ThunderRidge is moving on to the 5A title game. More photos. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)
BOULDER — If there was one play that summed up Thursday night’s Class 5A girls basketball semifinal matchup in which the ThunderRidge Grizzlies topped the Monarch Coyotes 46-31, it was this: ThunderRidge forward Jaz’Myne Snipes missing an easy bunny at the rim, only to get the rebound and lay it in while getting knocked to the ground.
It was that kind of game — a knock-down, physical affair that only really got going in the second half. Both squads came out slow out of the gate, but the Grizzlies were able to stake themselves to an early 9-3 lead by finding a few seams in an otherwise stout Monarch defense.
Still, despite the early advantage, things looked out of sorts for the Grizzlies, who usually try and push the pace and run up the score on opponents.
“We struggled a little bit to put the ball in the hole. Their zone slowed us down a little bit. It put us into a half-court offense and I think it put us back on our heels,” said ThunderRidge head coach Paula Kruger. “Thank God for our defense. These kids do whatever it takes to win. It doesn’t have to be pretty; it just has to be a W at the end.”
With the Grizzlies were up early, it looked like the game might get away from the Coyotes before it could really begin. But Monarch guard Raegen Rohn was able to stop the bleeding, thanks to a couple pull-ups late in the first that kept the Coyotes within striking distance.
More photos. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)
The game didn’t get much faster in the second quarter — with both teams shooting just around 25 percent from the field, ThunderRidge maintained their slight edge, 18-14 heading into halftime.
After the break, however, things began to heat up, and Snipes really began to shine. Muscling her way into position and for big rebounds, the five-foot-eleven junior, along with fellow junior forward Taylor Rusk, were able to give the Grizzlies a little breathing room.
Rusk finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds on the night, while Snipes added 14 points and 8 boards.
“After halftime I think we realized we just needed to breath. We were up, we only let up 14 points, but with our style, we should have had more points than that,” said Snipes. “We were settling for threes. So we decided to attack more, penetrate, and shots started falling for us.”
It helped that the Coyotes began getting loose with the ball. Monarch turned the ball over six times in the third quarter and 14 times in the game, and ThunderRidge was able to turn those turnovers into easy fast-break points and grow their lead to nine, 32-23, at the end of three.
From there, ThunderRidge just had to hang on — though it wasn’t always easy with Rohn handling the ball for Monarch. She finished with 16 points in her final game with the Coyotes.
The win means that ThunderRidge will square off against Broomfield Saturday to try and win their first 5A state championship since 2005. The two squads have already seen each other twice this year, with ThunderRidge winning both matchups.
For second-year head coach Krueger, it’s her chance to add to the already storied tradition of Grizzlies basketball after taking over the team last season.
“I’ve played in three state tournaments; I’ve played in three national championship games. I coach in three national tournaments, and I was an assistant coach in a couple high school tournaments,” said Krueger. “ Seeing the joy these kids have in being here is far greater for me than any personal accomplishment.
This is a really good basketball team, and they’ve set themselves up to be here at the beginning of the year. I couldn’t be happier for these kids.”
Tip-off is set for 3 p.m. at the CU Event Center in Boulder.