The semifinals of the Colorado high school basketball state tournaments for Classes 4A-6A take place Thursday and Friday at Denver Coliseum. Our staff will be there throughout the weekend providing live coverage. Refresh this page for the latest updates and results.
Tournament info: Tournament brackets and results | Final 4 scouting report | Riverdale Ridge’s Brihanna Crittendon
RELATED: Colorado state basketball tournaments 2024 Final Four results and coverage, March 8
Updates
Class 6A girls final: No. 7 Regis Jesuit 54, No. 3 Legend 53
Two long passes down the court.
The first nearly sunk Regis Jesuit’s season. The second saved it.
It also produced what is sure to be one of the most talked about fouls of the entire tournament — and a moment that will live on in Raider girls basketball lore for years to come.
Regis Jesuit rallied from down 14 entering the fourth quarter, riding a 20-0 run to take their first lead since the first quarter, then closing it out with a banked-in Elizabeth Davies free throw with 0.3 seconds left to clinch a 54-53 win over Legend and set off a wild celebration inside Denver Coliseum.
The Raiders will play Valor Christian at 1:15 p.m. Saturday for the Class 6A title.
“One of the best moments of my life,” Regis Jesuit coach Jordan Kasemodel said. “That was sweet.”
Davies got to the line after perhaps the wildest 13 seconds of this year’s state tournament.
It began with Legend down two and pressing to get the ball back with a shot at a tying basket. The third-seeded Titans did just that, with senior Katie Lamb picking off Regis junior Jane Rumpf’s heave down the court and zig-zagging all the way to the hoop for the tying bucket with 3 seconds left.
That’s when Rumpf went back to the well a second time, chucking a perfect ball to Davies streaking down the court. The sophomore took the ball in stride and surged toward the basket, with Lamb getting whistled for her fifth foul as Davies rose for a layup attempt with 0.3 seconds left.
“We drew up a press break and our gal that takes it out, she has the capability of throwing it long,” Kasemodel said. “I was late to calling a timeout, which was bad coaching on my end, and she chucked it before I could call one. Unfortunate. But then at the same time she makes the game-winning play (on the next pass). … That’s something you can’t teach.”
Amid the din of a deafening Legend student section, Davies stepped to the line … and banked in the game-winner. It was her only point of the night.
“Bank or not, it’s a make,” Kasemodel said. “… That’s a big moment for her as a sophomore. This is the first year that she’s getting minutes in the Coliseum, and so to step in front of a crowd of hundreds and have to make a game-winning free-throw? Bank or not, I don’t care.”
Of course, Regis (20-7) never would’ve been in that position had it not first put together a stunning rally.
It began, innocently enough, with a pair of Coryn Watts free throws after the Raiders’ full-court press produced its second straight steal to start the fourth quarter. What followed was a 20-0 run that included eight straight points, and a pair of 3s, from Hana Belibi (21 points, seven rebounds) and six more from Watts (15 points, four steals) to give Regis a 50-44 lead with 2:46 to go.
“When we started creating turnovers and getting steals for layups, it was contagious for us,” Kasemodel said. “It was just basket after basket after basket. That mindset changed.”
It had been all Legend before that.
The Titans led 16-10 after one quarter and 30-18 at halftime before their lead grew to as many as 16 in the third quarter, their active and physical defense forcing numerous Regis turnovers.
Mason Borcherding led the Titans with 14 points and eight rebounds, while Lamb had 10 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals. But Lamb’s last two points only served to make Thursday night’s ending more heartbreaking — and controversial given the timing of the foul call. A team that was a quarter away from its first championship game appearance in program history instead saw its season end at 24-3.
10 p.m.: Oh. My. Goodness. Katie Lamb steals a chuck down the court from Regis and takes it to the bucket to tie the game with three seconds left, but Elizabeth Davies leaks out the other end and takes another long pass and is fouled at the basket with 0:00.3 seconds left… and banks in the game-winning free throw. You cannot make this stuff up, folks. One of the wildest finishes you’ll ever see in a girls basketball game. Was it a foul? That one is going to be debated for YEARS.
