The regular season comes to an end Saturday for the Yuma High School girls basketball team.
The only remaining question is if the Outlaws can walk away with fifth place in the Patriot League Tournament.
They headed to Strasburg on Wednesday of this week for a consolation semifinal, after Friday’s quarterfinal loss at 4A top-ranked University. They held off the Indians 35-25, and now will play Wiggins in fifth-place game Saturday 12 noon at Weld Central High School. (Though it is a tournament, each team simply is getting three games to round out the new extended regular season, rather than have a district tournament.)
Strasburg lost to Highland last Friday, setting up Wednesday’s game. Wiggins, a loser to Eaton, and Brush, a loser to Resurrection Christian, played in the other consolation semifinal.
“The teams on our side of the bracket, those are all teams I wouldn’t mind having a shot at again,” Yuma coach Jeremy Robinson said Monday.
Patriot League play concludes Saturday with all games at Weld Central High School near Keenesburg. The girls’ third-place game is at 3 p.m. and the championship at 6 p.m.
Yuma entered the week 10-11 overall, and still safely within the regional field at No. 15 in the 3A CHSAA Selection & Seeding Index.
A couple of wins this week to close out the regular season likely would move up the Outlaws a bit in the final rankings, and possibly into a perhaps more favorable destination for regional — though it is going to take some traveling no matter what.
“We’re teetering on the edge of breaking over, or staying where we’re at,” Robinson said.
At least the Outlaws do not have anymore No. 1 teams to play this week.
They went back-to-back last Thursday and Friday with 3A top-ranked Resurrection Christian, and then 4A top-ranked University.
“That was a pretty tough turnaround for us,” Robinson said.
The Resurrection Christian game was rescheduled from Tuesday due to Yuma not having school because of the extreme cold earlier last week.
The Outlaws gave Resurrection Christian a good battle before eventually losing 50-42.
Yuma scored just three points in the first quarter, but broke out with 17 in the second to trail 25-20 at halftime. The Outlaws kept sticking around, but never could get over the top in the eight-point loss.
“We didn’t play well at times, but I know there are no moral victories but to lose by eight, it’s encouraging,” Robinson said.
Yuma shot 38 percent from the floor compared to 32 percent for the Cougars. Yuma made four of nine from behind the 3-point arc, but Resurrection Christian ended up taking 10 more shots. A lot of the game was spent at the charity stripe as Yuma made 12 of 17 and the Cougars 17 of 28.
Jade Lungwitz had 17 points and two rebounds for the Outlaws, Taryn Sheffield eight points, three rebounds and three assists, Berkley Nighswonger five points and four rebounds, Alina Moran five points and two rebounds, Carolina Ross four points, three rebounds and three assists, Bailey Nighswonger three points and four rebounds, and Aubrey Black four rebounds and two assists.
Resurrection Christian senior Olivia Klein is the Patriot’s leading score. She was “held” to 13 points, making eight of 10 at the free throw line. She is the daughter of YHS graduates Nathan and Krisi (McPherson) Klein. Senior Callie Gillespie hurt the Outlaws with 20 points.
The Outlaws were on the road again the next day to open the Patriot League Tournament at top-seed and undefeated University. The Bulldogs feature a starting lineup with four players 6-foot or taller, including 6-2 post Addison Harding punishing the Outlaws with 22 points.
Still, the Outlaws had a great start to the game, leading 13-11 after the first quarter. They still were within four, 26-22, at halftime.
However, then the third quarter happened; University 20, Yuma 2.
The Outlaws ended up losing 55-35.
“We came out fantastic,” Robinson said. “They just turned their dial up (in the third)…it was bad.”
Yuma shot great behind the arc, making six of 12, but made only five of 23 of its 2-pointers (22 percent). The Outlaws were outrebounded 29-19.
Sheffield had 14 points, Lungwitz eight points and three assists, Berkley Nighswonger seven points and two rebounds, Black three points and two rebounds, Moran two points and four rebounds, Bailey Nighswonger one point, five rebounds and three assists, Ross three steals, and Wendy Garcia two rebounds.