Mesa Ridge victory over Harrison a bit unpretty in pink
It wasn’t the prettiest win, but Jeff Beatty and Mesa Ridge took it.
Donned in pink uniforms, the Grizzlies fended off a third quarter rally to walk away with a 45-31 win over the Harrison Panthers.
The defending 4A state champions have struggled with finding a groove this season, and Thursday’s game was no different.
Even when it seemed like the Grizzlies (9-5 overall, 5-1 4A Colorado Springs Metro League) were on the verge of building a commanding lead, they stumbled over themselves, a sight that frustrated Beatty.
“We went 0-2 a lot at the free-throw line,” he said. “That really messes with momentum and when you have several of those in a row, you walk away with a lot of empty possessions.”
Even without getting forward Kylee Shook involved early offensively, the Grizzlies jumped out to a quick 6-0 lead.
Despite being outmatched on paper, the Panthers refused to fade and exited the first quarter trailing by six points.
They did their best to limit the damage that Shook could do on the offensive end, but the Grizzlies were able to counter by distributing their scoring.
Four players scored for Mesa Ridge in the second quarter and none of them had more than one field goal. The team went into halftime with a 24-10 lead.
The third quarter told a different story.
The Grizzlies started forcing shots and passes which led to more turnovers while the Panthers (9-6, 3-3) started hitting their shots and climbing back into the game.
Freshman Aubrey Robinson – who found herself in foul trouble for much of the game – scored half of her team-leading eight points in the quarter and the Panthers were within 10.
“The first half we had 16 turnovers,” Harrison coach Ardie McInelly said. “The second half we only had seven. I thought our players took much better care of the ball.”
Beatty admitted before the game that he thought his team would have to win all its games in league play to win the 4A Metro. Only up nine points going into the fourth quarter, he opted to change to man-to-man defensively.
“It definitely helped because we knew who we had (to guard),” Shook said. “They couldn’t just cut behind us and get easy baskets.”
Shook led all scorers with 13 points, but it was her 18 rebounds that were a much bigger factor. The rest of the team was only able to pull down 16 boards, which he believes his team must improve.
“They killed us on the boards, I would guess,” Beatty said. “It’s frustrating because the kids were doing the right things by getting in the passing lane and deflecting balls, but we just couldn’t get a bounce tonight.”
Mesa Ridge junior Kylee Shook (22) dribbles the ball against Harrison senior Elena Martinez (23) in the first quarter. The Mesa Ridge Grizzlies defeated the Harrison Panthers 45-31 in girls’ basketball on Thursday, January 22, 2015 at Mesa Ridge High School. Photo by Isaiah J. Downing
Mesa Ridge freshman Chloe Welch (2) defends against Harrison senior Ashley Register (12) in the first quarter. The Mesa Ridge Grizzlies defeated the Harrison Panthers 45-31 in girls’ basketball on Thursday, January 22, 2015 at Rampart High School. Photo by Isaiah J. Downing
Harrison junior Jazsmine Paulk (15) controls the ball in the first quarter. The Mesa Ridge Grizzlies defeated the Harrison Panthers 45-31 in girls’ basketball on Thursday, January 22, 2015 at Mesa Ridge High School. Photo by Isaiah J. Downing
Harrison junior Jazsmine Paulk (15) dribbles the ball against Mesa Ridge sophomore Sommer Sigala (11) in the first quarter. The Mesa Ridge Grizzlies defeated the Harrison Panthers 45-31 in girls’ basketball on Thursday, January 22, 2015 at Mesa Ridge High School. Photo by Isaiah J. Downing
Mesa Ridge junior Kylee Shook (22) grabs a rebound in front of Harrison junior Kylie Turner (33) in the second quarter. The Mesa Ridge Grizzlies defeated the Harrison Panthers 45-31 in girls’ basketball on Thursday, January 22, 2015 at Mesa Ridge High School. Photo by Isaiah J. Downing
Mesa Ridge freshman Chloe Welch (2) in the third quarter against Harrison. The Mesa Ridge Grizzlies defeated the Harrison Panthers 45-31 in girls’ basketball on Thursday, January 22, 2015 at Mesa Ridge High School. Photo by Isaiah J. Downing