AURORA | Playing Palmer for the third time in the last four seasons in the Class 5A girls state basketball playoffs, Rangeview knew it would have to survive with defense Tuesday night.
The 29th-seeded Raiders turned it up on a notch on the defensive end in the third quarter of their home 5A first round state playoff game against the visiting 36th-seeded Terrors — who showed up to the game late — on their way to a 55-47 victory and a berth in Friday’s second round.
Coach Lamonte Weddle’s Rangeview team outscored Palmer 17-2 in the decisive third period to turn a one-point deficit into a 14-point edge going to the final period and held on to advance into a matchup at fourth-seeded Ralston Valley (22-1).
Sophomore Angel Broadus scored 16 of her team-high 19 points in the second half, while seniors Jaelin Jones and LeShawn Love contributed 15 and 11 points, respectively, as the Raiders improved to 15-9.
Tashika Burrell poured in 19 points in the first half as the Terrors (9-15) surged to a one-point lead at halftme, but they were limited to just a Sanee Cates’ field goal in the third quarter to fall into too deep of a hole.
The Raiders were one of just two victorious Aurora teams in the opening round of the 5A playoffs, as they were joined by 35th-seeded Eaglecrest, a 32-30 road winner at No. 30 Liberty. No. 25 Cherokee Trail was toppled by 40th-seeded Vista Ridge and No. 33 Overland fell on the road to No. 32 ThunderRidge 47-30.
(Full Aurora prep scoreboard, here)
Rangeview and Eaglecrest (which will play No. 3 Horizon) will be joined in action on Friday by Aurora’s two teams that had first-round byes in No. 2 Grandview and No. 11 Regis Jesuit. The Wolves will play host to 31st-seeded Dakota Ridge at 7 p.m., while the Raiders welcome in No. 22 Fort Collins.
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. FB: Aurora Prep Sentinel
(29) RANGEVIEW 55, (36) PALMER 47
Score by quarters:
Palmer 8 19 2 18 — 47
Rangeview 9 15 17 14 — 55
PALMER (47)
Sanee Cates 3 1-2 8, MaKayla Montague 1 0-0 3, Tashika Burrell 6 10-14 25, Megan Barney 0 0-0 0, Jonnae Byas 2 0-2 4, Kayla Schumacher 0 0-0 0, Aliezea Rogan 0 0-1 0. Totals 12 11-19 47.
RANGEVIEW (55)
LeShawn Love 5 1-2 11, Jaelin Jones 7 1-3 15, Tyauna Coe 3 0-0 6, Taelor Jackson 1 0-0 2, Angel Broadus 6 7-8 19, AaLiya Smith 1 0-0 2, Alexis Smith 0 0-0 0, Ronke Adebayo 0 0-0 0. Totals 23 9-13 55.
3-point field goals — Palmer (5): Tashika Burrell 3, Sanee Cates, MaKayla Montegue. Total fouls — Palmer 15, Rangeview 21. Fouled out — Rangeview: Alexis Smith. Technical fouls — None.