Ralston Valley sophomore Ashley Van Sickle (5) brings the ball up the court after one of her nine steals Wednesday night as Dakota Ridge junior Becky Holley (23) and senior Sydney Buchli (12) attempts to cut off her path to the basket. (Dennis Pleuss)
ARVADA — Halfway through the Class 5A Jeffco League girls basketball conference schedule Ralston Valley is planted in the driver’s seat.
The Mustangs, ranked No. 8 in the latest CHSAANow.com 5A girls hoops poll, improved to 7-0 in league play Wednesday night with a 74-41 home victory against Dakota Ridge (7-9 overall, 4-3 in league).
“We have our confidence up, but we are going to have to keep it there,” Ralston Valley sophomore Sarah Bevington said after the 33-point victory. “We have to keep working hard and never let down.”
Ralston Valley sophomore Micheala Shaklee snags a rebound during the second quarter Wednesday night during the Mustangs’ 74-41 victory against Dakota Ridge. (Dennis Pleuss)
Bevington and fellow sophomore Ashley Van Sickle led the way for the Mustangs (11-4). Both just missed out on double-doubles. Bevington scored a game-high 19 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Van Sickle poured in 16 points and recorded nine steals.
“(Bevington) was doing so good,” Van Sickle said. “She kept crashing the boards and rebounding. She played great.”
Bevington actually scored Ralston Valley’s first nine points of the game. The 6-foot forward dominated down low early on. Her 3-point play midway through the first quarter gave the Mustangs a 9-2 lead.
“She (Bevington) was really big because I thought we were flat coming out,” Ralston Valley coach Jeff Gomer said. “All the sudden she gets that little run and that got us going. Once we got going we were pretty good.”
Van Sickle poured in 11 points in the first half. Senior Morgan Nishida’s 3-pointer with 4:18 left in the second quarter gave the Mustangs their biggest lead of the first half, 28-12.
Van Sickle missed four games earlier in the season, including two games during Ralston Valley’s four-game losing streak. The Mustangs dropped games to Broomfield, Fairview, Mountain Vista and Monarch before reeling off their current seven-game winning streak.
“She (Van Sickle) creates a lot for us,” Gomer said. “She is a difference maker for us.”
Ralston Valley’s defensive pressure gave Dakota Ridge fits for the majority of the game. With the Mustangs’ deep bench Gomer was able to utilize Ralston Valley running ability throughout the game.
“Our team is really good at getting steals,” Bevington said of the 18 steals the Mustangs grabbed. “We are good enough to run and get up the court. Everyone played really good.”
Nishida and sophomore Chloe Gillach each poured in nine points as 10 different Mustangs scored in the victory.
Dakota Ridge had a dozen different players score as both coaches emptied their benches in the fourth quarter. Junior Annie Kotarba led the Eagles with eight points.
Now, Ralston Valley begins the second go-around against league foes. The Mustangs travel to Arvada West to face the Wildcats on Friday. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
Gomer fully expects to see some different looks from conference foes after Ralston Valley won all seven league games by double-digits the first time around.
Dakota Ridge junior McKenzie Wilhelm (14) tries to get a shot over the arms of Ralston Valley senior Morgan Nishida (3) and sophomore Micheala Shaklee during the Class 5A Jeffco League game Wednesday night at Ralston Valley High School. (Dennis Pleuss)
“They are growing. They are young, but they are growing up,” Gomer said of his team that had just one senior. “We’ve just got to find away to stay sharp.”
Besides having the task of seven league games, Ralston Valley hosts No. 2 Broomfield on Feb. 9 in a non-league game. The Eagles handed the Mustangs’ a 21-point loss in the Fairview Festival Tournament before winter break.
“We can’t get ahead of ourselves,” Van Sickle said heading into the final three weeks of the regular season.
If Ralston Valley stays the course and remains atop the league standings it will claim the program’s fifth 5A Jeffco conference title over the past seven seasons.
Dakota Ridge returns to its home court to host Pomona on Friday. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Ralston Valley sophomore Sarah Bevington (33) goes up for a shot over a pair of Dakota Ridge defenders Wednesday night at Ralston Valley High School. Bevington poured in 19 points and grabbed nine rebounds as the No. 8 Mustangs claimed their seventh straight victory with a 74-41 win. (Dennis Pleuss)