AURORA | A capsule preview of the 2023 Class 6A girls basketball state tournament Final Four contest between Grandview and Cherry Creek scheduled for March 10, 2023:
Courtney Oakes is Sentinel Colorado Sports Editor. Reach him at sports@sentinelcolorado.com.Twitter: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports
2023 CLASS 6A FINAL FOUR GIRLS BASKETBALL STATE PLAYOFF GAME
NO. 11 GRANDVIEW (17-9) vs. NO. 2 CHERRY CREEK (22-4)
March 10, 11 a.m. at Denver Coliseum
BREAKDOWN: Grandview and Cherry Creek — rivals in the Centennial League — make yet another meeting deep in the postseason as they will square off in the state tournament fourth time in the past five years. The Wolves and Bruins faced each other in the 2019 Class 5A state championship game — won by Cherry Creek in dramatic fashion — and were scheduled for a rematch in 2020 before the coronavirus pandemic wiped out the title game. Grandview defeated Cherry Creek in the Great 8 last season its way to the 5A crown. …The teams meet for the third time this season and each has one victory, as the Bruins took the regular season matchup 56-40 on Feb. 1, while the Wolves prevailed 55-36 in the semifinals of the Centennial League Tournament Feb. 16.
GRANDVIEW: Coach Josh Ulitzky’s team has just two players back who were on the floor for last season’s 5A state championship victory in senior Isa Dillehay and sophomore Sienna Betts and has steadily improved with six victories in its last seven games. Grandview opening the postseason with a 57-27 home win over No. 22 Douglas County, followed that with a 52-50 road win at No. 6 Fountain-Fort Carson in a game that was decided on a basket by Betts in the final seconds and then knocked off third-seeded Highlands Ranch 57-53 in the Great 8 (story, here). …During the week since the quarterfinal victory, Betts has been named Colorado’s Player of the Year by Gatorade (story, here), as she won an award that her graduated sister, Lauren, won the previous two seasons.
CHERRY CREEK: Coach Clint Evans’ team bounced by from a loss to Grandview in the semifinals of the Centennial League Tournament to win the third-place game and has followed that with three postseason victories. The Bruins topped No. 31 Chatfield 50-29 in the first round, followed that with a 57-40 victory over No. 15 Pine Creek in the Sweet 16 and then dispatched No. 7 Doherty 48-35 in the Great 8.
WINNER GETS: The Grandview-Cherry Creek winner advances to the 6A state championship game at 1:15 p.m. March 11, where it will face the winner of the semifinal between No. 4 Monarch and No. 8 Arapahoe.