Fountain-Fort Carson 53, ThunderRidge 49
HIGHLANDS RANCH — A day after a Class 5A boys Sweet 16 round had multiple surprises, the girls had their turn Wednesday night.
Leading the way individually was D’Shara Strange, who scored a game-high 20 points for the feisty Trojans, who won on the road against the perennial contending Grizzlies.
Fountain-Fort Carson improved to 21-4 and will next face the Front Range League’s Legacy on Saturday at the Denver Coliseum in the Great 8.
It was a tight game throughout and Fountain-Fort Carson outscored ThunderRidge 21-17 over the game’s final 8 minutes.
Renata Rankin added 10 points for the Trojans.
Carlie Needles (17 points) and Brooke Jelniker (16) paced ThunderRidge, which ended 18-7.
Chaparral 63, Cherry Creek 48
PARKER — Lori Laboda’s game-high 22 points led the Wolverines to a convincing 5A Sweet 16 victory over the Bruins.
Courtney Gallo (14 points) and Katie Shepard (10) also were huge for Chaparral, which improved to 19-6.
Glenn Gurule (14 points) and Sami Springer (12) were tops for Cherry Creek, which ended 18-7 and was just 16-of-33 at the free-throw line.
Heritage 59, Central (G.J.) 43
GRAND JUNCTION — Trailing by a point at halftime, the Eagles ran away from the Warriors at the start of the third quarter for a 5A Sweet 16 victory.
Kim Lockridge (15 points), and Lauren Huggins and Molly Rogan (13 each) propelled Heritage to a 19-5 record and a date Saturday against a familiar foe, Continental League rival Chaparral.
Central (G.J.) finished 20-5 and senior star guard Amy Kame had 31 points.
Highlands Ranch 65, Grand Junction 34
HIGHLANDS RANCH — Balanced scoring as well as athleticism powered the Falcons past the visiting Tigers in 5A’s Sweet 16.
Kaitlyn McDaniel and Tierra Shumpert (13 points each), Lindsay Mallon (11) and Sendy Valles (10) took turns leading the way for six-time state champion Highlands Ranch, which will take a 22-3 record into the Great 8 against Denver Prep champion East.
Grand Junction (15-11) got 13 points from Jamie Derrieux and 10 from Paula Lage.
Monarch 42, Fairview 23
LOUISVILLE — The Coyotes’ defense was real — they held the Knights to single-digit scoring in each quarter in rolling to a 5A Sweet 16 victory.
Only six players scored for Monarch (21-4), state runners-up a year ago, led by Alex Evans’ 14 points.
Fairview ended 20-6.
The Denver Post
