Golden opportunity for Broomfield

Eagles clamp down, streak by Demons into championship

Paul Willis , Special to the Rocky

Published March 13, 2008 at 12:45 a.m.

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Photo by Joshua Duplechian / Special To The Rocky

Broomfield's Mariah Metoyer puts up a shot against Golden during the 4A girls semifinals at the Coors Events Center. Metoyer scored 15 points in the Eagles' victory.

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BOULDER - Conventional wisdom says never to give an underdog an opportunity to gain steam by letting it feel that it has a chance.

The Broomfield girls basketball team abided by that philosophy Wednesday night.

The Eagles blitzed Golden from the opening minutes in a 69-32 shellacking at the Coors Events Center in a Class 4A semifinal game.

"We didn't really talk about that, but it's kind of a given every night," Broomfield forward Chaundra Sewell said. "You don't want the other team to get up on you early. You don't want to play the catch- up game."

The Eagles (26-1) certainly didn't have to, unless coming back from a 2-0 deficit qualifies. Led by Sewell's monster performance on the boards, Broomfield asserted immediate dominance, as Golden missed its first 11 shots.

Most of those misses were grabbed by Sewell, who recorded seven of her game-best 13 rebounds in the first quarter.

Sewell, who added 12 points, teamed with 6-foot-6 center Anna Prins (16 points, nine rebounds) to give the Eagles a devastating inside combination against the undersized Demons (22-5).

"We knew we could dominate them inside with the height advantage we had," Sewell said.

Limiting Golden to 3-for-26 shooting in the first half also helped as Broomfield darted to a 34-12 lead.

Defensive specialist Mariah Metoyer, who scored 15 points and grabbed eight rebounds, made sure Golden sharpshooter Samantha Neal had few looks from the perimeter.

"I think they got a little nervous and frantic, and that's when they started just throwing things up there," Metoyer said.

Golden coach Jeff Neal, whose team was led by Cassie Lam brecht's 16 points, believes the game might have taken on a different direction had the Demons knocked down a few open looks early.

"We talk a lot about how a three- pointer in a girls game is sort of like a dunk in a guys game," Neal said. "It gets everybody fired up. . . . We didn't get a lot of easy looks (early), but if we make a few, it opens the lanes up for Cassie to drive. It definitely made a big difference."

Broomfield, which had a 48-30 rebounding edge and held the Demons to 21.1 percent shooting, will take on Silver Creek in the championship game Friday. The teams have met three times this season, with Broomfield winning twice.

"It's a little nerve-racking but it'll be exciting," Metoyer said. "It will definitely prove who the better team is."

Of note, Neal made one three- pointer to end her career with a state-record 271.

Golden6 6 7 13 - 32

Broomfield13 21 23 12 - 69

G - Cassie Lambrecht 6 4-11 16, Taylor Stolte 1 0-0 2, Katja Jacobs 2 2-2 7, Samantha Neal 1 0-0 3, Emily Wareham 1 0-2 2, Ellen Hanggi 1 0-0 2, Shannon Seary 0 0-0 0, Taylor Snart 0 0-0 0, Abbey Sheesley 0 0-0 0, Kathryn Noriega 0 0-0 0, Kailey Osbaugh 0 0-0 0. Totals 12 6-15 32.

B - Deborah Davies 0 0-0 0, Mariah Metoyer 5 5-6 15, Sophia Rhodes 1 2-2 4, Chaundra Sewell 6 0-2 12, Anna Prins 7 2-2 16, Autumn Chase 3 0-0 6, Alex Biegner 0 2-3 2, Aly Bonham 2 0-0 5, Sarah Hix 0 0-2 0, Ashley Snow 4 1-2 9, Maddie Reeves 0 0-0 0, Renae Waters 0 0-0 0. Totals 28 12-19 69.

Three-point goals - G, Neal, Jacobs. B, Bonham.

* CLASS 4A SCHEDULE

SEMIFINALS

Wednesday, Coors Events Center, Boulder

Silver Creek 57, Pueblo East 45

Broomfield 69, Golden 32

CHAMPIONSHIP

6 p.m. Friday, Coors Events Center

[1] Silver Creek (25-2) vs. [1] Broomfield (26-1)

TV: FSN Rocky Mountain

1 p.m. Saturday (tape delay)

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