LITTLETON — Weary of continually hearing about the prowess of its league while seldom being included in the conversation, the Heritage girls’ basketball team has chosen to do something about it.
The Eagles, rarely mentioned among the elite of the Class 5A Continental League, have rocketed to a 5-1 start that included a come-from-behind 63-54 home win against 4A No. 1 Mullen on Thursday night.
“We want to play as hard as we can and prove ourselves against the big four,” said Heritage sophomore Lauren Huggins, referring to stalwarts Regis, Highlands Ranch, ThunderRidge and Chaparral.
Knocking off 4A’s top team was a good start for a team determined to enter the mix. The No. 7 Eagles outscored Mullen 36-23 in the second half, with Huggins’ 3-pointer from the right baseline proving to be the dagger with just less than two minutes to play.
“It furthered us that much more and definitely hurt them,” Huggins said.
Heritage was outrebounded 40-22 by the Mustangs, but drilled six 3-pointers to one for Mullen and had a 21-7 advantage in free throws.
“We came out more aggressive in the second half,” said Eagles senior Kim Lockridge, who got to the line 18 times, making nine. “We didn’t settle for jump shots and started playing like a team instead of individuals.”
Heritage limited Mullen star Hayley Thompson to six points (although she grabbed 10 rebounds), but Mustangs junior Bailey Holland kept her team in contention with 18 points and 13 boards. Mullen was playing without senior Kirsten Hess, who underwent an appendectomy Wednesday.
“We run a lot of things through her, so we had to make some changes on the fly,” Mullen coach Frank Cawley said. “It’s not an excuse, because the kids stepped up.”
The Mustangs (1-2) are playing an ambitious nonleague schedule that included a loss at Monarch on Tuesday and forthcoming matchups with reigning 5A champion Regis Jesuit and marquee out-of-state teams in the Nike Tournament of Champions.
Heritage, fresh off a 3-1 showing in a Texas-based tournament, got 15 points from Huggins, 12 from Lockridge and 10 apiece from Molly Rogan and Grandview-transplant Sullivan Ziegler.
“This has been a great way to start off our (nonleague) season,” Lockridge said. “And we worked really hard for this one.”
Mullen 12 19 10 13 — 54
Heritage 13 14 18 18 — 63
Mullen — Thompson 3 0-1 6, Burt 5 2-3 12, Curneen 0 0-0 0, Holland 6 5-7 18, Scott-Benson 3 0-0 6, O’Rourke 1 0-0 2, Becker 1 0-0 2, Camy 2 0-2 4, Richardson 2 0-0 4. Totals 23 7-13 54.Heritage — Vukovich 1 0-0 3, Ziegler 2 6-6 10, Huggins 5 2-2 15, Lockridge 1 9-18 12, Rogan 4 1-2 10, Gutierrez 1 3-4 5, Castleton 0 0-0 0, Ikard 2 0-0 4, Mathis 2 0-2 4. Totals 18 21-34 63. 3-point goals — M, Holland. H, Huggins 3, Vukovich, Lockridge, Rogan.
