DENVER | With Horizon dropping in 3-pointer after 3-pointer in the opening half of Friday afternoon’s Class 5A Great 8 contest, the Regis Jesuit girls basketball team could have been shellshocked.

But there was no panic from a steady group of players who had been on the same floor a year ago in Final Four play and a trio of freshmen who continue to shine as the spotlight grows larger.

Coach Carl Mattei’s sixth-seeded Raiders dug out of an early hole to get within a point at halftime, then took control with an 18-5 third quarter on their way to a 57-43 victory over third-seeded Horizon.

“I’m very proud of these kids, they could have gotten down, but they kept believing,” Mattei said. “I told them ‘let’s just keep this within 10 and we’ll be ok.’ Once we got the lead, then they really believed.”

Regis Jesuit (23-3) won the Jenny Coalson Regional title and moved into the March 8 Final Four, where it will play either second-seeded Lakewood — a 61-37 winner over No. 7 Ralston Valley — in an 8:30 p.m. contest, which followed the 7 p.m. semifinal between No. 4 Grandview and No. 8 Fossil Ridge.

Freshman Avery Vansickle scored 12 points to lead the Raiders in scoring for the second consecutive game, while senior Noelle Cahill added 11 and junior Fran Belibi chipped in 10.

Horizon (23-3) came out firing and knocked down six of its eight 3-point shots in the opening half, including two apiece from senior Izzy Allen and junior Alyssa Jimenez, which helped it build a lead as large as seven points.

But Vansickle had an outstanding first half — much like she did in a Sweet 16 win over Cherry Creek — fellow freshman Sam Jones had back-to-back buckets to close the deficit and Cahill’s layup made it a one-point game at the break.

“These freshmen are so amazing,” said Cahill, referring to Vansickle, Jones and Gracie Weigand. “They really came to play today…I’ve never seen freshmen that just step out and play, no matter what. It’s great to have a team where the freshmen are able to carry the team for a lot of minutes every game.”

Back in the game and with nerves in the rearview mirror, Regis Jesuit got back to its staple as a defensive team in the third quarter. The Raiders tightened up their perimeter defense and shut off the Hawks from the outside.

In fact, even two-pointers were scare for Horizon, as Regis Jesuit held it scoreless for a nearly six-minute stretch while it pushed its lead into double figures.

“Our defense in the third quarter was suffocating,” Mattei said.

Added sophomore Jada Moore: “We take a lot of pride in our defense, so we needed to pick up the intensity. We practice defense all the time, so it was really good to execute it in the game.”

With the defensive clamps applied, the Raiders were able to push their lead to 12 points by the end of the third quarter.

Moore scored all seven of her points, Cahill sank four free throws and Weigand came through in a big way with six points. She picked up a loose ball in the lane, scored and was fouled for a three-point play and also overcame early struggles shooting the ball to drain a big corner 3-pointer.

“I did not feel comfortable when we were in warm ups,” Weigand said, referring the Coliseum’s different shooting backdrop. “As the game went on, I definitely got more comfortable.”

The Raiders maintained a double-digit lead for the remainder of the game and enjoyed their largest lead of 17 points on two occasions in the final period.

Mattei was glad to see his team navigate the rough start and finish as strong as it has on many occasions during the season.

“Even though we’ve played a lot of games, there wasn’t this kind of pressure,” Mattei said. “How you start is not how you end here. I think by the second quarter, they became the Regis players we’ve seen all year.

“You could tell, one we started playing, we were better.”

Next up is a 23-3 Lakewood team that Regis Jesuit beat by 17 points when the teams were in California for the La Jolla Country Day tournament in December. The Tigers lost to Grandview in last season’s state championship game.

“I think we’re going to take the energy from this one and we’re going to bring it to whoever we play,” Cahill said before the other Great 8 contest had been decided.

A Regis Jesuit victory over Lakewood and one by Grandview in the other semifinal could set up an all-Aurora state championship game on March 10. The Raiders topped the Wolves by two points when the teams met prior to winter break.

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

(6) REGIS JESUIT 57, (3) HORIZON 43

Score by quarters:
Regis Jesuit    7  18  18  14 — 57
Horizon        14  12    5  12 — 43

REGIS JESUIT (57)

Francesca Belibi 5 0-2 10, Jasmine Gaines 0 2-2 2, Avery Vansickle 5 1-2 12, Jada Moore 3 0-0 7, Noelle Cahill 3 4-4 11, Gracie Weigand 2 1-3 5, Sam Jones 2 0-2 4, Olivia Ayers 0 0-0 0, Sidney Weigand 1 1-2 4, Lauren Pendegast 0 0-0 0. Totals 22 9-17 57.

HORIZON (43)

Caleese Ramirez 1 0-0 3, Alyssa Jimenez 6 3-3 18, Sam Deem 2 0-0 5, Izzy Allen 5 2-4 14, Arielle Wisne 1 0-0 2, Olivia Waufle 0 1-2 1. Totals 15 7-14 43.

3-point field goals — Regis Jesuit (4): Noelle Cahill, Jada Moore, Avery Vansickle, Sidney Weigand; Horizon (7): Aly Jimenez 3, Izzy Allen 2, Sam Deem, Caleese Ramirez. Total fouls — Regis Jesuit 13, Horizon 16. Fouled out — None. Technical fouls — None.