Regis (20-7) is headed to the championship game for a date with Valor Christian. For Legend (24-3)? Heartbreak. Complete and total heartbreak. — Matt Schubert
9:52 p.m.: Mayley Wilhelm drains a stepback 3, and the Regis Jesuit lead is down to 53-51 with 13.5 seconds left. Regis ball in front of its own basket. Buckle up, buttercup. — Matt Schubert
9:48 p.m.: Hana Belibi sinks a pair of free throws and Regis now leads 52-48 with 1:19 left in the game. Titans ball, and they desperately need to make something happen, because the Raiders are more than content to squeeze the air out of the ball on the other end. — Matt Schubert
9:44 p.m.: The Raiders were all but left for dead. Then Hana Belibi brought them back to life with eight straight points. And Coryn Watts pushed them ahead, scoring six straight as part of a 20-0 Raiders run. Regis leads 50-48 with 2:11 to go. — Matt Schubert
9:38 p.m.: Here come the Raiders! Hana Belibi drains a 3-pointer from the top of the key, then sinks a pair of free throws, and now we’ve got a one-possession game. Legend’s lead has dwindled to 44-41 with 5:15 left. — Matt Schubert
9:35 p.m.: Don’t count out Regis just yet. The Raiders have upped the defensive pressure here in the fourth quarter, and the Titans are not handling it well. Coryn Watts’ steal and lay-in punctuates a 6-0 run, and suddenly Legend’s lead as shrunk to 44-36 with 6:34 left in the game. — Matt Schubert
9:29 p.m.: Mason Borcherding muscles in back-to-back baskets in the post to close out the third quarter, and the Titans will take a 44-30 lead into the fourth quarter. The closest Regis has gotten all half is 10 points. — Matt Schubert
9:23 p.m.: Legend continues to keep Regis Jesuit at arm’s length. The lead is 38-24 with 3:07 left in the third quarter. — Matt Schubert
9:15 p.m.: And now the lead is 34-18 Legend with 6:40 left in the third quarter. The Titans can smell the championship game. — Matt Schubert
9:04 p.m.: Just when it looked like Regis Jesuit might reel in Legend with a 6-0 run, the Titans close out the second quarter with five straight points, the last three on a buzzer-beater from Ava Gavi. This one is all Legend right now at halftime, 30-18. — Matt Schubert
8:54 p.m.: More of the same from the Legend Titans, whose active zone defense has completely baffled Regis Jesuit so far. After Maile Starns drains a 3-pointer from the wing, the Titans take a 25-12 lead with 2:49 left in the second quarter. Regis has just one basket so far in this quarter. — Matt Schubert
8:47 p.m.: Legend’s Katie Lamb has scored on consecutive drives through the lane. The Titans lead 18-10, and Regis takes a timeout in frustration with 6:45 left in the second quarter. — Matt Schubert
8:43 p.m.: The Legend Titans defense is in lockdown mode to start this one. Regis has to work for everything it’s getting. And with more turnovers (5) than baskets (3), it’s not going particularly great. Seven Titans have already scored. It’s 16-10 Legend after one quarter. — Matt Schubert
Class 6A Girls final: No. 4 Valor Christian 71, No. 1 Cherokee Trail 59
The mighty Quinn VanSickle scored 31 points and took over the game when it mattered most. The Eagles advance to the 6A title game.
8:04 p.m.: CT’s Delainey Miller is back in but Valor leads 67-59 with a minute left. Quinn VanSickle has 29 points and is in control of this game. — Patrick Saunders
7:55 p.m.: CT’s Delainey Miller goes down with an apparent leg injury while scrambling for a loose ball. She has 21 points but leaves the game. Valor leads 58-57 with 2:53 left. — Patrick Saunders
7:50 p.m.: Kate Fuessel hits a baseline 3-point for Valor to break the tie. Eagles lead 57-54 with 4:45 left in the game. — Patrick Saunders
7:37 p.m.: Cherokee Trail’s inside game is causing problems for Valor, but junior guard Quinn VanSickle is doing a little bit of everything to keep Valor in the game. She has 26 points and the Eagles lead 50-48 entering the fourth quarter. — Patrick Saunders
7:31 p.m.: Back comes Valor with a string of 3-pointers to take a 39-37 lead. But Rylie Beers turns her left ankle and is out of the game. — Patrick Saunders
7:18 p.m.: Good ballgame between two evenly-matched teams. Cougars have fought back to take a 33-29 lead after the first half. CT’s Delainey Miller leads all scorers with 12 points. — Patrick Saunders
7:02 p.m.: CT’s defense has turned this game into a nail-biter. Valor got a little flustered until Rylie Beers drained a baseline 3-pointer. Eagles lead, 21-16, with 5:27 left in the first half. — Patrick Saunders
6:52 p.m.: Behind junior guard Quinn VanSickle’s eight points — including two 3-pointers — the Eagles jumped out to an early lead, but the Cougars’ work on the board has kept them in the game. Late in the first quarter, Valor leads 13-10. — Patrick Saunders
Class 5A boys final: No. 4 Mesa Ridge 70, No. 1 Northfield 59
Mesa Ridge’s dreams of a state title repeat will live another day.
