(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
COLORADO SPRINGS — In a moment fitting for its venue, Maya Sanchez knocked down the two biggest shots of her season.
With Pueblo West tied with Colorado Springs Christian, she finally got an open look on the wing. She connected on the 3-point shot. She hit another one on the next possession, giving the CHSAANow.com Class 4A No. 1-ranked Cyclones a six-point lead over 3A’s No. 3-ranked Lions.
West never looked back. On the floor of the Broadmoor World Arena, the Cyclones avenged a 2017 loss to CSCS, coming away with a 41-30 win on the first day of the Rampart Holiday Classic.
The win came, in part because Sanchez and the Cyclones (9-0 overall) in general finally started shooting the ball better.
“This year, I haven’t (made any bigger shots),” Sanchez said. “We always practice on looking for the open teammate and that’s when they hit me. I was open.”
The West offense was out of sync, for lack of a better phrase in the first half, scoring only three total points in the first quarter. Rachel Ingram scored twice that in her own in the opening eight minutes for the Lions (5-1).
The Lions were hoping for more production offensively especially with the way they continued to press the Cyclones and create turnovers.
“We’re one of the fastest teams in the state,” CSCS coach Mark Engesser said. “That’s why we press the whole time. It wasn’t as up and down (the floor) as we would’ve liked.”
(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
Neither team could establish a rhythm offensively in the first half. As much as the press was causing issues for the Cyclones, the Lions weren’t able to take advantage. Coming in averaging 24 points per game, Megan Engesser only had three in the first half all via free throws.
“We played good team defense,” West coach Gil Lucero said. “It’s not just the girl guarding her, you have to be in good position.”
The Cyclones took a 14-12 lead into the locker room at halftime, but came out firing in the third quarter.
Baskets from Jordyn Keck and Jorden Ross helped build momentum, but it was 3-pointers from Sanchez and Aliyah Aragon that really seized momentum for West. In the fourth, Hannah Simental took control in a way that West fans are used to seeing a Simental take control.
She went to the foul line often and converted on all but one of her free throws. She ended tied with Engesser for a game-high 13 points.
The key for the Cyclones was forcing the CSCS zone to collapse and make room for the shooters on the outside.
“We made made sure to get it into the post because we get a lot of opportunities in our inside-out game,” Simental said. “We had some shooters there and had some people step up and make some shots.”
The team defense that Lucero praised kept Engesser and Ingram locked down enough that the Lions couldn’t battle back.
It was a gratifying win for the Cyclones after falling to CSCS a year ago in the same tournament.
“They’re definitely really good,” Simental said. “They’re going to go far. This is a big win for us.”
(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)