Consolation Champs

    Holyoke senior Grace Dille accepted the consolation championship trophy for the Lady Dragon basketball team when the girls defeated Rangely 46-41 Saturday, March 10, at the Colorado 2A state basketball tournament in Loveland.
    “It’s a good way to end the year,” said coach John Baumgartner.
    The Lady Dragons finished in the fifth spot with two wins and one loss at the tournament. They were one of three teams to represent the Lower Platte Activities Association league at state.
    Yuma won the state championship over Clear Creek, giving the Indians an undefeated 27-0 season. In the third- and fourth-place game, Wray defeated Limon.
    
Rangely’s 3-pointers threaten Holyoke lead
    In front of a supportive crowd at the Budweiser Events Center last Saturday, the Lady Dragons got the consolation championship game off to a great start against No. 6-seeded Rangely.
    “We really executed our offense,” said Baumgartner.
    Leading 9-7 with less than 2 minutes left in the first period, Holyoke put up another five points to go into the second quarter with the 14-7 advantage.
    The Lady Dragons again outscored Rangely 11-8 in the second to lead by 10 at halftime.
    “The third quarter probably made everyone nervous,” said Baumgartner. “No team has made that many 3-pointers on us all season.”
    Four of Rangely’s nine 3-pointers were scored in the third period, including three out of senior Katelyn Brown’s five treys in the game. She’s a very dangerous player when she’s got the ball outside the arc, said Baumgartner.
    Holyoke saw their lead slip away, and by the end of the third quarter, the Lady Dragons were down 30-31.
    While Rangely scored three more 3-pointers in the fourth, the majority of Holyoke’s points came from free throws — 12 out of 18.
    The Lady Dragons slowly rebuilt their lead over the Panthers to outscore them 16-10 in the final period and win the game 46-41.
    “The girls realized we have to play our best” to go home with hardware from a state tournament, said Baumgartner. “The girls felt like they accomplished something.”
    Senior Grace Dille led the team with 17 points, including four 2-pointers, one 3-pointer and six for 11 free throws. She also had 11 rebounds and two blocked shots.
    Sophomore Taeryn Trumper contributed 15 points for the Lady Dragons from six 2-pointers and three for four from the line.
    Kaylee Camblin, Dille and Trumper each had two steals.
    Holyoke made 16 out of 26 free throws for 62 percent, while Rangely landed six out of 10 for 60 percent.

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