Writhing in pain, her back on the Denver Coliseum hardwood, Alex Evans appeared done.
With the Monarch senior out of the lineup, the Coyotes’ chances appeared cooked as well. But as teammate Alexus Johnson put it, “There’s no such thing as being hurt in a high-octane game like this.”
Not only did Evans return Saturday to the Class 5A quarterfinal contest after beginning the second half on the bench, she ignited the top-seeded Coyotes to an improbable 58-46 comeback win against Regis Jesuit in a rematch of last season’s state championship game.
“I got kneed in the quad really bad,” Evans said of the injury she suffered late in the first half. “It was like a knife went into my quad.”
When Evans initially returned, it appeared gutsy but inconsequential, because Monarch (22-4) soon found itself trailing 31-18 early in the third quarter. But a 12-0 run got the Coyotes back into contention, and they pulled away late in the fourth.
Evans was a big reason, as she finished with 20 points and was 14-for-14 from the free-throw line. She converted all 10 of her attempts in the fourth quarter.
“We just wanted it a lot more, and we made it happen,” said Evans, who also is sporting a knee brace while she recovers from a torn meniscus. “And we definitely wanted some revenge for last year. That was in there too.”
The final margin belies the fact the game was tied 42-42 with less than three minutes to play. Johnson (18 points, 14 rebounds) scored an inside basket to break the tie and kick-start a decisive 8-0 run.
“We wanted to go to the big house, we want to win state and that’s what brought us back,” said Johnson, referring to CU’s Coors Events Center, where the Coyotes will play in the final four Wednesday.
Regis Jesuit (18-8) gamely defended its title despite losing nearly everyone after last season’s championship.
The Raiders, led by Katie Heckman’s 15 points, lost their momentum when key defenders Janae Hall and Megan O’Neil fouled out.
“You take those two out of the game, the whole course of the game changes,” Raiders coach Carl Mattei said.