Riding the all-court efforts of Bryce Riehl (25 points, five rebounds, four steals), the Grizzlies owned the fourth quarter (20-11) in a back-and-forth Final Four affair and now advance to a second straight 5A championship game trip. The defending champions will face Windsor (23-4) at 11:45 a.m. Saturday in the Denver Coliseum.
Four of five Mesa Ridge (25-2) starters scored in double figures, with Tevin Riehl adding 18 points, Tanner Widic 11 points and Zander Iwanski 10 points. Thrown together, it was enough to overtake top-seeded Northfield (24-3), which lost its first Final Four game despite a 21-point effort from Justus Michael. — Matt Schubert
6:18 p.m.: Justus Michael buries a mid-range jumper to pull back within eight at 65-57. The only hope the Nighthawks have left at this point is for Mesa Ridge to crumble at the free throw line. Probably not a safe bet. — Matt Schubert
6:17 p.m.: This one is going to come down to free throws. Mesa Ridge leads 65-55 with 1:07 to go. It’s looking like the Nighthawks will not send two to championship Saturday. — Matt Schubert
6:11 p.m.: Too much Bryce Riehl. The Mesa Ridge guard scores on a leak-out immediately after a Northfield bucket, then gets a steal and layup immediately after that. Mesa Ridge leads 61-52 with 3:10 left in the game. — Matt Schubert
5:37 p.m.: Northfield will not quit. Led by Justus Michael, who scored 10 points in the second quarter, the Nighthawks cut Mesa Ridge’s lead down to 34-33 at halftime after trailing by 10 points. Riehl scored 17 points and went 3 for 4 from behind the arc in the first half. — Ryan McFadden
5:14 p.m.: Mesa Ridge junior Bryce Riehl was on fire in the first quarter. He scored 10 points on 4 of 5 shooting to give the Grizzlies a 21-14 lead at the end of the quarter. — Ryan McFadden
Class 5A girls final: No. 2 Roosevelt 47, No. 3 Mead 40
It wasn’t flashy, but the gritty Rough Riders are headed to defend their title.
Roosevelt outlasted Mead in the Class 5A girls basketball Final Four on Thursday at the Denver Coliseum, 47-40, to set the reigning champions up with a Saturday showdown against upstart Northfield.
“Every single game, we’ve known we’re going to get everybody’s best shot,” Roosevelt head coach Enoch Miller said. “It’s been difficult mentally and physically on us, because we know there’s a target on our back. … Today wasn’t pretty, but we’ve found a way to win all year.”
The Riders led the entire game, as sophomore forward Kyla Hollier got them going by scoring the team’s first six points. She finished with a game-high 20 points paired with eight rebounds while looking like the most polished player on the floor.
“When the moment is big, (Hollier) gets that look in her eye, and she demands and wants the ball,” Miller said. “She’s a special player. Watch out next year — she’s going to be dominant.”
Mead hung around all game, but couldn’t put together an extended run necessary to make Roosevelt uncomfortable. The Mavericks dealt with the Riders’ signature pressure fairly well, but Roosevelt’s up-tempo style of play finally wore down Mead in the fourth quarter.
Roosevelt made it a point to take away the Mavericks’ 3-point threats, as Mead finished 5 of 15 from distance.
“They have four players who have hit at least 25 threes this season, so we bet on the fact they can’t make enough twos to beat us,” Miller said. “They made a few in the fourth quarter, but they had zero at the end of the first half. We crowded the three-point line.”
