Michaela Onyenwere walked around the Denver Coliseum cradling the Class 5A state championship trophy like a newborn baby March 11.
The prize that she had chased for the last four years and poured everything she had into winning was finally hers after the Wolves’ decisive 61-32 victory over Lakewood in the 5A state championship game.
With even an extra edge to her game than usual, the three-time Colorado Gatorade Player of the Year matched the Tigers’ entire output with 21 points in the first half and finished with 25 as Grandview cruised to the program’s first ever girls basketball title.
The frustrations of three previous trips that fell short all disappeared for Onyenwere as she lovingly clutched the trophy.
“I think the past all goes away; we know how hard we worked and we finally got what we wanted,” Onyenwere said. “To come up short three times, it doesn’t matter with this win. I don’t even care about that.
“All I know is that we won a state championship.”
Indeed coach Josh Ulitzky’s team finally got the title that had eluded the program, which has been steadily working its way into elite status over the last decade.
The Wolves came into the season with high expectations and a veteran lineup that included Onyenwere and fellow seniors Kennede Brown and Lenzi Hudson, plus junior Jaiden Galloway, sophomores Alisha Davis and Allyah Marlett and a few others who saw some playing time a year ago when Grandview lost to ThunderRidge in the semifinals.
Then junior Leilah Vigil arrived as a transfer from Highlands Ranch — which lost to ThunderRidge in last season’s state championship game — to give the program the final push it needed.
The work that went into making sure a disappointment like last season didn’t happen again came out as the Wolves left no doubt. They beat every team from Colorado they faced and suffered their only loss of the season to a nationally-ranked team at the Nike Tournament of Champions in Arizona.
“I’m just so happy for them and I’m so glad I got the opportunity to work with such a great group of kids,” said Ulitzky, who finally allowed himself to crack a smile when the clock hit all zeroes.
Lakewood ended Onyenwere’s phenomenal sophomore season with a double overtime victory over the Wolves in the second round of the 2014-15 playoffs and the Tigers stood in Grandview’s way again in the postseason.
Both teams played in the final for the first time — the Wolves after a win over Regis Jesuit in an all-Aurora semifinal March 9 and Lakewood after a victory over Cherry Creek in the other semifinal — but Grandview looked like a team used to playing on the biggest stage.
Fueled by Onyenwere’s hot start — she went 8-for-8 from the field — the Wolves doubled up Lakewood after one quarter and continued to pour it on.
They were up by 18 points by the break and had the same lead after three quarter. A 13-2 fourth quarter by Grandview put the game away, as the air was heavy with the anticipation of a championship celebration.
One by one, Ulitzky removed his regulars from the floor in the closing minutes, with Onyenwere the last to come off.
“It was hard to hold it in until the end,” Brown said. “It took so much hard work and dedication to get to this moment. There was never any doubt.”
Hudson poured in 10 points as the only other player in double figures for her team and couldn’t contain her tears of joy at the end.
“It’s so unreal; all of our hard work paid off and it feels so, so good,” Hudson said.
“We stayed positive every game and we kept each others heads up every game no matter what. I’m just so, so happy.”
From the start of the season, Onyenwere saw the value of all the pieces of her team and it allowed her to take a bit of a step back and not do so much.
“I definitely learned that I can score 43 points or whatever, but at the end of the day this is a team game,” Onyenwere said. “I know these girls are my sisters and we trust and love each other. I think that showed in how we played.”
The spectre of last season’s semifinal loss — which ended Grandview’s undefeated season a step short of a state championship — proved important to the championship recipe as well.
“Last year we knew how it felt to lose and we did not want to feel that again,” Galloway said. “We came and played our hearts out and we made sure it didn’t happen.”
Vigil felt the sting of defeat in last season’s final — which was magnified hours after that game with news of the tragic death of Lakewood’s Mackenzie Forrest, one of her good friends — so the exhilaration of a championship victory also took on extra dimension.
“Honestly, this game was for Mac,” Vigil said. “She was a such a good friend and it means everything to be playing Lakewood in this game. I’m proud of them for getting here without her … I’m really glad we won, though.”
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. FB: Aurora Prep Sentinel
(2) GRANDVIEW 61, (9) LAKEWOOD 32
Score by quarters:
Lakewood 9 12 9 2 — 32
Grandview 18 21 9 13 — 61
LAKEWOOD (32)
Camilla Embsbo 8 2-2 20, Jessica Woodhead 0 0-1 0, Hannah Renstrom 1 0-0 2, Kira Emsbo 3 1-7 8, Sassy Coleman 0 0-0 0, Gaby Hayden 1 0-0 2, Nadia Trevino 0 0-0 0. Totals 13 3-10 32.
GRANDVIEW (61)
Jaiden Galloway 3 0-0 6, Alisha Davis 2 1-2 5, Michaela Onyenwere 9 7-7 25, Kennede Brown 0 0-2 0, Leilah Vigil 4 0-2 8, Lenzi Hudson 4 0-0 10, Allyah Marlett 1 2-2 5, Sariah Serrano 0 0-0 0, Kameryn Brown 1 0-0 2. Totals
3-point field goals — Lakewood (3): Camilla Embsbo 2, Kira Embsbo; Grandview (3): Lenzi Hudson 2, Allyah Marlett. Total fouls — Lakewood 10, Grandview 15. Fouled out — None. Technical fouls — None.
