LITTLETON | Grandview’s young girls basketball team made its long wait to start the 2014-15 season worth it by winning the 2014 Dakota Ridge Tournament.
Tipping-off 10 days after the first day teams were allowed to open regular season play, the Wolves finished off a 3-0 run in their season-opening tournament with a 66-56 victory over previously undefeated Monarch on Dec. 13.
Junior Kayla Vallin contributed a career-high 12 points, freshman Jaiden Galloway added 11 and six Grandview players tallied seven or more points for coach Josh Ulitzky’s team, which moved to 3-0 on the season despite an off game offensively for sophomore star Michaela Onyenwere.
Gateway (1-5) dropped a 78-59 decision to Ponderosa in the seventh-place game despite Carmen Ramey’s 21 points.
Onyenwere, an All-State and All-City first team selection last season as a freshman, poured in 29 points in Grandview’s opening round contest on Dec. 11, a 72-53 rout of Fort Collins. She found less success against Monarch, as she battled foul trouble and managed just nine points, though she did contribute a team-high eight rebounds.
Vallin picked up some slack with her 12-point performance, while sophomore Kennede Brown scored seven points and had five rebounds and five assists to spark the Wolves.
Courtney Oakes is Sports Editor of the Aurora Sentinel. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. FB: Aurora Prep Sentinel
2014 DAKOTA RIDGE GIRLS BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT
Championship: GRANDVIEW 66, Monarch 56
Grandview 17 19 15 15 — 66
Monarch 16 11 13 16 — 56
Grandview points: Kayla Vallin 12, Jaiden Galloway 11, Lenzi Hudson 9, Michaeala Onyenwere 9, Kennede Brown 7, Sierra Penn 7, Alexus Gash 4, Hannah Hasstedt 4, Cristina Salazar 3
Championship semifinal: GRANDVIEW 52, Mesa Ridge 50
Score by quarters:
Mesa Ridge 11 19 14 6 — 50
Grandview 10 11 11 20 — 52
First round: GRANDVIEW 72, Fort Collins 53
Score by quarters:
Fort Collins 11 12 13 17 — 53
Grandview 20 20 20 12 — 72
Grandview points: Michaela Onyenwere 29, Kennede Brown 14, Lenzi Hudson 9, Jaiden Galloway 8, Sierra Penn 6, Kayla Vallin 5, Lauren Pritchard 1
Seventh-place game: Ponderosa 78, GATEWAY 59
Score by quarters:
Ponderosa 19 25 14 20 — 78
Gateway 14 17 15 13 — 59
Gateway points: Carmen Ramey 21, Taylor Bender 12, Ashley Ramey 9, Aerial Brown 8, Makayla Jones 7, Kierra Littleton 1, Parys Wilkinson 1
Consolation semifinal: Fort Collins 54, GATEWAY 28
Score by quarters:
Gateway 5 4 6 13 — 28
Fort Collins 12 18 15 9 — 54
Gateway points: Carmen Ramey 12, Ashley Ramey 4, Kierra Littleton 3, Taylor Bender 2, Aerial Brown 2, Parys Wilkinson 1
First round: Mesa Ridge 62, GATEWAY 33
Score by quarters:
Mesa Ridge 16 11 22 13 — 62
Gateway 6 12 4 11 — 33
Full tournament results, here.
