To heck with the RPI — poll the coaches, ask the casual fans, go by the old-fashioned eye test. All season, No. 5-seeded Grandview and No. 6-seeded Regis Jesuit have been the clear-cut best teams in Class 5A girls basketball.
The programs came out and played to that standard Saturday night at the Denver Coliseum, with Grandview outlasting Regis Jesuit 67-61 in a back-and-forth battle culminating with a Wolves championship repeat.
Free throws and turnovers were the difference down the stretch, as Grandview won the final frame 19-8 to complete a comeback from being down 16-3 after an early Regis Jesuit assault.
“We’re fighters, and we’ve been fighting all season,” said Grandview senior point guard Jaiden Galloway, a Metro State commit. “We’re never going to stop — and that’s what tonight’s win took. It took fight and heart.”
The title showdown between the two teams that had occupied the top spots in The Denver Post power rankings all season was not destined to be a blowout — as it was in the Wolves’ 33-point Final Four victory over the Raiders last season — as Grandview roared back from Regis Jesuit’s opening push with their own 12-2 run.
The Raiders took a five-point lead into the second quarter, but Grandview continued to battle, eventually taking its first lead of the game, 38-37, on Galloway’s running layup at the halftime buzzer.
“That was big for us,” Galloway said. “After being down so much, we had momentum going into the locker room.”
In the third, though, Regis Jesuit retook the lead, and junior small forward Sidney Weigand’s late 3-pointer with less than 30 seconds to play in the frame gave the Raiders a 53-48 advantage going to the fourth.
But in the pressurized final quarter, both teams were without star power. First, Grandview senior forward Leilah Vigil fouled out at the five minute mark, and then Regis Jesuit freshman sharpshooter Avery VanSickle drew her fifth foul a couple minutes later.
“Leilah going out actually helped us with our energy,” Galloway said. “She was still willing us on from the bench, and the girls still in looked at each other and were like, ‘We’re going to do this for our teammates.’ ”
Regis Jesuit junior forward Fran Belibi proceeded to foul out with 1:47 to play and the Raiders up 61-59, sending Wolves freshman Addison O’Grady to the line. She made one of two, and then junior foward Alisha Davis stole the ball on the following Raiders possession.
After the steal, Davis dribbled the length of court to draw a foul and hit two free throws, giving Grandview a 62-61 lead it did not relinquish.
“The key was getting them in foul trouble, because we knew a couple of their players had several and we just kept going at them offensively,” Galloway said. “And on the other end, we got stops on defense.”
The championship ending was made even sweeter for Grandview considering many wondered if the Wolves could defend their title following the graduation of Michaela Onyenwere, last season’s Ms. Basketball.
“The target on our back lifted us up. Michaela left and everyone thought we were going to be a whole different, weaker team,” Galloway said. “We are a different team, but we’re just as good, and it showed this year.”
Grandview — 15 23 10 19 — 67
Regis Jesuit — 20 17 16 8 — 61
Wolves — Brown 0 0-0 0, Galloway 1 3-4 5, Davis 4 5-7 13, Johnson 0 2-2 2, Hudson 2 0-0 6, Marlett 3 3-5 11, Vigil 5 3-3 13, Serrano 1 0-0 3, O’Grady 4 6-8 14. Totals: 20 22-29 67.
Rangers — Belibi 5 1-2 11, Ayers 0 0-0 0, S. Weigand 1 0-0 3, Gaines 3 3-4 12, Vansickle 3 2-2 11, G. Weigand 0 0-0 0, Moore 4 5-6 13, Jones 0 2-2 2, Cahill 3 3-3 9. Totals 19 16-19 61.
3-pt. goals — Hudson 2, Marlett 2, Serrano; Gaines 3, Vansickle 3, S. Weigand
Listen to the archived broadcast:
5A Girls All-Tournament Team
ѳձ:Leilah Vigil, Grandview Sr. F
Fran Belibi, Regis Jesuit Jr. F
Camilla Emsbo, Lakewood Sr. F
Ashley Steffeck, Fossil Ridge Jr. G
Alyssa Jimenez, Horizon Jr. G
