Grandview advances to the Class 5A girls basketball quarterfinals for the first time

LITTLETON – After guiding the Grandview (Aurora) girls basketball team all season, coach Josh Ulitzky knows well the inconsistent play the Wolves sometimes produce.

The Grandview roster has only one senior, meaning the talented Wolves often balance inspiring stretches with some that are not so much. Such was the case Wednesday in the Class 5A Sweet 16 against second-seeded Heritage (Littleton), but fortunately for the No. 3 Wolves they were at their best when it mattered most.

After building a big lead, Grandview held on for a 60-53 road victory to advance to the state quarterfinals for the first time. The Wolves (20-5) will meet defending state champion Highlands Ranch (21-4) on Saturday at the Denver Coliseum. The Colorado High School Activities Association will announce game times Thursday.

"That's been consistent with us all year," Ulitzky said. "There are times when we will throw a 6-point quarter in there and that's hurt us, but give credit to the girls - I am so proud of them - because they've learned from those mistakes.

"We did get rattled a bit (tonight), but we kept our composure and we were able to maintain and pull it out."

The Wolves used a balanced scoring attack and the dominating inside presence of 6-foot-1 junior Adaeze Obinnah to almost immediately streak to a double-digit lead, one that grew to 16 points early in the third quarter. Obinnah finished with a team-high 15 points, 11 rebounds (five coming on the offensive end) and five blocks.

Obinnah's early effort in the lane forced Heritage to focus its defense on her, which opened the perimeter for the Wolves. They responded with seven 3-pointers, and Natasha Edge and Katie Cunninghman each chipped in with 10 points.

"My teammates are always good at giving me the ball, getting it where I need it to get good position," Obinnah said. "It's definitely a team effort." 

Just as it seemed Grandview was poised to cruise into the Elite Eight, though, it countered with one of its consistently inconsistent spurts. The Wolves went scoreless for 6 minutes and committed seven of its 20 turnovers during that span. What had been a 40-24 lead with 5 minutes remaining in the third quarter became only a 40-36 advantage a minute into the fourth.

Re-enter Obinnah, who finally stopped the drought with a pair of free throws. She also made a key block, sandwiched by 3-pointers from teammates Natalie Halbleib and Edge to help the Wolves regain control, 48-38, with a little more than 5 minutes left on the clock.

"We were kind of freaking out a little bit," Obinnah said of the Heritage run, "but we just held our ground."

Cunningham, a sophomore, went 6-for-6 from the free-throw line in the final 2 minutes to help secure the win.
 
Heritage, which lost in the Sweet 16 for the second year in a row, was led by Mary Cavanaugh. The junior totaled 18 points, which included three 3-pointers in the fourth quarter. University of Colorado-bound Lauren Huggins managed only nine points in the final game of her stellar career. Grandview's concerted defensive effort forced Huggins into a 4-for-11 performance from the field.

"We wanted to limit every touch we could for that kid, even to the point where we were worrying about if she was going to come off screens, we'd switch just to make sure we had a cover on her." Ulitzky said. "She's just a phenomenal player, and I'm really proud of my girls for the way they executed what we were trying to do."

MaxPreps Colorado Class 5A girls state basketball brackets

Sweet 16 Roundup
In bracket order

Legacy (Broomfield) 74, Denver East 70 OT
Top-seeded Legacy (21-4) advanced to its third consecutive Elite Eight behind Emily Glen (24 points) and Kailey Edwards (17). After winning the 2010 state title, Denver East lost in the Sweet 16 for the second straight year. Frannie Sally scored a game-best 34 points for the Angels (16-8).

Doherty (Colorado Springs) 57, Rocky Mountain (Fort Collins) 44
Behind an inspired defensive effort, Doherty, the Colorado Springs League champion and the No. 2 seed in the Alice Barron Region, is in the quarterfinals for the first time since 2006. Angela Vigil led the charge offensively for the Spartans (23-2) with 13 points. Rocky Mountain ended its season 17-9 following a good playoff showing after finishing seventh in the Front Range League during the regular season.

Highlands Ranch 74, Fossil Ridge (Fort Collins) 36
The defending state champions built a 20-point halftime lead and never looked back in advancing to the quarterfinals for the eighth consecutive year. Senior Michaela Neuhaus, the leading scorer in 5A at 23 points an outing, bettered her average by one in finishing with 24 points. Shelby Hickey added 17 for the top-seeded Falcons. Fossil Ridge (16-10) was after its first trip to the big-school Elite Eight.

Regis Jesuit (Aurora) 50, Fort Collins 39
For the second year in a row, top-seeded Regis Jesuit (21-4) bounced Fort Collins (16-8) from the state tournament. Last season's meeting came in the state semifinals. Diani Akigbogun was one of three Raiders in double figures with a team-best 16 points. Katie Heckman, a Duke recruit, scored eight points, grabbed 10 rebounds and made five steals to help Regis to the big-school quarterfinals for the sixth time in as many years.

Palmer (Colorado Springs) 58, Horizon (Thornton) 57
Palmer (22-3) scored the game's final 10 points to advance to its first quarterfinals since 2004. As reported by The Gazette, standout senior Taylor Torres hit two free throws with 3.9 seconds remaining to provide the final margin. Torres finished with a game-best 19 points for the Terrors, who will face Regis Jesuit next. Horizon, which was denied its first Elite Eight bid since 2009, received 14 points and 13 rebounds from Alyssa Rader. 

Monarch (Louisville) 64, Ralston Valley (Arvada) 41
Top-seeded Monarch outscored the Jefferson County League champions 17-4 in the third quarter to pull away for the victory. The Coyotes (20-5) played without standout Alexus Johnson, who reportedly sat out the game for breaking a school rule. No matter as Ashton Davis (16 points), Mae Williams (12) and Jacqueline Malcolm-Peck (11) picked up the scoring load to propel Monarch to the quarterfinals for the fourth straight season.

ThunderRidge (Highlands Ranch) 44, Arapahoe (Centennial) 43
Third-seeded ThunderRidge (17-8) erased a 10-point halftime deficit and pulled the mild upset in eliminating No. 2 Arapahoe. The Grizzlies, state semifinalists last year, amazingly are in the quarterfinals for the 10th time in 11 seasons. The only time ThunderRidge missed the Elite Eight during that span was 2010. Amanda Martinez had 14 points and seven rebounds for Arapahoe (19-6).