HIGHLANDS RANCH — It is a widely held basketball adage that, more often than not, the more aggressive team is the one that reaps the benefits.
It’s true in the NBA, and it was so Tuesday night at ThunderRidge High School. Sparked by an uptick in intensity from senior guard Mariah Williams, No. 3 Regis wore down and wore out the No. 4 Grizzlies, taking a 52-38 decision.
“They just did the things they had to do to win a basketball game,” ThunderRidge coach Bill Bradley said.
Much to the consternation of the home crowd, which let its displeasure at the officiating be known early and often, the main thing Regis did was unleash Williams on Grizzlies point guard Carlie Needles.
Needles scored a game-high 17 points, displaying skills that Williams admitted had her playing hesitantly early in the contest. Urged on by Raiders coach Carl Mattei, that soon changed. Pressing Needles relentlessly not only made it harder for ThunderRidge to get into its offense, it showed the Regis players what it was going to take to win.
“I think I was giving her too much respect,” Williams said of Needles. “If I didn’t pick it up, who knows? They’re playing at home, their confidence gets bigger . . . They’re a good team, but we kept our poise and our composure and got a big win.”
Regis trailed 15-9 after the first quarter but, due to its heightened intensity, rallied to take a 24-21 edge at intermission. Things remained the same at the start of the second half. ThunderRidge got the ball, but it took more than a minute before the team was even able to get off a shot.
Regis didn’t score itself until 5:11 remained in the period, getting a 3-pointer from Mary Bokenkamp, who would hit two other 3-pointers in the half en route to a team-high 15 points.
Anthony Cotton: 303-954-1292 or acotton@denverpost.com
