DENVER | Capsule preview of the Class 5A girl state basketball championship game between Grandview and Valor Christian scheduled for March 12, 2022, at Denver Coliseum:
Courtney Oakes is Sentinel Colorado Sports Editor. Reach him at sports@sentinelcolorado.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports
NO. 3 GRANDVIEW (17-9) VS. NO. 1 VALOR CHRISTIAN (23-3)
5 p.m., Denver Coliseum
BREAKDOWN: Grandview and Valor Christian meet for the third time in the deep rounds of the Class 5A state playoffs following head-to-head matchups in the Great 8 in 2019 and the Final Four in 2020, games both won by the Wolves. The powerhouse programs also met in a non-league matchup during the regular season in a game Grandview won 59-52 on its home floor as senior Marya Hudgins had 13 points, senior Amaya Charles 12 and senior Lauren Betts 10. Freshman Quinn VanSickle led Valor Christian with a game-high 17 points in that contest, while junior Macey Huard added 13 and senior Raegan Beers 12.
GRANDVIEW: Coach Josh Ulitzky’s Wolves have been to the Final Four of the 5A state playoffs in seven consecutive seasons and now have won five times in that round to make the state championship game, a span in which they won back-to-back titles in 2017 and 2018, lost to rival Cherry Creek in 2019 and got denied the chance to play the Bruins again in the final in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Centennial League champion Grandview has won 12 games in a row following two losses in Minnesota against nationally-ranked DeSoto (Texas) and Hopkins (Minnesota), a streak that includes postseason wins over No. 30 Pueblo West (86-31 Feb. 25), No. 19 Pine Creek (67-29 March 1), No. 6 Cherry Creek (70-38 March 4) and finally No. 2 Highlands Ranch (65-51 in the semifinals March 10). In that postseason run, Betts and Hudgins both have scored 20 points or more three times with Betts leading the way slightly in scoring average at 19.75 points per game to 19.5 for Hudgins. Betts — a 6-foot-7 Stanford University signee, McDonald’s All-American selection and recently-crowned Gatorade Colorado Player of the Year — has also averaged 16 rebounds and 5 blocked shots per game in the postseason. Freshman Sienna Betts is the other Grandview player who has scored in double figures in all four games and has averaged 12 per contest and Charles has been good for 9 per game in the playoffs. Sophomore Gabriella Cunningham has scored in double figures once in the playoffs as well. The Wolves have kept a tight rotation in the playoffs with junior Isa Dillehay and freshman Paetyn Lewis …For the season, Hudgins has scored more points, but played in three more games than Lauren Betts, so Betts leads in scoring average at 17.3 per contest to 16.3 for Hudgins, a Santa Clara signee.
VALOR CHRISTIAN: Coach Jessika Caldwell’s Eagles have been to the Final Four of the 5A state playoffs in three consecutive seasons and have now made the final game for a second straight year after winning the title in 2021. Since Valor Christian lost to Grandview on Jan. 8, it has reeled off 16 consecutive victories, which includes postseason wins over No. 32 Mountain Vista (61-15 Feb. 25), No. 17 Air Academy (80-53 March 1), No. 8 Chaparral (54-55 March 4) and finally No. 5 Arapahoe (65-49 in the semifinals March 10). Beers — a 6-foot-3 center who has signed with Oregon State and joined Lauren Betts as a McDonald’s All-American Game selection — has averaged 20.75 points per game in the postseason along with 11.75 rebounds and 3.75 blocked shots as well. Huard has averaged 13.75 points in the postseason, senior Mariah Hilliard chips in 13.25 per contest and VanSickle — younger sister of former Regis Jesuit standout Avery VanSickle — has contributed 11 points per game in the playoffs. …For the season, Beers has scored in double figures in all 26 games and leads the way with an average of 19.8 points per game, followed by Huard (12.9 ppg), VanSickle (11.7 ppg) and Hillard (9.4 ppg), while each of the latter trio have knocked down 39 or more 3-pointers on the season, led by VanSickle with 47. Beers also leads the team with an average of 13.2 rebounds, steals (3.0 spg) and blocked shots (2.1 bpg), while VanSickle tops the team in assists as 2.3 per contest.
WINNER GETS: The Grandview-Valor Christian winner gets to hoist the Class 5A state championship trophy, which would be the third all-time for the Wolves and second all-time for the Eagles.
