THORNTON — Experience paid dividends for Horizon on Tuesday night.
The No. 7-seeded Hawks leaned on their eight seniors to earn a fourth-straight trip to the Great 8 of Class 5A girls basketball state tournament. Horizon never trailed against No. 10 Ralston Valley on the way to a 58-40 victory.
Horizon senior Aly Jimenez, right, scored a game-high 18 points Tuesday night in the Hawks’ 58-40 playoff victory over Ralston Valley. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
“It feels awesome,” Horizon senior Sam Deems said of a fourth consecutive trip to state quarterfinals at the Denver Coliseum. “We’ve just got to get over another hump. I’m not losing in the Great 8 again. Regis better watch out. Underdogs are the best story. Here we come.”
The state quarterfinal test won’t be an easy task for Horizon (21-4 record). Last year’s state runner-up and No. 2 seed Regis Jesuit is next up for the Hawks. The Raiders defeated Denver East by a 72-15 margin Tuesday night in their Sweet 16 game.
Regis (22-3) went on a 47-0 run during the dominating performance against the No. 15 Denver East.
“For us we have nothing to lose,” Horizon senior Aly Jimenez said of facing the Raiders for the third straight year in the state quarterfinals. “We aren’t going to think about those last two years. We have eight seniors, it would be our last game if we lose and we don’t want that.”
Deems and Jimenez played huge roles as both played their final game at “The Nest”. The seniors combined for 35 points to lead the way for the Hawks. Deem poured in 17 points through three quarters and Jimenez put the game away with a 10-point third quarter.
The biggest play came in the final seconds of the third quarter. Ralston Valley (18-7) had made a little run and threatened to cut the Hawks’ lead under double-digit points to start the fourth quarter. However, Jimenez stole the ball near mid-court and raced down the court for an uncontested layup at the buzzer to extend Horizon’s lead to 46-31 heading to the final quarter.
Horizon senior Arielle Wisne (25) makes a move in the post during the fourth quarter Tuesday night. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
“You always need those big plays to get you back on track,” Jimenez said of her steal and layup to end the third quarter. “I took a risk. I just had to go for it. I think that gave us some momentum going into the fourth.”
Ralston Valley sophomores Sydney Bevington (17 points) and Brooklyn Seymour (12 points) tried to keep the Mustangs in the game. Ralston Valley was attempting to advance to its fifth straight Great 8 appearance, but couldn’t keep up with the high-flying Hawks.
“Ralston Valley is a young and up-and-coming team. They are going to be really dangerous next year,” Horizon coach Dan Doehler said. “But they only returned two players with Sweet 16 winning experience and I returned nine players. We’ve been here and done that.”
Longtime Ralston Valley coach Jeff Gomer was pleased with the progress of his young team this season.
“I like this team,” Gomer said. “I think this team has grown more over the span of a season more than any I’ve ever coached. They’ve come a long way.”
Horizon would like to extend its season a little bit longer heading into Friday’s state quarterfinal game against Regis. Doehler doesn’t mind having another shot against the Raiders.
“Third time is the charm,” Doehler said. “They are in our bracket again and we want it that way. We felt like we had them on the ropes last year being up on them at halftime. We kind of ran out of gas. We have unfinished business and we are so excited to match up against one of the best teams in the state.”
Ralston Valley sophomore Brooklyn Seymour (14) drives on Horizon senior Sam Deem during the first half Tuesday night. Horizon took the victory to advance to its fourth straight Great 8, while the loss ended Ralston Valley’s Great 8 appearance string at four years. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)