Class 4A No. 1 Holy Family girls
Game details: Thursday, 2:15 p.m. against No. 4 Lutheran
Scouting report: For at least the past 15 years, the Tigers have served as one of the most formidable girls teams under the guidance of head coach Ron Rossi. Every year, it feels like they’re an automatic contender for a state title and, in fact, they’ve won six crowns in that time frame.
This year’s squad is no different. With game play defined by speed and suffocating pressure, it’s hard to put these cats back in the bag. In fact, only three teams out of 26 have been able to defeat them, even though the Tigers play as a small 4A fish in arguably the best 5A pond with the Northern Colorado Athletic Conference.
Led by senior small forward Fiona Snashall (11.4 ppg, 10.5 rpg), junior point guard Essynce Contreraz (10.8 ppg) and junior shooting guard Julia Hodell (9.7 ppg), Holy Family poses enough threats to fluster any opponent.
They’re hoping they’ll be able to pull one over on Lutheran, one of the very few teams to get the better of them this season, with revenge at the forefront in their minds. The Tigers know they’ll have to outrebound and out-shoot a Lions team that excels at both.
“Besides getting to the finals, we’re kind of motivated. That was one of our losses that we felt that we could have won,” Rossi said. “You learn more from a loss than you do a win. I’ve always believed that. We learned a lot. Our team grew in spirit. Sharing the ball became more of a factor. They realized how important it is to be a team and they also learned how intense you have to play.”
No. 17 Holy Family boys
Game details: Thursday, 12:45 p.m. against Eagle Ridge Academy
Scouting report: Much like the ladies, the Tigers boys learned to wade through the best 5A league as a 4A team, and certainly suffered a few bruises along the way, especially through the last few weeks of the season.
A slump, during which they lost eight of 10, only sharpened their focus and intensity once the postseason began. That fire simmered within them when they barely beat out No. 16 DSST: Green Valley Ranch in round one, then sparked into a raging inferno when they dominated top-seeded Kent Denver in the Sweet 16.
The Tigers have relied on their speed and shooting acumen to carry them forward in the state tournament and house four strong shooters that can lead them on any given night: senior shooting guard Rocco Bridges (12.5 ppg), junior small forward Joseph Portillo (9.7 ppg), junior Jaxon Grable (8.1 ppg) and senior point guard Eric Quintana (7.8 ppg).
That opening-round victory was just the seismic shift the Tigers needed.
“We squeaked it out against DSST. From there, I felt like our spirit changed. I just felt confidence and our togetherness move in the right direction,” head coach Pete Villecco said. “(Eagle Ridge Academy) is huge. I mean, they don’t start a guy under 6-(foot)-4. Their length is a challenge for us and we got to keep them off the glass. Post defense is going to be a big deal. … We’ll present some challenges too with all of our little guys. Hopefully they’ll have a hard time guarding us as well.”