THORNTON — Ninety-six percent of the time last season, a Class 5A girls basketball team with a halftime lead won the game.
That’s what made No. 3 Regis Jesuit’s 72-43 win at No. 8 Horizon on Tuesday night different. Way different.
The Raiders trailed by one at intermission before unleashing a fury for the ages. Regis scored the first 21 points of the third quarter and began the half on a 36-3 run to transform what was a tight, evenly played contest into a laugher.
“It was just getting back on the court, starting over and making up for our bad choices early in the game,” said Raiders senior center Megan O’Neil, who led with 19 points.
Horizon scored the final eight points of the first half and fled to the locker room up 35-34 in the nonleague matchup. What happened next for the Hawks was more than an implosion; it was a nightmare.
“We just freaked out a little bit about their height, then we made bad passes and they got stolen a lot,” Horizon guard Rachel Bollinger said. “I think we relaxed too much in the locker room and came out not expecting it, and they were pumped up and ready to go.”
Both squads graduated multiple Division I players after meeting in the state semifinals last season, when Regis won 55-40. The Raiders (4-1), who went on to their first championship, aren’t back to that level, but the process is underway.
“This is basically our JV team from last year, so we have a lot of team chemistry already,” said Regis forward Colleen Rooney, who scored 10 of her 18 points during the 21-0 run. “Our seniors taught us a lot last year and left us in good shape.”
Horizon, which received 10 points and a game-best 14 rebounds from freshman Kaylie Rader, fell to 1-4, but the Hawks also are a work in progress and undoubtedly will win their share of games as their young squad jells. Until then, growing pains like Tuesday’s second half might periodically occur.
“We were trying to force everything,” Bollinger said.
Regis reaped the benefits as all nine Raiders scored, with Jess Ward (10 points) joining O’Neil and Rooney in double digits.
“It got contagious,” O’Neil said.
Regis Jesuit 23 11 25 13 — 72
Horizon 17 18 3 5 — 43
Regis Jesuit — Ward 4 2-2 10, Heckman 2 5-6 9, Rooney 6 3-4 18, O’Neil 9 1-5 19, Dent 2 1-2 5, Kershisnik 1 0-0 3, St. John 1 0-0 2, Revels 2 0-0 4, Hall 1 0-0 2. Totals 28 12-19 72.
Horizon — Bollinger 4 2-2 12, Ramos 1 0-0 2, Dyer 2 1-1 6, Malcolm-Peck 3 0-0 9, Rader 4 2-4 10, Rasmussen 2 0-0 4. Totals 16 5-7 43.3-point goals — Rooney 3, Kershisnik; Malcolm-Pack 3, Bollinger 2, Dyer. Fouled out — Ramos.
