HIGHLANDS RANCH — Although they insisted it wasn’t their primary focus, the opportunity to get a measure of redemption was impossible to ignore for members of the Highlands Ranch girls basketball team.
After enduring one of the most spellbinding upsets in state history to Monarch in last season’s Class 5A state semifinals, the Falcons played like they had something to prove in the rematch Saturday night.
Granted, this was merely a nonleague game with much lower stakes, but the No. 2 Falcons were a little extra amped up in a 62-51 home win against the No. 5 Coyotes.
“We kind of had to think about last year,” Highlands Ranch guard Tierra Shumpert said. “We wanted to come back and show them we were the better team.
Forcing Monarch into a bevy of turnovers and several awkward shots, Highlands Ranch darted to a 31-14 halftime advantage. The Coyotes (4-1) had a much better effort in the second half and cut the deficit to seven in the final minute, but never seriously threatened the Falcons (5-2).
Katelyn McDaniel led the Falcons with 20 points while Shanti Smith added 14 and Shumpert 11, with McDaniel and Smith each corralling seven rebounds.
“We were definitely a little nervous coming out because we started out not so great against them last year,” McDaniel said. “But this time we came out strong and that’s what helped us win the game.”
The Falcons could have made the final moments easier on themselves had they not missed eight of their first 10 foul shots in the final quarter. Monarch, meanwhile, took solace in its productive second half, but the Coyotes were undone by the poor start.
“They had a lot of energy to come out and beat us, and it showed in the first half, definitely,” Monarch junior Eliza Normen said. “Early on, we didn’t quite have the chemistry or move the ball enough.”
Alex Evans paced Monarch with 15 points, while sophomore Alexus Johnson scored 12 and grabbed a game-best 15 rebounds.
“We picked up our intensity and played Monarch basketball in the second half,” said Normen, who chipped in 10 points and eight boards.
The Coyotes had no answer for McDaniel and Smith in the post as Highlands Ranch took command with a 17-6 advantage in the seconds quarter.
“It’s definitely sweet revenge that we got this one,” McDaniel said. “Maybe we’ll meet them again in the state championship.”
Monarch 8 6 17 20 — 51
Highlands Ranch14 17 17 14 — 62
Monarch — Richmond 3 1-3 7, Evans 4 7-8 15, Normen 4 2-4 10, Harder 1 0-0 2, Johnson 5 2-7 12, Stanford 1 0-0 3, Davis 0 0-2 0, Fitzgerald 0 2-2 2. Totals 18 14-26 51.
Highlands Ranch — Li. Heap 3 2-4 8, Mallon 3 0-3 6, McDaniel 6 8-10 20, Smith 5 4-7 14, Shumpert 2 6-7 11, Neuhaus 1 0-0 3, Baker 0 0-0 0, Flournoy 0 0-0 0. Totals 20 20-31 62.
Three-point goals — M, Stanford. H, Shumpert, Neuhaus.
