited from the get-go. Evergreen’s Tricia Oakes (6-feet-4) and Weld Central’s Dana Schreibvogel (6-0) combined to score the first 13 points of the game and put the Black in an immediate hole.
“That definitely helped, because everybody is tired by this time,” said the Colgate-bound Oakes, who not only was battling bronchitis but the 80-plus-degree temperature inside the gym. “Just to get ahead by that much that quickly was a good boost for us.”
The White continued to pour it on, and led 42-24 at the half as seven of the eight players on the team scored. Schreibvogel, a Class 3A first-team selection, scored 10 of her game-high 24 points in the third quarter to help the White pull away.
“Our team just bonded really well, and everything just sort of worked out for us,” said Schreibvogel, who will play college ball at Fort Lewis in Durango. “I was tired, but once I started playing, I seemed to find more energy.”
In addition to Oakes and Schreibvogel’s performances, the White got 14 points from 3A Ms. Colorado Basketball Jessica Giltner of Holy Family and 13 from Fort Collins’ Kerstin Minchow.
The Black, coached by Burlington’s Mike Warren and Simla’s Al Snyder, was led by Chaparral’s Alyssa McGuinnis, who had 15 points. Centauri’s Krystina George had 12 and Colorado Springs Christian’s Bethany Beck finished with 11.
White 22 20 21 21 — 84
Black 10 14 16 19 — 59
White — Ackerman (Trinidad) 2 0-0 6, Escheman (Sangre de Cristo) 1 2-2 4, Giltner (Holy Family) 7 0-0 14, Minchow (Fort Collins) 4 5-7 13, Schreibvogel (Weld Central) 12 0-0 24, Oakes (Evergreen) 7 2-2 16, Fitzpatrick (Basalt) 3 1-2 7, Marin (Caliche) 0 0-0 0. Totals 36 10-13 84.
Black — Mackey (Springfield) 0 0-0 0, Leonard (Springfield) 4 1-2 9, Charchalis (Moffat County) 1 0-1 3, Anderson (Burlington) 2 0-0 5, George (Centauri) 4 4-7 12, Routt (C.S. Christian) 0 2-5 2, Sutherlin (Norwood) 1 0-0 2, Beck (C.S. Christian) 5 1-3 11, McGuinnis (Chaparral) 6 2-2 15. Totals 23 10-20 59.
3-pt. goals — Ackerman 2; Charchalis, Anderson, McGuinnis. Fouled out — None. Technicals — None.
Jon E. Yunt: 303-954-1354 or jyunt@denverpost.com
