A clash of blue jerseys collided near midcourt inside the Denver Coliseum on Thursday night in an explosion of celebration.
The cause: Upset city for the Class 5A girls state basketball tournament. The victors: No. 4 Cherry Creek over No. 1 Highlands Ranch. So, the Bruins deservedly let their voices rise to the rafters.
Sophomore guard Abby Wrede hit a corner 3-pointer with 48 seconds left as the dagger in Cherry Creek’s 53-52 victory. The Bruins advance to face Grandview on Saturday night in the championship game.
“Our bond as a team is the best,” said Cherry Creek junior guard Jana Van Gytenbeek, who led all scorers with 21 points. “It feels amazing.”
Highlands Ranch’s Kasey Neubert JUST missed on the game-winning shot attempt. Cherry Creek knocks off the No. 1 Falcons to advance to the state title game to play Grandview.
— Matt L. Stephens (@MattStephens)
A variety of factors made their win especially sweet. Highlands Ranch had previously beaten Cherry Creek twice in the regular season and has four players committed to play collegiately next year. Cherry Creek has none. Highlands Ranch is home to seven girls basketball state championship banners. Cherry Creek, despite a wide range of athletic accomplishments, is still seeking its first.
“(A championship) is the goal,” Van Gytenbeek said.
Cherry Creek led, 12-9, after the first by keeping Highlands Ranch star Kelsey Neubert, a senior committed to Hawaii, off the scoreboard. There were four lead changes before halftime, but tied at 17 with four minutes left before the break, Highlands Ranch made its surge. Neubert started the run with a 3-pointer and sophomore guard Payton Muma kept it rolling with a jumper and two made free throws.
After more back-and-forth, junior forward Cali Clark cashed a triple to give Cherry Creek a 39-38 lead entering the fourth, and with less than 4:00 remaining, Highlands Ranch senior guard Jamie Bain connected behind the arc to tie it at 50.
Wrede’s go-ahead 3 proved the difference in Cherry Creek’s resilient victory, but Highlands Ranch had an opportunity to win at the buzzer with a Neubert layup. It rattled off the rim.
“We’re a really good team and we’ll always lift each other up,” Van Gytenbeek said. “If there’s a lull in the game, we know we can bounce back even harder to make up for those gaps. We come together.”
