DENVER | Leilah Vigil could barely breathe at the end of Friday night’s Class 5A Great 8 playoff game at the Denver Coliseum, but she could finally exhale.

The Grandview girls basketball team’s senior sparkplug was overcome with emotion in the aftermath of her team’s thrilling 57-56 win over Highlands Ranch — her former team — which sent the defending state champs back to the Final Four.

Junior Alisha Davis made the second of two free throw attempts with 9.8 seconds left in regulation and the defending state champion Wolves forced the Falcons into an off-balance attempt for a game-winning basket on the other end that fell short.

“It was crazy, it was emotional, it was fun,” said Vigil, who finished with a game-high 19 points.

“It was a great win.”

Fourth-seeded Grandview (23-3) moved a step closer to a chance at a 5A repeat and will face eighth-seeded Fossil Ridge — which knocked off top-seeded Fruita Monument — at 7 p.m. March 8 at the Denver Coliseum for a berth in the March 10 5A state championship game.

Davis scored 15 points — seven in the fourth quarter — and senior Jaiden Galloway and junior Allyah Marlett scored seven apiece to push coach Josh Ulitzky’s team into the semifinals to join the SaberCats, second-seeded Lakewood and No. 6 Regis Jesuit.

“I’m so proud of this team, we were down pretty much the whole game, but I’m so glad we kept fighting through it,” Davis said. “I’m shaking. I’m so excited we’re going back to the Final Four and have a chance to go back-to-back. I love this team so much.”

The Wolves appeared in the Great 8 for the sixth time in the past seven seasons and none of the previous contests were close, including Grandview’s 27-point loss to Highlands Ranch in 2011-12.

This matchup was tight from the outset, as neither team had a lead of more than seven points.

Coach Caryn Jarocki’s Falcons (21-5) handled the Wolves’ pressure than most teams had during the season and Kelsey Neubert’s buzzer-beating layup gave them a 45-38 lead after three quarters.

“They are such a good team, they really are and they give us a different challenge,” Ulitzky said. “We thought we were going to be able to do one thing and it didn’t work so well, so we had to go to some different stuff.

“The kids adjusted and just stuck with it, so I give them a ton of credit.”

In an unusual position in the final quarter, Ulitzky’s team flipped the switch of aggression and started to get back into the contest. Davis gave a lot of credit to the energy Vigil gave them and it produced right away as Grandview forced a handful of turnovers in the first two minutes of the fourth quarter, though the deficit still stood at six points.

Marlett hadn’t made a field goal all game, but drained a pair of 3-pointers to cut into the margin and Sariah Serrano stepped up and nailed an open jump shot to make it a one-point game with 3:20 left.

Vigil’s free throw followed by Davis’ steal and coast-to-coast layup with 2:33 remaining gave the Wolves their first lead of the game since midway through the first quarter.

Highlands Ranch forged a 56-56 tie with 49 seconds left and Grandview milked the clock down inside 10 seconds when sophomore Kameryn Brown got into the lane. Brown’s shot missed the mark, but Davis grabbed the rebound and was fouled from behind on the follow attempt.

She missed the first free throw, but made the second and the Falcons rushed the ball down the floor without calling time out. Highlands Ranch senior Tommi Olson got off a mid-range leaner that fell short and Autumn Watts was unable to get a follow shot up before the final buzzer.

“When I missed the first one, I’m not going to lie, it was a lot of pressure like Highlands Ranch (fans) was chanting, but it’s OK because it went in,” Davis said. “My whole team got back on defense, we caused a little confusion and we were able to get through it.”

Ulitzky believed Davis would knock down both free throws, but knew for certain she would make one.

He was proud of his team’s defensive effort in the final seconds to make things difficult for Highlands Ranch to get off a good shot.

“It bounced around a few times down there and it was going to be celebrating victory or the agony of defeat,” Ulitzky said. “The kids did a good job of being active at the end. We’ll take it.”

The emotional component of the game could not be underestimated from Vigil’s standpoint.

She was emotionally spent at the end of the contest and gave her former team — which which she went to the state championship game in the 2014-15 season — a lot of credit.

“They played us really, really hard and I can give all the props to them,” Vigil said. “They gave it their whole heart and I would expect nothing less from Coach J (Jarocki), and that team.

“I’m proud of them, but I’m proud of my team, my family and my sisters.”

Courtney Oakes is Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or sports@sentinelcolorado.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. FB: Sentinel Prep Sports

(4) GRANDVIEW 57, (5) HIGHLANDS RANCH 56

Score by quarters:

High. Ranch  14  17  14  11 — 56
Grandview     12  18   8  19 — 57

HIGHLANDS RANCH (56)

Jamie Bain 2 0-0 5, Tommi Olson 3 6-8 12, Courtney Humbarger 2 5-6 9, Autumn Watts 6 4-6 16, Kasey Neubert 7 0-0 14, Payton Muma 0 0-0 0, Tori Beck 0 0-0 0. Totals 20 15-20 56.

GRANDVIEW (57)

Jaiden Galloway 2 3-4 7, Alisha Davis 6 3-5 15, Allyah Marlett 2 1-2 7, Leilah Vigil 8 3-6 19, Addison O’Grady 1 2-2 4, Landri Hudson 1 0-0 3, Sariah Serrano 2 0-0 4, Tomia Johnson 0 0-0 0, Kameryn Brown 0 0-0 0. Totals 22 12-19 57.

3-point field goals — Highlands Ranch: Jamie Bain; Grandview (3): Allyah Marlett 2, Landri Hudson. Total fouls — Highlands Ranch 18, Grandview 19. Fouled out — Highlands Ranch: Courtney Humbarger. Technical fouls — None.