The Grandview Wolves went 2-0 in the 5A Girls State Tournament to advance to the Final Four on March 10. Head Coach Josh Ulitzky’s third-seeded club defeated No. 19 Pine Creek handily in a Sweet 16 contest last Tuesday, with a final score of 67-29.
In the other girls Sweet 16 game, No. 6 Cherry Creek eliminated No. 11 Ralston Valley 55-46. The game was close in the closing minutes, but the Bruins managed to pull away to advance.
On to the Great 8 at the Denver Coliseum on March 4. Grandview and Cherry Creek – both from the Centennial League and both in the same playoff quadrant – faced one another on Friday evening.
The Wolves got off to a good start, leading 16-7 after the first quarter and 36-18 at the half. Led by senior and Santa Clara commit Marya Hudgins' game-high 21 points, the Wolves never looked back and enjoyed a 70-38 win.
Senior center and Stanford commit Lauren Betts had 16 points for the Wolves.
“It feels great,” she said. “I’m super excited for this team. We’ve worked so hard.”
Grandview had an upsetting exit in last year’s tourney, falling to Regis Jesuit. The Wolves entered the game undefeated and were eliminated. Betts says her team hasn’t forgotten.
“Coming back from last year, we didn’t really play the way we wanted to,” Betts said. “I’m so excited for the future, and I know this team is really going to go far.”
Coach Ulitzky was a bit more succinct.
“Two more to go,” he said.
Cherry Creek Head Coach Clint Evans and his squad finish the campaign at 18-7 overall.
The Grandview girls will face No. 2 Highlands Ranch in the Final Four at 8:30 p.m. on March 10 at the Denver Coliseum.
Good luck to the Wolves!
5A Boys State Basketball Playoffs – Eaglecrest comes up short
The Eaglecrest Raptors were poised for a deep run into the 2022 playoffs, and everything was going according to plan last Wednesday evening as they hosted league rival Smoky Hill in the Sweet 16. Head Coach Anthony Hardin’s 11th-seeded Buffs had split the season series with the Raptors and came into the contest on a 5-game winning streak.
In front of a loud and packed house at the Nest, EHS - led by senior Mostapha Elmoutaouakkil’s 19 points - won their 14th in a row and eliminated the Buffaloes. Final score 67-60.
The contest was very close late, however, with the Raptors clinging to a one-point lead with under four minutes left. But Eaglecrest shut Smoky down the rest of the way for the stirring victory to advance.
Smoky Hill ends 2022 at 16-8 overall.
Then on Mar. 6, No. 6 Eaglecrest went up against third-seeded Chaparral in the Great 8 at the Denver Coliseum. The Raptors, with great outside shooting and solid defense, led 34-28 at the halftime break, and ballooned the lead to 13 points going to the fourth quarter. Unfortunately, Eaglecrest’s offense evaporated, and the Wolverines outscored the Raptors 22-4 in the final stanza to advance with a 65-60 comeback win.
Congratulations are in order, as Head Coach Jarris Krapcha’s charges finish a great season at 20-5.
Posted 3-7-2022.
