DENVER | The Regis Jesuit girls basketball team practices end of game free throw situations every practice, so Izzy Davies felt somewhat comfortable Thursday night at the Denver Coliseum.
But nothing the Raiders could have drawn up in practice could have approximated the situation — in which they had a free throw chance to win the game with 0.3 of a second left after trailing by as many as 16 and then seeing a six-point lead slip away — as a trip to the Class 6A state championship game sat in the balance.
Davies calmly sank a tiebreaking free throw and time expired after she missed the second as seventh-seeded Regis Jesuit prevailed over No. 3 Legend 54-53 to join parochial school rival and fourth-seeded Valor Christian in Saturday’s 1:15 p.m. 6A final.
Coach Jordan Kasemodel’s team outscored the Titans — who had won the regular season finale between the two Continental League programs to claim the league title — 24-9 in the final period to roar into its first state championship game appearance since 2021.
Senior Hana Belibi had 21 points, senior Coryn Watts added 15 and junior Jane Rumpf 11 as Regis Jesuit earned its 20th win of the season in stunning fashion.
The Raiders went down by 12 points at halftime after Legend’s Ava Gavi made a 3-pointer just before the horn and the deficit increased to 36-20 with just under five minutes left in the third quarter before things began to change.
Rumpf made consecutive 3-pointers later in the period to cut it to 10, but the Titans scored two inside baskets in the final minute to take a 14-point edge into the final quarter as they sought to make their first-ever state title game.
Kasemodel implored her team to up its aggressiveness and physicality in the fourth quarter, which began with the Raiders down 44-30. But just 5 minutes, 14 seconds, later, Regis Jesuit had a 50-44 lead after a stunning 20-0 run.
Half of those points came from Watts, who began and ended the spurt with two sets of free throws and had three layups in between. Belibi had two 3-pointers — including one that tied the game at 44-44 — and two free throws in the burst as well.
Staggered, but not completely out, Legend got a free throw from Mason Borcherding, who missed the second, but ended up with the loose ball and drained a 3-pointer to make it a two-point game. Regis Jesuit got it back to five inside the final minute, but the Titans got a 3-pointer followed by a steal and a basket by Katie Lamb tied it with just under four seconds remaining.
Alertly, Rumpf collected the ball and fired a baseball-style pass that hit Davies in stride as time ticked down and Lamb was whistled for a foul as she swiped at the ball to prevent Davies from getting up a shot.
After three-tenths of a second were put back on the clock, Davies banked in her first attempt off backboard. After a time out, her second shot was errant, but time ran out.
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter/X: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports
2024 CLASS 6A GIRLS BASKETBALL STATE SEMIFINALS
(7) REGIS JESUIT 54, (3) LEGEND 53
Score by quarters:
Regis Jesuit 10 8 12 24 — 54
Legend 16 14 14 9 — 53
REGIS JESUIT (54)
Jane Rumpf 4 1-3 11, Mallory Neff 0 0-0 0, Coryn Watts 5 4-5 15, Hana Belibi 5 9-10 21, Iliana Greene 0 0-0 0, Izzy Davies 0 1-2 1, Alice Lynett 3 0-0 6, Jada Hodges 0 0-0 0, Lexi Hernandez 0 0-0 0. Totals 17 15-23 54.
LEGEND (53)
Ava Gavi 2 0-0 6, Grace Stanley 0 0-2 0, Mayley Wilhelm 3 0-0 8, Katie Lamb 5 0-0 10, Mason Borcherding 5 3-4 14, Aislyn Korella 2 0-0 4, Maile Starns 1 2-2 5, Ashley Houlberg 1 0-0 2, Aubrey Cook 2 0-0 4, Katie Wilkinson 0 0-0 0. Totals 21 5-8 53.
3-point field goals — Regis Jesuit (5): Hana Belibi 2, Jane Rumpf 2, Coryn Watts. Legend (6): Ava Gavi 2, Mayley Wilhelm 2, Mason Borcherding, Maile Starns. Total fouls — Regis Jesuit 14, Legend 20. Fouled out — Legend: Borcherding, Katie Lamb. Technical fouls — None.