Class 5A: What not to forget from the last teams standing
The third meeting of the season between Cherry Creek and Grandview that was set for last Saturday would have decided the Class 5A champion. Either the Bruins would have hoisted a title for a second straight year following their last-second…
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Continue ReadingThe third meeting of the season between Cherry Creek and Grandview that was set for last Saturday would have decided the Class 5A champion.
Either the Bruins would have hoisted a title for a second straight year following their last-second win over the Wolves a year ago or Grandview’s dynasty would have added another chapter with a third championship in four years.
It was cancelled with the advance of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nevertheless, we took a look at the final two teams standing in the Class 4A girls basketball field in Holy Family and Mullen — a snapshot of their memorable runs and performances. So now let’s take a look at the two best teams left in the state’s largest classification.
One end of the final would have featured Cherry Creek and the state’s top-ranked 2020 recruit in Jana Van Gytenbeek Jana Van Gytenbeek 5'7" | PG Cherry Creek | 2020 CO , who is committed to Stanford University.
The other side of it saw the deepest team in the state in Grandview, which has two recruits in the state’s top 10 for 2020 as well as the top ranked junior in Addison O’Grady Addison O’Grady 6'3" | PF Grandview | 2021 State #45 Nation CO and top sophomore in Lauren Betts Lauren Betts 6'7" | C Grandview | 2022 State #1 Nation CO .
Here are a few notables that shouldn’t be forgotten from 5A’s powerhouse programs.
Van Gytenbeek leaves her legacy
The Cardinal commit could, and many argue should end her career with the 5A player of the year award for a second straight season. And that’s after she already claimed Gatorade Player of the Year in girls basketball.
[player_tooltip player_id="95016" first="Jana" last="VanGytenbeek"]Her time with the Bruins ends after she posted 1,731 points, hit 189 3’s and had a state-record 679 assists in her career.
For many, they will remember her leading the athletic-rich school to its first-ever championship in girls basketball. With last year’s title game tied in the waning seconds, Van Gytenbeek drove into the lane and flipped a shot over two defenders for the winning basket.
ESPN ranks her as a five-star recruit and the 11th best 2020 point guard in the country and 38th best player.
She wasn’t the only one
[player_tooltip player_id="95019" first="Cali" last="Clark"]Van Gytenbeek’s teammate, 6-foot-3 forward Cali Clark Cali Clark 6'3" | PF Cherry Creek | 2020 State CO , was the fourth-ranked prospect by Prep Girls Hoops. Other Bruins forward Carly Thompson Carly Thompson 6'1" | SF Cherry Creek | 2020 State CO was 21st.
Clark heads to Colorado State after racking up 1,638 points on 51 percent shooting throughout her high school career. She averaged a double-double at 15 PPG and 11 RPG over her four years, the first two of which were at Lamar High School.
In her final game, she had a game-high 20 points in a win over Highlands Ranch in the semifinals.
Thompson, meanwhile, averaged 7.5 points this year but PGH earlier noted that she’d likely be a top scorer on most other programs in the state that didn’t feature two top-five 2020 players.
She is still uncommitted as of the site’s last ranking period.
Cherry Creek coach Clint Evans told PGH Thompson would be a good fit in a college program that likes to run the floor. She’s athletic in transition, shoots the 3 well for a 6-footer and is strong defensively.
Grandview’s talent leaving and staying
The Wolves say goodbye to seniors Tomia Johnson Tomia Johnson 5'6" | CG Grandview | 2020 State CO , ranked eighth in the state’s 2020 class, and Landri Hudson Landri Hudson 5'9" | CG Grandview | 2020 State CO , 10th. But they do have the state’s top-ranked 2021 player in O’Grady, a 6-foot-3 forward who can put up points while owning the glass. As well as the top sophomore in the state with Betts, the 6-7 center who played with Team USA over the summer and then led the team this year with 17.8 PPG and 11.2 boards.
So, all in all, lucky them.
Johnson, a Florida Gulf Coast commit, helped lead the way for Grandview, which made its fourth straight finals game.
[player_tooltip player_id="95023" first="Tomia" last="Johnson"]The 5-6 point guard is a strong two-way guard and is ranked 30th at her position by ESPN.
Hudson, meanwhile, is headed to the University of Wyoming. Her college coach, Gerald Mattison described her game to Wyoming 4 News after her signing.
“Landri brings some athleticism to us,” he said. “She’s able to guard a variety of perimeter players at different sizes and different speeds. She’s a very capable outside shooter, so that blends well with our motion. She plays extremely hard. When you can do those things, there’s always a place for you.”