Lakewood and Cherry Creek battled it out in the Class 5A state semifinals Thursday at the Denver Coliseum. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
DENVER — It was a showdown between the two Cinderella stories remaining in the Class 5A girls basketball state tournament late Thursday night.
No. 12-seeded Cherry Creek and No. 9 Lakewood faced off with the winner dancing into the 5A championship game against No. 2 Grandview. It didn’t strike midnight for Lakewood. The dream of capturing its first girls basketball title in the program’s history stayed alive with a 52-38 victory for the Tigers at the Denver Coliseum.
“For three years we’ve inspired to be here. We’ve inspired to do this,” Lakewood junior Hannah Renstrom said. “This was a team effort, a school-wide effort.”
(Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
It will be the first appearance for Lakewood in a girls basketball state championship game. It was also a nice birthday gift for Lakewood coach Chris Poisson who was able to celebrate his 43rd birthday Thursday in style.
“This is the best present to get,” Poisson said. “It would be sweet to get the whole thing, but we’ll take this right now.”
Lakewood (22-5 record) had tremendous scoring balance with juniors Camilla Emsbo (13 points), Jessica Woodhead (11 points), Hannah Renstrom (13 points) and Sassy Coleman (9 points) all in or around double-digit points.
“That’s what makes the game fun, when you play as a team,” Camilla Emsbo said. “Everyone played their roll. Everyone fought.”
The Tigers also dominated the boards with Coleman and Camilla with 10 rebounds each and Camilla’s twin sister Kira Emsbo hauling in 9 rebounds.
Lakewood had a key 9-0 run in the third quarter and a 7-0 run to start the fourth quarter gave the Tigers’ their first double-digit lead of the night. Lakewood sealed the deal defensively holding Cherry Creek scoreless for the majority of the fourth quarter.
(Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
“We topped it. We came out with the exact same intensity we came out last week,” Camilla Emsbo said. “There is no one who can beat us if we play like that.”
It’s been a historic run for Lakewood as it advanced to its first Final 4 in the program’s history. The Tigers had made four straight trips to the Great 8 since 2014, but last Friday’s upset victory against top-seeded Highlands Ranch was the first time Lakewood was able to break into the state semifinals.
Lakewood grabbed a 26-23 lead at halftime against Cherry Creek thanks to a 10-0 run in the first quarter. Cherry Creek senior Delaney Bernard was hot in the first quarter for the Bruins going 4-for-4 from the field for 11 points in the opening 8 minutes. The trio of 3-pointers by Bernard gave Cherry Creek a 7-point lead before the Tigers started to chip away.
Bernard ended up leading the Bruins in scoring with 14 points.
Despite 101 girls state team titles — according to the CHSAANow.com state database — the Bruins (19-8) have never won a girls basketball state title. Most recently, Cherry Creek reached the 5A state title game in 2004 and 1999.
It will be a tall over for Lakewood in the 5A state championship game 6:30 p.m. Saturday, March 11, at the Coliseum. The Tigers face Grandview who took care of Regis Jesuit with ease 60-27 in the first 5A semifinal Thursday night.
“I have nothing by respect for Grandview. They have earned what they have and we’ve earned what we have,” Renstrom said. “People have been saying that Lakewood can’t do it, but we’ve been proving them wrong. On Saturday, I hope both teams play their hearts out and we’ll see what happens.”
The Wolves (26-1) are on a 20-game winning streak and have defeated every in-state opponent by double-digit points. Including sweeping Cherry Creek in both meetings Centennial League meetings by a total of 34 points. Grandview hasn’t faced Lakewood yet this season.
UCLA-bound senior Michaela Onyenwere has scored at least 20 points in her last six games. She had 25 points against Regis to advance Grandview to its first girls basketball title game. The Wolves had lost in the state semifinals three times in their history.
(Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)