There usually aren't a lot of surprises in Class 5A girls basketball come state tournament time.
The perennial powerhouses don't allow it, as they often overwhelm lesser foes on the road to the Final Four. Such was the case against Saturday in the Great 8 at the Denver Coliseum as all four top seeds advanced to the state semifinals, three of them with convincing victories.
Defending state champion Highlands Ranch is accounted for, as is 2011 runner-up Regis Jesuit. Front Range League foes Legacy and Monarch round out the field that will take aim at each other, as expected, Wednesday at the CU Events Center in Boulder.
Great 8 Roundup
In bracket order
Legacy (Broomfield) 64, Doherty (Colorado Springs) 62
University of Denver recruit Kailey Edwards hit a layup with 1 second remaining to deny the upset bid and send Legacy (22-4) to the Final Four for the for the second time in three seasons.
Edwards scored 24 points, as the Lightning rallied from a nine-point deficit with 6 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.
"I wanted the last shot," Edwards told Neil H. Devlin of The Denver Post. "I was just happy to get to the rim. I knew they didn't want to foul."
Doherty, which was after its first Final Four trip since 2006, was paced by Angela Vigil's 19 points.
Highlands Ranch 70, Grandview (Aurora) 47
After a tight first half, Highlands Ranch (22-4) responded with a resounding final two quarters to advance to the Final Four for the seventh time in eight seasons.
The defending champion and top-seeded Falcons led 40-35 at intermission, but quickly took control by scoring the first seven points of the second half. Highlands Ranch, which had five players score in double figures, outscored the Wolves 30-12 in the second half. Michaela Neuhaus, the leading scorer in 5A, paced Highlands Ranch with 18 points, while Jayln Yates and Ciera Morgan each had 12.
Grandview (20-6), which was playing in the Great 8 for the first time, received 16 points from Adaeze Obinnah.
Regis Jesuit (Aurora) 64, Palmer (Colorado Springs) 39
After the first quarter, there was little doubt the Raiders (22-4) would return to the big-school semifinals for the fifth time in six year. Regis Jesuit led 17-3 after the first en route to the big victory. Marquelle Dent and Kelsi Lidge totaled 14 points each for Regis Jesuit, which finished as the state runner-up last season.
Palmer, which struggled mightily from the field, did not have a player in double figures. Shannah Leaf had nine points, while standout Taylor Torres was limited to eight points. Torres had been averaging 20 points an outing. The Terrors (22-4) were in the Great 8 for the first time since 2004,
Monarch (Louisville) 62, ThunderRidge (Highlands Ranch) 36
Just as Regis Jesuit did, Monarch led 17-3 after the first quarter and never looked back against the Grizzlies.
Monarch (21-5) got a boost with the return of Alexus Johnson, who was back in the lineup after a two-game suspension. The senior posted a game-best 19 points and eight rebounds in guiding the Coyotes to their third semifinal berth in the past four years.
ThunderRidge (17-9) suffered through a dismal shooting performance in missing out on its seventh Final Four bid since 2002. According to MaxPreps' Paul Willis, the Grizzlies shot only 9-for-51 from the field. Taylor Chase led the scoring with eight points.
