DENVER | Shooters shoot and so does Avery VanSickle.
The Regis Jesuit sophomore sharpshooter took plenty of shots Friday at the Denver Coliseum — a place that often makes even the best shooters uncomfortable — and knocked down plenty of them to help the Raiders to an impressive 68-37 Class 5A Great 8 win over Horizon.
VanSickle knocked down four 3-points on her way to a game-high 25 points — and senior Fran Belibi added 23 as second-seeded Regis Jesuit cruised past the seventh-seeded Hawks to make the Final Four for a third straight season.
Coach Carl Mattei’s Raiders will see a familiar opponent in the March 7 semifinals when they square off against rival Grandview, the two-time 5A state champions which defeated them in last season’s final, in a 7 p.m. contest at the Denver Coliseum.
Courtney Oakes is Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or sports@sentinelcolorado.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. FB: Sentinel Prep Sports
(2) REGIS JESUIT 68, (7) HORIZON 37
Score by quarters:
Horizon 3 11 13 10 — 37
Regis Jesuit 19 18 15 16 — 68
HORIZON (37)
Caleese Ramirez 3 0-0 7, Aly Jimenez 2 3-5 7, Olivia Waufle 0 1-4 1, Sam Deem 4 4-7 12, Arielle Wisne 4 1-2 9, Lexi Ponzio 0 1-2 1, Audra Vine 0 0-0 0, Sophie Castillo 0 0-0 0, Arianna Delgado 0 0-0 0. Totals 13 10-20 37.
REGIS JESUIT (68)
Francesca Belibi 6 11-14 23, Sidney Weigand 2 0-0 4, Avery VanSickle 8 5-7 25, Jada Moore 2 2-4 6, Samantha Jones 2 0-0 4, Grace Weigand 2 2-2 6, Madden McHugh 0 0-0 0, Colleen Mulbarger 0 0-0 0, Michelle East 0 0-0 0. Totals 22 20-27 68.
3-point field goals — Horizon: Caleese Ramirez; Regis Jesuit (4): Avery VanSickle 4. Total fouls — Horizon 14, Regis Jesuit 18. Fouled out — Regis Jesuit: Samantha Jones. Technical fouls — None.