LAKEWOOD (3/1/13) -Next year nearly arrived early as the young Glenwood Lady Demons nearly knocked off number-one seeded D’Evelyn before falling 47-44 in the first round of the 4A state playoffs.
“We gave them a big surprise, even surprised ourselves,” a fiercely proud coach Jackie Gaddis said after her team fought the 23-1 Jaguars to the last possession. “There was not a second we didn’t think we could win this game,” Gaddis said. “I’m so proud of them for that.”
Delaney Gaddis made her only basket of the contest, a three-pointer, that gave Glenwood a 42-39 lead a minute into the fourth quarter. The Demons trailed by 11 with three minutes left in the third, but sophomores Madi Spence and Jordan DeCrow ran off seven straight before D’Evelyn scored to lead 39-33 going into the final frame.
Spence, who scored 17 with 17 rebounds, hit a jumper to start the fourth, and Kenzie Nelson-Buehler, one of only two seniors on the team drove and scored before Spence tied it at 39. Gaddis, who had missed all 11 shots in the first three quarters then capped the 9-0 run for the lead.
Rachel Olsen had made just 1-of-7 three pointers for the “bombs away” Jaguars, quickly answered to tie it at 42 with 5:50 to play. Glenwood, which put up 78 shots in the game, but could make just 17, had a couple missed opportunities to take the lead before Morgan Ducklow’s driving jumper put D’Evelyn ahead to stay, 44-42, with 3:22 remaining.
Gaddis missed the front of a one-and-one at 3:14 when D’Evelyn’s leading scorer for the season, Laura Tyree, fouled out with just 6 points. Gaddis then picked off a steal on the left side, but dribbled past the basket to try the right handed layup, but missed with 2:45 to go. Four other chances to tie resulted in turnovers, a problem all night for the Demons who wound up with 33 for the game.
Mallory Seemann finally ended the scoring drought for both teams with a drive that gave D’Evelyn a 46-42 lead with 1:45 to go. As they had all night, the Demons refused to give in to the defending state champion runner-up Jaguars as DeCrow scored to cut the lead to two at 1:15. The host Jaguars could not put the game away at the line, making one, then missing four straight free throws, but Glenwood turned the ball over twice and a desperate three at the buzzer by Nelson-Buehler fell short.
Junior Laura McDermott scored 10 with 13 rebounds and DeCrow also tallied 10 with 8 rebounds. Nelson-Buehler finished her 4-year varsity career with 4 points and 15 rebounds. The Demons, seeded 8th in the region, finish the season with a 12-12 record and return all but two players for next year.
The Rifle Lady Bears, 16-7, defeated 20-5 Palmer Ridge, 31-25 and advance to the Sweet 16 against host Montrose (19-4) Saturday.
