(Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
DENVER — Fossil Ridge girls basketball came out on fire in Friday’s Great 8 matchup with Fruita Monument.
The Sabercats, seeded No. 8, upset the top-seeded Wildcats 58-52 thanks in large part to a 12-0 run they had to start the game in the Class 5A quarterfinals at the Denver Coliseum.
“They took the lead from the start and never let off the gas,” said Fossil Ridge coach Chad Salz.
“I don’t think we thought we were going to come out that way,” added Fossil Ridge guard Katey Guzman. “But we knocked down shots that we knew we could make.”
Fruita Monument clawed its way back after playing catch-up the whole game — cutting the margin to 45-42 with 2:12 to play, and 50-47 with a minute left — but Fossil Ridge closed the game out with some clutch free-throw shooting and game management.
Included was senior Reilly Dunn draining two free throws with 22.3 seconds left to make it 54-49.
“Defense was the key to us winning,” Guzman said.
Fossil Ridge’s early run was keyed by defense and 3-point shooting. Guzman, the team’s senior point guard, played a big part with nine first-quarter points. She finished with 15.
Ashley Steffeck also had a big game for Fossil Ridge with 15 points, while Sophia Hadad added 12, and Dunn scored 10.
“We shot lights-out the first half,” Salz said. “I don’t think we’ve shot like that all year.”
And though the Wildcats did bounce back — Fruita didn’t hit its first field goal until 2:10 remained in the frame, but trailed 16-7 after the first quarter — they never did get comfortable against Fossil’s pressing defense.
“We hang our hat on our defense, all of our different traps,” Salz said. “We controlled the tempo, and that’s what we wanted.”
“Our press was annoying them,” Guzman added.
(Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
Fossil Ridge held a 27-18 lead at halftime, which Fruita Monument cut into to make it an eight-point game at one point, but the Sabercats again hit big shots when they needed them and led 39-25 after three.
Fruita trimmed that margin to 39-33 in the fourth quarter, but Fossil’s smothering defense clamped down — and its offense pushed the lead to 43-33 with five minutes to play.
Fruita Monument turned the ball over 22 times, and Fossil Ridge was also effective on the boards, holding a 31-26 advantage, including 13 offensive rebounds.
Fossil Ridge (20-5) advances to next week’s Final 4, also held at the Coliseum. The Sabercats will face Grandview, which edged Highlands Ranch in a dramatic semifinal on Thursday.
“I don’t have words for it. It’s very exciting,” Guzman said. “We did this because we are a family.”
It will be Fossil’s first semifinal appearance since 2014; the team had advanced to the Sweet 16 two of the past three seasons.
Fruita Monument ends its great season at 23-3, including an unbeaten run through the Southwestern League.
Seniors Riley Snyder (19 points), Mackenzie Wells (14) and Angelique Gall (10) led the Wildcats in scoring on Thursday.