Grandview entered the Class 6A girls state basketball tournament with nine losses on its resume, a humbling No. 11 seed and a giant chip on its shoulder.
Now they can say, “I told you so.”
Or, as senior point guard Isa Dillehay put it: “I think everybody doubted us, but look where we are now.”
Grandview defeated No. 4 Monarch, 38-28, Saturday afternoon at the Denver Coliseum for its second consecutive championship and fourth in six years.
Sophomore center sophomore Sienna Betts, the Colorado Gatorade Player of the Year, led the way with 20 points and 20 rebounds.
“When we got to this point, there was no way we were going to lose,” Betts said.
And coach Josh Ulitzky, who has guided the Wolves to all four state championships, figured his team peaking at the right time.
“We have kids who are composed and we played the toughest schedule in the state,” Ulitzky said. “That made a difference. Every single one of these girls came through for us.”
The game’s turning point arrived with 6 minutes, 24 seconds, left in the fourth quarter, and Grandview holding a 27-24 lead. That’s when Betts was whistled for her fourth foul. Only the game didn’t turn as expected.
Instead of tightening up, the Wolves played their best basketball of the afternoon, going on an 11-4 run to close out the game. Lexi Yi drained a 3-pointer for her only points of the game. Dillehay — at 5-foot-3 the shortest player in the tournament and nicknamed “Mighty Mouse” by her teammates — made a critical steal and cashed it in for a fastbreak layup, then made a beautiful dish under the basket to Deija Robinson for another bucket.
“Sienna is the leader of this team, but Isa is the heart and soul,” Ulitzky said.
Dillehay now owns two state basketball titles, as well as a state soccer crown.
“It’s so amazing for coach to say that,” said Dillhay, who finished with five points and, remarkably, four rebounds. “I work so hard for my teammates. I love every single one of them. I really do put my heart and soul into every one of these games.”
Monarch certainly had its chances. And senior point guard Natalie Guanella, who led the Coyotes with 14 points, did everything in her power to try and win the game. It held a 16-15 halftime lead, fueled by Guanella’s 11 points.
But in the end, Monarch’s cold shooting ruined its chance for an upset. The Coyotes were 7 of 43 (16%) from the floor and 5 of 19 (26%) from the foul line.
“I’m not 100% sure what happened, but I just know that we didn’t score enough,” said coach Mike Blakely, who steered his team to a 26-2 record. “If we had scored more and shot better we could have been OK.”
Monarch keyed on Betts defensively and took the ball at her on offense, but the 6-3 Betts was too good and too strong to be denied.
“We tried to attack Betts, but it took a long time to get that fourth foul on her,” Blakely said. “If we could have gotten it sooner we would have been in better shape.”
Betts’ older sister, Lauren, a McDonald’s All-American who helped lead Grandview to the state title last season and now plays at Stanford, sat in the first row watching her sister.
After the game, the two sisters hugged in a tearful embrace.
“I won a title with my sister last year and that was so special,” Sienna Betts said. “But this game, with these girls, I can’t put it into words.”
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