BROOMFIELD — For the top-ranked Holy Family girls basketball team, ambitious Eaton gave the host Tigers a fight to the end.
The No. 8 Reds stormed back from a double-digit deficit Tuesday night, trimming it to three points on several occassions before falling 66-60 in a Class 3A nonleague matchup.
“We got down in the middle of the game, but we kept pushing,” said Eaton’s Leah Cheney, one of three Cheney sisters in the Reds’ lineup. “I think we’re pretty evenly matched.”
Buoyed by a strong second half from junior guard Stephanie Giltner, the three-time defending champion Tigers (7-0) were able to hold off the Reds.
“They outshot us, so we had to hustle and play defense,” said Giltner (21 points). “Coach (Ron Rossi) told us in the locker room that having a close game was good for us to keep us competitive and keep us hungry.”
The win extended the Tigers’ winning streak to 32 games. Their last loss was Dec. 4, 2008, to Colorado Springs Christian.
It also marked career win No. 302 for Rossi.
Sarah Talamantes added 15 points and seven rebounds for Holy Family, and Carolina Gutierrez added 11 points off the bench. Leah Cheney paced Eaton (5-2) with 19 points despite dealing with foul trouble.
“I think they’re going to be tough in the state playoffs,” Giltner said. “We’re excited to play them again.”
Eaton darted to a 10-2 lead, but Holy Family came back to take a 10-point lead into halftime. They extended the lead to as many as 16 points before the Reds’ rally.
Eaton 13 13 17 17 — 60
Holy Family 13 23 17 13 — 66
Eaton — Jelden 1 4-4 6, Needens 4 0-0 8, L. Cheney 8 2-3 19, B. Cheney 5 2-3 13, K. Cheney 2 0-1 4, Edens 2 0-2 5, Kaiser 1 0-0 2, Brandly 0 0-0 0, Jansson 1 0-0 3, Lawhead 0 0-0 0. Totals 24 8-13 60.
Holy Family — Helbig 2 1-4 6, Chavez 1 2-2 5, Talamantes 5 4-5 15, Giltner 6 8-10 21, Williamson 2 2-2 6, Zeman 1 0-0 2, Gutierrez 4 3-5 11, Johannson 0 0-0 0. Totals 21 20-28 66.
3-point goals — L. Cheney, B. Cheney, Edens, Jansson; Helbig, Chavez, Talamantes, Giltner. Total fouls — Eaton 22, Holy Family 13. Fouled out — B. Cheney. Technicals — None.