Senior forward Gianna Wurth led Mead with 14 points and sophomore guard Elena Gomez added 12 points. But Roosevelt’s superiority in certain facets of the game set the Riders apart. Behind Hollier, they had a 30-20 advantage in points in the paint, a 13-5 advantage in second-chance points and a 35-18 edge in rebounds.
“We needed to use our size during the game, because they were pretty small inside, so our plan was to get the ball inside a lot,” said Hollier, who has offers from BYU, CSU and Utah State. “I feel like we executed pretty well.”
Roosevelt turned the ball over 22 times, which kept Mead in the game and had Miller red-hot at times. But Roosevelt’s stifling defense, especially in the half-court, prevented Mead from being able to run their sets consistently.
Hollier’s domination made up for Roosevelt’s inefficiency behind the arc (2 of 9) and at the charity stripe (7 of 15). Roosevelt had a five-point lead at half (19-14) and at the end of the third quarter (30-25) as Mead could never quite close the gap.
The Riders are making their fourth title game appearance – they appeared in the Class 3A championships in 1994 and 2003, losing both – and denied the Mavericks the chance at their first title game.
Roosevelt, the Longs Peak League champions, improved to 25-2 while Mead, the Northern League runner-up behind Class 4A powerhouse Holy Family, finished 22-5.
Standing between the Riders and a Class 5A repeat is Northfield, which earlier on Thursday became the third DPS girls program to make a basketball final, and first since 2010.
“They’re really good, and it’s a tough matchup for us,” Miller said. “Their speed is different, and they have a different level of athleticism. It’s going to be an interesting game. I’m going to have to dive in to come up with a plan and figure out the best way to play them.”
— Kyle Newman
Class 5A boys final: No. 3 Windsor 35, No. 2 Vista Peak Prep 32
Windsor advances to the championship after holding off a late surge for the Bison. With the game tied, Smiley scored the go-ahead layup with 15 seconds left in regulation. Vista’s attempt to either tie or take the lead fell short when Carrizales stepped out of bounds on the following possession. Smiley finished with a game-high 12 points, as he was the only player to score in double figures. Lowman led the Bison with seven points while Polk totaled six rebounds and eight blocks. — Ryan McFadden
2:37 p.m.: The game is tied at 32 with 36 seconds left in regulation. Windsor has been held scoring for 3:42, while converting one field goal on its last 11 shot attempts. — Ryan McFadden
2:24 p.m.: Polk’s defense has been essential for the Bison. He has five blocks, as Windsor has struggled to generate points in the paint with Polk protecting the basket. — Ryan McFadden
2:20 p.m.: After trailing by seven points early in the third, Vista is down 29-25 at the start of the fourth quarter. Bison’s Javon Lowman scored five points in the third and knocked down a key 3-pointer to give his team some momentum. — Ryan McFadden
1:52 p.m.: Windsor has a 19-15 lead at halftime. Vista Peak scored nine points in the final four minutes to cut into the deficit. Both teams continued to put the ball into the basket, shooting under 30% from the floor. Bison guard Julian Carrizales has a team-best five points on 2 for 4 shooting. — Ryan McFadden
1:39 p.m.: An uneventful first quarter ends with Windsor up 10-5. Both teams struggled to score the ball, combining to shoot 6 for 24 from the floor. Windsor’s Madden Smiley leads all scorers with five points. — Ryan McFadden
1:12 p.m.: We are less than 10 minutes until Vista Peak Prep takes on the Windsor Wizards in the 5A boys semifinals. Vista is coming off a 57-41 win over Ponderosa in the quarterfinals. Bison senior forward Kyree Polk is averaging 12.3 points in the state tournament. —– Ryan McFadden
Class 5A girls final: No. 4 Northfield 70, No. 1 Air Academy 66
