AURORA | Preview capsule for the 2017 Class 5A girls state basketball Sweet 16 matchup of Arapahoe at Grandview on Feb. 28, 2017:
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. FB: Aurora Prep Sentinel
AURORA 2017 GIRLS 5A SWEET 16 PREVIEW CAPSULE
NO. 15 ARAPAHOE (16-8) AT NO. 2 GRANDVIEW (23-1), 7 P.M.
BREAKDOWN: This Kay Garms Regional contest pits an Arapahoe team, winner of three of its last four games, against a Grandview team that has won 17 straight games since its only loss, which came out of state. The Warriors and Wolves play for the third time this season, with Grandview looking for a sweep of its fellow Centennial League foe after a 76-33 home win on Jan. 6 and a 67-36 road victory on Feb. 1. The Wolves have won the last four meetings of the teams following a three-point loss to the Warriors during the 2014-15 season.
ARAPAHOE: The Warriors made it to 5A’s Sweet 16 for the second straight season by following up a first round bye with a 49-42 second round victory over No. 18 Chaparral Feb. 24. Coach Jerry Knafelc’s team trailed the Wolverines early, but worked its way into the lead by halftime and put it away with a strong performance in the fourth quarter. Senior G Maddie Matthews tormented Chaparral for the second time this season as she scored 20 points in Arapahoe’s non-league win on Dec. 15, 2016, and followed that up with a season-high 29-point effort in the playoffs. Senior G Macy Ziegler added nine for the Warriors in a low-scoring affair for Arapahoe…For the season, Ziegler (11.9 points per game) and Matthews (11.5 ppg) were the clear scoring leaders for the Warriors, while Matthews led the way in rebounding (5.4 per game), with help from senior F Elianna Kearby (5.1 rpg). In two games against Grandview, Ziegler was the most effective offensively by scoring in double figures in both contests.
GRANDVIEW: The Wolves have made it to at least the Sweet 16 round of the 5A playoffs for six straight seasons and they aim to make the Final Four for the fourth time in five seasons. Following a first round bye, coach Josh Ulitzky’s Grandview team dismantled Dakota Ridge 88-31 in the second round Feb. 24. Senior G Michaela Onyenwere — who before the game was presented with a jersey as part of her selection to the McDonald’s All-American Game March 29 in Chicago — made all 10 of her field goal attempts from the field and scored 21 points in limited action, while junior F Leilah Vigil added 16 and sophomore C Alisha Davis had 15 as the Wolves were unstoppable in the paint. Ten of the 11 Grandview players who appeared in the game scored at least two points…For the season Onyenwere leads the Wolves with an average of 20.1 points per game, which is almost the exact average she’s had against Arapahoe this season (with 40 points in two games), while Vigil — in her first season with the team after transferring from Highlands Ranch — is next at 13.9 points per game, with Davis third at 9.7 per contest. Junior G Jaiden Galloway has been better than her 7.2 points per game average in both contests with the Warriors, as she had 14 points in the first meeting and eight more in the second. Senior G Lenzi Hudson match her season-high of 11 points in the second meeting with Arapahoe. Onyenwere (8.8) and Vigil (8.6) sit at the top of the Grandview leaderboard in rebounding, while Galloway (3.9 apg) and senior G Kennede Brown (3.0) lead the way in assists.
WINNER GETS: The Arapahoe-Grandview winner moves on to the Great 8 to face either No. 23 Fairview or No. 7 Doherty. The Great 8 game on March 3 at the Denver Coliseum will decide the winner of the Kay Garms Region and a semifinal spot.