AURORA | Capsule preview of the 2022 Class 5A girls state basketball Final Four contest between Grandview and Highlands Ranch scheduled for March 10, 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 (16-9) VS. NO. 2 HIGHLANDS RANCH (21-4)
8:30 p.m., Denver Coliseum
BREAKDOWN: Grandview and Highlands Ranch meet for the fourth time in the Class 5A state playoffs, but for the first time since 2018. The Falcons own the advantage in the series in three meetings with victories over the Wolves in the second round of the 2007 playoffs as well as the Great 8 round in 2012, while Grandview prevailed the last time the teams played in the Great 8 in 2018.
GRANDVIEW: Coach Josh Ulitzky’s Wolves have earned a spot in 5A’s Final Four for the seventh consecutive season and with a win can advance to the state championship game for the fifth time in the past six seasons (though the 2020 title game was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Centennial League champion Grandview has won 11 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) and No. 6 Cherry Creek (70-38 March 4). Seniors Lauren Betts and Marya Hudgins share leading scorer honors for the Wolves in the postseason as each has averaged 19 points per game in the three contests and both have two games of 20 points or more. Freshman Sienna Betts has scored in double figures in all three postseason games as well, while senior Amaya Charles has done it twice and sophomore Gabriella Cunningham once. Lauren Betts — a 6-foot-7 Stanford University signee who was just crowned Gatorade’s Colorado Player of the Year for a second straight season (story, here) — has also averaged 15.3 rebounds and five blocked shots per game in the postseason. …For the season, Lauren Betts leads Grandview in scoring (17.1 ppg), rebounding (10.8 rpg), blocked shots (3.5 bpg) and is tied for the top spot in assists (3.5 apg), while Hudgins — a Santa Clara signee — is next in scoring at 16.2 points per game (keyed by a team-high 37 made 3-pointers), followed by Sienna Betts at 10.4 points per game in addition to a team-high average of 3.5 assists per game and 9.2 rebounds per contest that ranks second to her older sister. Charles (who has made 23 3-pointers) averages 6.2 points and 2.8 assists per game.
HIGHLANDS RANCH: Coach Caryn Jarocki’s Falcons appear in 5A’s Final Four for the fourth straight season, last missing out in 2018 when Grandview defeated them in the Great 8, however the program’s last season championship game appearance came in 2016. Highlands Ranch is currently tied for the second-most girls state championships in Colorado history regardless of classification with seven (Eads has nine). The Continental League champion Falcons bring a 17-game winning streak into the game, which includes postseason wins over No. 31 Cherokee Trail (71-43 Feb. 25), No. 15 Rangeview (65-47 March 1) and No. 7 Doherty (54-39 March 4). Senior Emily Hovasse has led the Falcons in scoring average during the postseason at 16.7 points per game, while senior Alex Pirog has tallied 12.7 points per game (plus 12 rebounds and 4.3 blocked shots) and junior Katie Johanning has added 10.7 points per game. Five different Highlands Ranch players have had at least one double-digit scoring effort in the playoffs. …For the season, Hovasse has knocked down 77 3-pointers that have helped her to a team-leading average of 16.7 points per game, while Pirog is next at 12.9 along with a team-best average of 10.9 rebounds and 2.0 blocked shots per contest. Johanning has a team-best average of 4.8 assists (and is second in 3-point shooting with 41 makes), followed in that category by freshman Tori Baker (3.9 apg).
WINNER GETS: The Grandview-Highlands Ranch winner moves into the 5 p.m. 5A state championship at Denver Coliseum against the winner of the 7 p.m. Final Four game between No. 1 Valor Christian and No. 5 Arapahoe. The Wolves swept the Warriors in two Centennial League games (74-55 and 49-33) and defeated the Eagles 59-52 head-to-head on Jan. 8, while the Falcons lost to Valor Christian 68-53 prior to winter break.