The Nighthawks were on the brink several times, but just wouldn’t quit. Northfield advances to their first state title game with an instant-classic, comeback win over Air Academy. The Kadets are stunned. Senior Aliyah Herron led Northfield with 22 points. — Kyle Newman
12:52 p.m.: After Ramah Khammash fouled out in the fourth quarter, Air Academy star and CSU commit Caitlin Kramer also fouls out, 25 seconds into overtime. The Kadets are playing the rest of the way without two of their starters, and their best player in Kramer, who is distraught on the bench. — Kyle Newman
12:50 p.m.: Overtime! The Kadets started the frame with a 9-0 run, but Northfield roared back and made it a one-point game, 54-53, with less than a minute to play. After a pair of free throws by Air Academy’s Lydia Flowers with 27 seconds left, Northfield’s Alena Vondracek tied the game with a three-pointer with 13 seconds left. Air Academy rushed down the floor and Tatyonna Brown missed a contested shot at the rim. After a rebound and then a timeout, Northfield’s final possession came with 4.8 seconds left, and they also came up empty and regulation ends tied 56-56.— Kyle Newman
12:24 p.m.: Northfield coach Sydney Price dials up the full-court press in the third quarter, and it’s changed the game as Air Academy hasn’t been able to handle the pressure. The game is tied 41-41 headed to the final frame. Northfield junior guard Aliyah Herron leads her team with 14 points, and Air Academy junior forward Tatyonna Brown leads all scorers with 15 points. — Kyle Newman
11:59 a.m.: The Kadets are starting to pull away as Northfield’s shooting still can’t find a rhythm. Air Academy leads 32-21 at half as the Nighthawks are 8-of-43 from the field, including 3-of-15 from behind the arc. Considering Air Academy’s size advantage, senior forward Nashara Ellerbee is going to need to turn in a dominant second half to get Northfield back in the game. Caitlin Kramer, Tatyonna Brown and Ramah Khammash lead all scorers with nine points apiece. — Kyle Newman
11:35 a.m.: A somewhat sloppy first quarter comes to an end with Air Academy leading Northfield 12-10. The Nighthawks are chucking up a lot of poor shots, and they’re 4-of-24 from the field as a result. Meanwhile, the Kadets’ six turnovers are keeping it a close game. — Kyle Newman
11:20 a.m.: We’re off to a roaring start to Final Four weekend, as the first game between Northfield and Air Academy is delayed due to a traffic snafu on I-25 near Castle Rock, which delayed the Kadets’ arrival. Expect all games today to be correspondingly delayed; tonight’s nightcap, Legend vs Regis Jesuit in the Class 6A bracket scheduled for 7:15 p.m., likely won’t start until past 8 p.m. at this point. — Kyle Newman
10:33 a.m.: We’re baaaaacckkkkkk.
The CHSAA state basketball Final Four hath arrived. The top-seeded Air Academy Cadets (25-1) and No. 4 Northfield Nighthawks (23-3) are set to get things started inside Denver Coliseum in the Class 5A girls semifinals. This is Northfield’s first appearance in the Final Four, while Air Academy is looking to get back to the championship round for the first time in 12 years. — Matt Schubert
Schedule and results
Class 6A boys, Friday
No. 8 Eaglecrest (20-6) vs. No. 4 ThunderRidge (21-5), 5:45 p.m.
No. 7 Smoky Hill (20-6) vs. No. 6 Valor Christian (24-2), 7:15 p.m.
Class 5A boys, Thursday
No. 1 Northfield (24-2) vs. No. 4 Mesa Ridge (24-2), 4 p.m.
No. 2 Vista PEAK Prep (22-4) vs. No. 3 Windsor (22-4), 12:45 p.m.
Class 4A boys, Friday
No. 1 Kent Denver (24-2) vs. No. 5 Colorado Academy (21-5), 12:45 p.m.
No. 2 Resurrection Christian (24-2) vs. No. 3 Lutheran (23-3), 4 p.m.
Class 6A girls, Thursday
No. 1 Cherokee Trail (24-2) vs. No. 4 Valor Christian (21-4), 5:45 p.m.
No. 7 Regis Jesuit (19-7) vs. No. 3 Legend (24-2), 7:15 p.m.
Class 5A girls, Thursday
No. 1 Air Academy (25-1) vs. No. 4 Northfield (23-3), 11 a.m.
No. 2 Roosevelt (24-2) vs. No. 3 Mead (22-4), 2:15 p.m.
Class 4A girls, Friday
No. 1 Holy Family (24-2) vs. No. 4 Resurrection Christian (23-3), 2:15 p.m.
No. 2 D’Evelyn (23-3) vs. No. 3 Riverdale Ridge (23-3), 11 a.m.
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