AURORA | The city’s two top girls basketball programs will decide which one will get to play for the Class 5A state championship on March 14.
Grandview and Regis Jesuit, both No. 1 seeds in the tournament, square off at 7 p.m. at the Coors Events Center on the University of Colorado in Boulder in the first of two 5A semifinals and the fourth game overall at the venue.
Coach Josh Ulitzky’s Wolves (24-2) earned their first-ever berth in the 5A Final Four with a decisive 55-38 victory over third-seeded Chaparral on Thursday at the Denver Coliseum, getting past the round that tripped them up a season earlier.
Third-seeded Horizon presented a slightly tougher challenge for coach Carl Mattei’s Regis Jesuit squad, which posted a 55-42 victory over the Hawks on Thursday that put the Raiders into the semifinals for the sixth time in seven seasons in the 5A classification. Regis Jesuit beat Grandview by four points when the teams met on Jan. 12.
The Raiders are 3-2 in the 5A semifinal round, including a loss to Monarch last season.
Top seeds Arapahoe (24-2) and Highlands Ranch (22-4) meet in the other 5A semifinal at 8:30 p.m., bidding for the spot opposite the Aurora winner in the 5A state championship game, scheduled for 3:30 p.m. March 16 at the Coors Events Center.
Two 4A girls semifinals take the Coors Events Center floor before the 5A games, as top seeds D’Evelyn and Pueblo West square off at 4 p.m. and Broomfield and Pueblo South meet at 5:30 p.m.
Reach Sports Editor Courtney Oakes at sports@aurorasentinel.com or 303-750-7555
2013 CLASS 5A GIRLS BASKETBALL FINAL FOUR
Semifinals (March 14 at Coors Event Center)
NO. 1 GRANDVIEW (24-2) vs. NO. 1 REGIS JESUIT (24-2), 7 p.m.
No. 1 Highlands Ranch (22-4) vs. No. 1 Arapahoe (24-2), 8:30 p.m.
Championship (March 16 at Coors Events Center)
Semifinal winners, 3:30 p.m.