AURORA | A capsule preview of the 2024 Class 6A girls basketball state tournament Final Four contest between Regis Jesuit and Legend scheduled for March 7, 2024:
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at sports@aurorasentinel.com.Twitter/X: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports
2024 CLASS 6A FINAL FOUR GIRLS BASKETBALL STATE PLAYOFF GAME
NO. 7 REGIS JESUIT (19-7) vs. NO. 3 LEGEND (24-2)
March 7, 7:15 p.m. at Denver Coliseum
BREAKDOWN: Regis Jesuit and Legend meet for the first time ever in the girls basketball playoffs, but play each other regularly as both are members of the Continental League. The Titans won this season’s meeting 68-53 Feb. 16 to land this season’s league championship, while the Raiders won the previous 13 meetings, including a one-point victory in 2023. …Regis Jesuit is back in the Final Four for the first time since 2021 and is in at least the semifinals for the 14th time since its inaugural season of 2005. The Raiders have an 8-5 record in their previous 13 trips with state championship games appearances in then-4A in 2006 and then-5A in 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2018 and 2021 with state titles coming in 2013 and 2014. …Legend is in the Final Four for the first time
REGIS JESUIT: Coach Jordan Kasemodel’s Raiders have won three straight games — all in the postseason — since its regular season finale loss to Legend. Regis Jesuit downed No. 26 Eaglecrest 53-34 in the opening round, followed that with a 69-61 victory over No. 23 Denver East in the Sweet 16 and knocked off second-seeded Cherry Creek 50-44 in the Great 8 (story, here). Senior Hana Belibi has been in top form in the postseason as she has averaged 16 points and 12.0 rebounds per contest, while senior Coryn Watts has also averaged 16 points and junior Jane Rumpf 9.6 ppg in the playoffs. …For the season, Belibi (a Harvard recruit) is the team’s leading scorer at 17.5 points per contest with Watts next at 16.2, followed by Rumpf and junior Iliana Greene at 9.4 and 9.0, respectively. Belibi also has a slight edge over Rumpf (8.5 to 7.9) in rebounding average, while Watts dishes out a team-best 4.5 assists per game and also leads the way in steal with an average of 2.6 per contest. Outside shooting has been a particular strength for Regis Jesuit, which has 197 made triples for the season.
LEGEND: Coach Darren Pitzner’s Titans carry a 14-game winning streak into the Final Four dating back to a 10-point loss to No. 1 Cherokee Trail on Jan. 8. Legend opened the postseason with a 59-38 victory over No. 30 Arvada West, which was followed by a 73-41 Sweet 16 defeat of No. 19 Doherty and a 62-35 Great 8 dispatch of No. 6 Horizon. In the playoffs, juniors Mason Borcherding and Ava Gavi have averaged 12 and 11.3 points per game, respectively, while the Titans have had at least nine players score in all three games. …For the season, Borcherding paces Legend with a scoring average of 12.2 points per game, followed by senior Katie Lamb at 10.5 ppg, junior Maley Wilhelm at 9.5 and Gavi at 9.1. Borcherding also leads the way in rebounding at 7.9 per contest, while junior Grace Stanley dishes out a team-best 4.8 assists and Wilhelm comes away with 3.8 steals per game to pace her squad. Legend is a prolific outside shooting team with 192 made 3-pointers on the season.
WINNER GETS: The Regis Jesuit-Legend winner extends its season and earns a spot in the 6A state championship game at 1:15 p.m. March 9, where it will face either No. 1 Cherokee Trail or No. 4 Valor Christian. Updated Class 6A scoreboard and schedule, here.
