AURORA | The Regis Jesuit girls basketball team’s quest to return to the Class 6A state championship game took a step forward Saturday night.
The 10th-seeded Raiders — last season’s 6A runner-up — rolled past No. 23 Arapahoe 60-39 in a first round matchup on their home floor to put the program into the Sweet 16 for the ninth consecutive season.
Coach Jordan Kasemodel’s Regis Jesuit team limited the Warriors to just two points in each of the first two quarters to build a double-digit lead, then held off a late rally to pick up its seventh straight win. The victory earned the Raiders a rematch with seventh-seeded Legend, which dealt them an overtime defeat back on Jan. 29 in Continental League play, with a berth in the Great 8 at the Denver Coliseum at stake.
“I think they are very focused and motivated to get back to the Coliseum,” Kasemodel said. “Our run last year gave those kids that are back a taste of what it feels like and there’s nothing better than walkin in there and seeing the lights. I think we’re very focused and in a great place right now.”
Regis Jesuit is one of three Aurora programs to advance to the Sweet 16, as it joined No. 1 Grandview (which downed No. 33 Horizon) and No. 11 Cherokee Trail (which topped No. 22 Mountain Vista, story), while No. 25 Eaglecrest, No. 28 Overland, No. 34 Vista PEAK Prep and No. 36 Rangeview all went down to defeat.
To get to the Sweet 16, the Raiders got a balanced effort in the win over Arapahoe as freshman Tiana Rogers led the way with 15 points, while senior Jane Rumpf added 12 and senior Izzy Davies nine.
Regis Jesuit didn’t need to generate a huge amount of offense given how difficult they made it for the Warriors to get on the scoreboard in the first half.
Playing without leading scorer Gianna Smith — who was injured during Arapahoe’s loss to Eaglecrest in the fifth-place game at the Centennial League Challenge — Arapahoe managed just one basket in each the first two quarters.
Rogers scored on a scoop shot with a minute left in the first quarter to put Regis Jesuit up 10-2, then scored the first basket of the second quarter for a double-digit lead. She added a layup and a three-point play to up the lead to 23-4 and freshman Khloe Miller’s finish in the pain sent the Raiders into halftime with a 21-point advantage.
Arapahoe actually outscored Regis Jesuit 18-17 in the third quarter and whittled its deficit to 14 points two minutes into the fourth quarter, but could get no closer.
“We had a bad four-minute stretch with some turnovers and Arapahoe started to hit some 3s, so it got a little tough there,” Kasemodel said. “It was a good starter game of the playoffs, where games are going to tough down the stretch. You have to find a way to keep it together.”
Kasemodel’s team hasn’t lost since its last game against Legend and she is looking forward to putting the positive gains of the last month into the rematch.
“That was seven games ago and I’ve rewatched that one and I think we’re so much better than we were in that game,” she said. “It was very back and forth and I expect that again this time.”
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at sports@sentinelcolorado.com. Twitter/X: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports
2025 CLASS 6A GIRLS BASKETBALL STATE PLAYOFFS (1ST ROUND)
(10) REGIS JESUIT 60, (23) ARAPAHOE 39
Score by quarters:
Arapahoe 2 2 18 17 — 39
Regis Jesuit 10 15 17 18 — 60
ARAPAHOE (39)
Jaya White 6 1-2 17, Caia Campbell 0 0-0 0, Willa Coyne 0 0-0 0, Hailey Kenyon 1 2-2 5, Izzy Johnston 5 0-0 12, Ava Budler 1 2-4 5, Maria Trueman 0 0-0 0, Clara Reynolds 0 0-0 0. Totals 13 5-8 39.
REGIS JESUIT (60)
Alice Lynett 3 1-4 7, Jane Rumpf 5 0-0 12, Mallory Neff 1 0-0 2, Izzy Davies 4 0-0 9, Iliana Greene 2 0-0 4, Tiana Rogers 7 1-3 15, Khloe Miller 2 2-4 6, Celie Dangler 0 2-2 2, Jada Hodges 1 0-0 2. Totals 25 6-13 60.
3-point field goals — Arapahoe (8): Jaya White 4, Izzy Johnston 2, Ava Budler, Hailey Kenyon. Regis Jesuit (3): Jane Rumpf 2, Izzy Davies. Total fouls — Arapahoe 15
