HIGHLANDS RANCH | Tournament championship games always seem to get away from the Rangeview girls basketball team, but a group with high aspirations changed that Saturday.
The Raiders may not have scored a point in the last four-plus minutes of their matchup with Denver East in the championship game of the Mountain Vista/Rock Canyon Tournament, but the No. 8-ranked team in Class 5A in the Colorado High School Activities Association’s preseason poll still held on for a 41-39 victory that gave La Monte Weddle his first tournament title as head coach.
Rangeview erased a eight-point deficit late in the third quarter with a 16-4 run that gave it enough cushion to prevail over the Angels at Mountain Vista High School and move to 3-0 on the young season. Junior Zane Bullock had nine points — including the last three for the Raiders that eventually held up as the winning points — and senior Ny’Era West added eight.
The Raiders had a one-point lead at halftime, but found themselves down 33-25 with less than two minutes left in the third period before turning up their defensive pressure. A seven-point burst in the final 57 seconds tightened it up with four points by West — two free throws and a layup — sandwiched around a 3-pointer from Daijah Watkins.
Senior A’mya Winfrey gave Rangeview the lead with a free throw with 4:48 left and it went up four after Bullock converted a steal into a layup and then sunk 1-of-2 free throws.
The Raiders wouldn’t score again, however, and watched Denver East (2-1) get within a basket on a layup by Navaeh Golden, who finished with a game-high 18 points.
While Rangeview failed to knock free throws to clinch the game, the Angels turned the ball over on multiple occasions, but had a chance to tie before Golden’s drive missed.
Rangeview returns to action with a local matchup at Eaglecrest (2-1) at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
Courtney Oakes is Sentinel Colorado Sports Editor. Reach him at [email protected] Twitter: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports
RANGEVIEW 41, DENVER EAST 39
Score by quarters:
Rangeview 9 16 7 9 — 41
Denver East 17 7 9 6 — 39
RANGEVIEW (41)
Genesis Sweetwine 2 1-2 6, Daijah Watkins 1 0-0 3, Zane Bullock 4 1-12 9, Ny’Era West 2 4-5 8, A’mya Winfrey 0 1-2 1, Jennesse Byrd 2 2-3 7, D’Ajha Horton 1 1-1 3, Danielle Washington 1 1-2 4. Totals 13 11-27 41.
DENVER EAST (39)
Nariah Golden 1 3-4 5, Lily Najmulski 2 0-0 5, Navaeh Golden 6 6-6 18, Sasha Pasquini 0 1-2 1, Ligia Thortvedt 3 0-0 6, Naomi Golden 1 0-0 3, Loren White 0 1-2 1, Harmonie Banks 0 0-0 0, Sumaya Faggan 0 0-0 0. Totals 13 11-14 39.
3-point field goals — Rangeview (4): Jennesse Byrd, Genesis Sweetwine, Danielle Washington, Daijah Watkins. Denver East (2): Naomi Golden, Lily Najmulski. Total fouls — Rangview 16, Denver East 20. Fouled out — Denver East: Sumaya Faggan, Nariah Golden. Technical fouls — None.
