More photos. (Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)
BOULDER — The Grandview Wolves rode the wave of freshman Michaela Onyenwere to the state final four, but it was the senior leadership of Fossil Ridge’s Savannah Smith that would be their undoing.
The Sabercats beat the Wolves 65-54 behind Smith’s game-high 23 points to put the Sabercats in their first state championship game in school history. They are set to face the Regis Jesuit Raiders on Saturday.
Smith’s offensive output didn’t come easy as a slow start forced her to contribute in other ways for her team. She spread her herself out through every aspect of the game during the first half, pulling down three rebounds, dishing out two assists and even coming up with a big blocked shot as the Sabercats built a 29-22 lead at the break.
“Savannah has kind of had that look in her eye since state playoffs started, that she didn’t want to go home,” coach Chad Salz said. “She put us on her back pretty much night in and night out and it’s been nice.”
More photos (Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)
To pick up for the lull in Smith’s scoring, junior Brooke Pemberton scored 10 points in the first half which equaled her averages points per game on the season. Her 18 points complimented Smith’s second half performance. What makes Pemberton’s performance that much more impressive is that she had not practiced since the team’s elite eight win over Dakota Ridge.
But as usual for Fossil Ridge, when one player is struggling to score baskets, the team will step up and rally together to advance toward their goal being the best team in the 5A class.
“It was nice to see, we’ve kind of done that all year,” Salz said. “It always one or the other, it’s starting to take over games. One will do one quarter really well and so on. It’s a tough match-up for people.”
The second half was when Smith finally found her groove. Shots starting falling and she came away scoring 17 points in the half to help her team advance. The key for her was to stay patient, allow her teammates to continue playing well and taking advantage of the shot opportunities she was given.
“I tried to pick up my intensity (in the second half),” Smith said. “I always play better when I’m playing as hard as I can and playing fast.”
Defensively, the key for the Sabercats was slowing down Onyenwere. She was held to five first half points which was essential for Fossil Ridge to build on their lead as the game progressed. Eventually, the Wolves were able to work their offense through Onyenwere in the second half, but it was too little, too late.
“We watched tape and we saw that she was a really good player,” Pemberton said. “We knew it was important to keep her controlled and keep her off the glass so we could come out with a win.”
The only thing now standing between Fossil Ridge and their first state title is arguably the best team in the state. Salz and his team will have a brief chance to enjoy their trip to the title game before having to face the reality of preparing for the Raiders.
“You’ve got to beat the best to be the best,” Salz said. “We’ll have to talk to our recruiting coach and see what he saw. It’s a quick turnaround and we know we have our hands full.”
The 5A state championship game will tip off at 3 p.m. on Saturday at the Coors Events Center.