GOLDEN — Evergreen girls basketball team sent a reminder to the rest of the Class 4A squads in the state Wednesday night.
The message … the Cougars are still the defending 4A state champions.
“Definitely the girls wanted to play with a purpose tonight and they did,” said Evergreen coach Amy Bahl, who guided the Cougars to the program’s first girls basketball state title last season. “They took care of business and executed well.”
Evergreen senior Baylee Galan-Browne (11) scored the final seven points for the Cougars on Wednesday. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
Evergreen, ranked No. 4 in the latest CHSAANow.com 4A girls basketball poll, dominated the final minutes against No. 2 ranked Golden on the Demons’ home court. The Cougars’ 9-0 run in the final three minutes lead to a 50-40 victory and a 2-game lead in the competitive 4A Jeffco League.
“I’m so excited,” Evergreen senior guard Baylee Galan-Browne said when asked how it feels to have a 2-game lead in conference play with seven league games remaining. “I can’t wait for what the rest of the season is going to bring for us.”
Galen-Browne (13 points) actually scored the final seven points for the Cougars. Her 3-pointer with 1:38 left in the fourth quarter pushed the Cougars’ lead to 46-38.
Golden (14-2, 5-2 in 4A Jeffco) held a 36-33 lead when senior Abby Garrett hit a pair of free throws with 5:45 left in the fourth quarter. However, Evergreen (14-1, 7-0) outscored the Demons 17-4 down the stretch to take the big road victory in the top-5 showdown.
“Guard play definitely stepped up tremendously tonight,” Bahl said of Galan-Browne and senior Kristina Schreiber combining to score Evergreen’s final 13 points. “I just told them to be aggressive and don’t be hesitant.”
Golden’s Makena Prey, left, attempts to drive past Evergreen’s Hayley Dillon. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
Evergreen senior Meriel Hahn scored her 12 points in the first three quarters.
“It was great to see Meriel have such a great game,” Galan-Browne said. “We are going to need that because teams are going to double Claudia (Dillon).”
The Cougars’ leading scorer, 6-foot-2 junior Claudia Dillon, was scoreless in the first half, but finished with 11 points.
Golden had its 3-game winning streak snapped. Abby Garrett finished with a game-high 16 points for the Demons. Senior Makena Prey (12 points) and sophomore Elli Garrett (10 points) also finished in double-digit points.
The Demons will try to get back on track on the road against No. 10 D’Evelyn (12-4, 5-2) at 7 p.m. Friday.
Evergreen is also on the road at 7 p.m. Friday. The Cougars face Standley Lake (11-5, 3-4) as the second go-around against league opponents begins.
“It’s good, but the Jeffco League is tough,” Bahl said of the 2-game cushion. “Still, it doesn’t necessarily guarantee anything because of the tough conference we play in.”
Evergreen’s Hannah Kennedy, left, and Golden’s Abby Garnett battle for the ball. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)