(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
HIGHLANDS RANCH — Let them play.
That’s what Paula Krueger had to tell herself as her No. 1-ranked ThunderRidge Grizzlies entered the fourth quarter locked in a tie with No. 3 Highlands Ranch.
And not coaching the team worked. She just let them play and the result was a 51-44 win for 5A’s top-ranked team.
“I just needed to let them play,” Krueger said. “My first timeout of the second half, I said — for the first time in 22 years — ‘don’t listen to me, just go play.'”
An identical combination of baskets ended the first quarter with the teams locked in a tie. Two three-pointers, two two-point field goals and two free throws left the game in a 12-12 tie.
The second quarter was anything but ideal for the Grizzlies (13-2 overall, 3-0 5A Continental League) as they could only muster five total points. They went into halftime trailing the Falcons (12-4, 2-1) by four.
On the road.
And that was when Krueger just her let her team play. They made up that four-point deficit to tie the game at 28 a piece after the third quarter. That’s when the team just got to play.
They fought off an offensive onslaught from Falcons guard Symone Starks (16) and Leilah Vigil (13) who combined for 29 of Highlands Ranch’s 44 points. They attacked the basket in the fourth quarter and made their way to the free throw line frequently.
Up 43-41, senior Jessica Zweifel connected on four straight free throw attempts with three minutes remaining to give the Grizzlies a seven point cushion. With the home crowd desperately trying pump in noise, Zweifel showed poise when stepping to the line.
“Every time I go to the gym, my dad stands next to me and screams in my ear,” she said. “It prepares me for just this type of situation.”
Zweifel led the Grizzlies with 13 points and got support in the post from Jaz’myne Snipes who added 11.
ThunderRidge only got five points from Taylor Rusk who leads the team in scoring. The ability to win a top-five match-up without getting the usual production from their leading score speaks volumes to Krueger about her team.
“I think that’s why we’re the No. 1 team in state,” she said. “The rankings only count at the end of the year but to be where we’re at right now is a credit to being able to have seven, eight, nine players who can play at any given moment.”
With both teams playing at such a high level, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see a rematch of Friday’s game sometime in the state playoffs. While a win on the road would appear to give the Grizzlies an advantage, there’s no way that Krueger would take Highlands Ranch lightly if the two teams cross paths again.
“We’re even enough that if we play each other 10 times, it’s like a coin flip,” she said. “Whatever the odds may be, but tonight we won. I’m going to enjoy it, I want my kids to enjoy it and we’re going to get right back to work tomorrow.”