AURORA | Shots were falling and the Arapahoe girls basketball team was riding high early in Tuesday night’s Class 5A girls state basketball Sweet 16 contest at Grandview.
Then the second-seeded Wolves got serious.
Grandview ripped off the last 17 points of the first half and the first 10 of the second half on a stunning 27-point run that put it in full command on its way to an 82-44 victory over the 15th-seeded Warriors and a berth in Friday’s Great 8. Coach Josh Ulitzky’s Wolves (24-1) take on No. 7 Doherty (24-1) at 7 p.m. at the Denver Coliseum in the third of four quarterfinal contests.
Aurora’s other Great 8 qualifier, 11th-seeded Regis Jesuit, advanced on the opposite end of the spectrum with a nail-biting 49-45 road win at No. 6 Fossil Ridge. The Raiders take on Horizon at 8:30 p.m. in the Great 8 nightcap that begins at 4 p.m. with No. 12 Cherry Creek against No. 4 Ralston Valley, followed by No. 9 Lakewood against No. 1 Highlands Ranch at 5:30 p.m.
In her final game on her home floor, Grandview senior star Michaela Onyenwere racked up 25 points and was joined in double figures by junior Leilah Vigil (16), sophomore Alisha Davis (15) and junior Jaiden Galloway (12) in a balanced effort that saw the Wolves dominate inside and outside to win for the third time against fellow Centennial League team Arapahoe.
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or [email protected] Twitter: @aurorasports. FB: Aurora Prep Sentinel
(2) GRANDVIEW 82, (15) ARAPAHOE 44
Score by quarters:
Arapahoe 12 7 14 11 — 44
Grandview 22 24 21 15 — 72
Grandview points: Michaela Onyenwere 25, Leilah Vigil 16, Alisha Davis 15, Jaiden Galloway 12, Allyah Marlett 7, Kennede Brown 5, Lenzi Hudson 2
