(Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
DENVER — On a similar weekend, a similar matchup had a similar result. Horizon came into the Class 5A girls Great 8 as the higher seed and perceived favorite. But in the end, it was Regis Jesuit who came away with a Final 4 appearance.
The Raiders came away with a 57-43 win on Thursday and advanced once again to the Class 5A Final 4.
“To start the quarter, they shot the heck out of the ball,” Regis coach Carl Mattei said of Horizon. “They made it difficult for us and we had to change our defense up.”
It felt like every early shot the Hawks were putting up sliced through the nets at the Denver Coliseum. They jumped out to a 14-7 lead after the first quarter and despite Regis briefly taking a lead, went into halftime ahead 26-25.
But in that second quarter, Avery Vansickle planted the seeds for what would be a defining second half for Regis. She led the Raiders with nine points in the first 16 minutes and got over her freshman nerves fairly quickly.
“You just have to get used to the game; used to the team,” Vansickle said. “The whole experience has been the best thing ever for me.”
She didn’t score in the third quarter, but Jada Moore scored all seven of her points in the third and the Raiders built a 43-31 lead.
It was the defense in that quarter though that proved to be the d
(Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
ifference. At halftime, the Hawks were shooting with near 50 percent efficiency. In the third, the Raiders allowed less open looks and Horizon went just 2 for 14 from the field.
“We wanted to keep them under seven points and we held them to five,” Mattei said. “That’s been the biggest thing all year. If somebody is not shooting well, we have good athletes and we can defend it.”
Vansickle led the Raiders with 12 points, shooting 35 percent from the field. She’s not like the more experience players that beat Horizon last year only to fall to eventual state champion Grandview.
With her initial nerves of playing at the Coliseum now past her, she just wants to do what she can to help the Raiders come away with their fourth state title.
“I expect us to play as hard as we can, just like today,” she said. “Count on our defense and come out trusting one another.”
The win comes 52 weeks to the day after the then-No. 11 Raiders beat the Hawks in last year’s Great 8 round. The Raiders last won the state title in 2014, but missed the Final 4 in 2015 and 2016.
Horizon finishes the year 23-3 and will lose three seniors, including Izzy Allen, to graduation.
The Raiders will play Lakewood in next Thursday’s semifinal game.