Ravens’ Crittendon chasing history
As Brihanna Crittendon leads Riverdale Ridge into the Class 4A Final Four, she’s taking the hype in stride.
The sensational sophomore is the fastest player in Colorado history, boys or girls, to reach 1,500 points in her career. And as she’s piled up Division I scholarship offers, she’s on an early pace to break the CHSAA all-time scoring record of 2,934 points set by Ridgway’s Tracy Hill from 1980-83.
Crittendon remains unfazed. She doesn’t check the stat sheet after prolific games, of which there’s been plenty. She’s a film junkie and gym rat whose singular focus this winter has been getting the Ravens their first girls team title in school history.
“We walk into hostile environments, there’s people yelling ‘overrated’ when she misses a shot,” Riverdale Ridge coach Tim Jones said. “She’s getting doubleteamed, triple-teamed all year. I’ve never seen a kid get as much love and hate in the same space as she does.
“But she’s got blinders on, and the hype doesn’t get to her. Some kids in this situation, they would turn arrogant. But she’s very humble and she understands that she’s got more work to do. … Even at the end of her big games, she’ll talk to me about what she could’ve done to be better. She’s aware (of her scoring), but she’s also got tunnel vision on bigger goals.”
After Riverdale Ridge lost 54-47 in the Great 8 to D’evelyn last season, the Ravens get a rematch on Friday at Denver Coliseum, this time with a trip to the finals on the line. While D’evelyn is aiming for another title bout against defending champion Holy Family, the Jaguars will first have to get by Crittendon, who is the No. 10 recruit nationally in the Class of 2026 ESPN Hoopgurlz rankings.
The 6-foot-3 forward can play the one through the five, and is averaging a double-double this year with 29.3 points and 10.7 rebounds to go along with 2.5 blocks. After blasting the CHSAA record for points in a freshman season with 811, Crittendon’s emerged as an even more dynamic force this year.
She has dreams of playing in the WNBA, but for now, she wants a trophy to put the Ravens on the map.
“We’re way more mature than we were last year against D’evelyn,” Crittendon said. “If we just play our game, and stay us, I don’t think anyone can stop us. And we have to want it more. Rebound, play hard, keep our heads down. If we do that, we can win the next two games.”
Crittendon has a solid cast around her, including junior point guard Brooklynn Charlo. The daughter of Mo Charlo, who played at Nevada and then professionally, Brooklynn Charlo has multiple Division I offers and leads the team in assists (4.1 per game) and steals (3.6). The Ravens’ starting five is rounded out by sophomore guard Payton Meineke (the team’s defensive leader and a top cross-country runner in the state), junior guard Gabby Herr and senior guard Cimonie Martinez. But Jones says it’s Crittendon’s status as a “generational player” that’s fueling the Ravens’ deep tournament run.
“When we met last year (a few days after losing to D’evelyn), Bri and the rest of the girls were just like, ‘Nah, that’s not gonna happen again,‘” Jones said. “‘Next year, we’ll be back there, and we’ll finish the job.’”
Part of the reason for Crittendon’s continued evolution is the club team she plays for, Colorado Lockdown, which also has four other impact players in this weekend’s Final Four: Air Academy junior forward Tatyonna Brown, Roosevelt junior guard Ryanne Bahnsen-price, Roosevelt sophomore forward Kyla Hollier and Cherokee Trail junior guard Madeline Gibbs.
Colorado Lockdown is coached by former Rockies utilityman and 14-year major league veteran Terry Shumpert. His daughter, CU commit Isabella Shumpert, goes to Arapahoe but did not play this year due to a knee injury. Shumpert’s been coaching Colorado Lockdown for eight years, and Crittendon is part of the team’s original core dating back to her fourth-grade season.
“She’s a truly gifted scorer, because it’s not that she’s just scoring in 4A,” Shumpert said. “She’s gifted at scoring the ball, period. And she elevates her game in the summer against the best competition in the country on the Select 40 (AAU circuit).”
Roosevelt head coach Enoch Miller, who coached against Crittendon in Longs Peak League play over the last two seasons, called her “the toughest player I’ve ever had to game plan against and it’s not close.”
Roosevelt trounced Riverdale Ridge 75-45 on Jan. 20, the Ravens’ lone in-state loss this season, but Riverdale Ridge retaliated with a decisive 65-41 win on Feb. 15. Crittendon had 27 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks in that game against the reigning Class 5A champions.
“Defensively she’s like an NFL cover corner,” Miller said. “When she’s motivated and pushing herself it is nearly impossible to score on her near the rim. She wipes everything and if she can’t block it, she forces an off-balance shot.
“Offensively, she’s just so versatile and efficient. She has an uncanny ability to maneuver her body to finish near the rim. She either finishes or gets fouled, oftentimes both. She can handle the ball with high efficiency, understands how to use ball screens and moves very well without the ball, especially with burst speed immediately after she passes.”
Even with all the praise she’s generating, the road ahead of Crittendon will be a lot steeper than the road behind her.
That begins with this weekend’s matchup against hungry D’evelyn, and then if the Ravens get past the Jaguars, a likely showdown with top-seeded Holy Family. The Tigers can move into second-place all-time with an eighth girls basketball title this weekend.
Beyond that, there’s the Ravens’ move up to Class 6A next season, where the competition will be stiffer. It’s a two-tier jump Crittendon is excited about — “We’ve already shown we can compete against 6A and 5A teams, so there shouldn’t be any doubts about us,” she points out — and one her coach isn’t sweating, either, especially with No. 3 in his lineup.
“I feel like she’s going to accomplish the scoring record, because she gets better and better every year, and the cast around her is getting better, too,” Jones said. “If you thought the first couple years were impressive, just wait for the next two years — everybody’s gonna see a different beast.”