D’Evelyn advances to state title game

4A girls basketball semifinals: Holy Family, D’Evelyn advance to state title game
Posted on 03/09/2023
This is the image for the news article titled 4A girls basketball semifinals: Holy Family, D’Evelyn advance to state title game

written by: Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Sports Information

DENVER — D’Evelyn junior Macy Scheer got a timely ‘shooter’s touch’ to help send the Jaguars to the Class 4A girls basketball state championship game coming up Saturday.

D’Evelyn defeated University 49-44 Thursday at the Denver Coliseum to advance the Jaguars to their first girls basketball state championship game since 2013.

“It’s amazing,” Scheer said of the undefeated Jaguars (27-0 record) getting to the title game.

The No. 2-seeded Jaguars were clinging to a 41-39 lead with under two minutes to play against No. 3 University (24-3). Scheer had just missed the front-end of a 1-and-1 at the free-throw line.

The next trip down the court Scheer fired up a 3-pointer from the corner.

“In coaching that is called a ‘no, no, yes’,” D’Evelyn coach Chris Olson said of Scheer launching the 3-pointer with a 2-point lead. “These kids just love these moments. Apparently she didn’t like the moment right before. Making the free throws would have been nice.”

Scheer’s dramatic 3-pointer rattled around the rim before eventually going through the cylinder for the biggest basket of the state semifinal game, giving D’Evelyn a 44-39 lead.

“I just took it and I was confident,” Scheer said of her huge 3-pointer with 1:35 left that pushed the Jaguars back up to a 5-point lead. “I was just praying it would go in.”

All four of D’Evelyn’s 3-pointers came in the second half from four different players — Scheer, senior Rebecca Taylor, junior Ingrid Dalla and sophomore Ellie McMann — each made one 3-pointer after halftime. The Jaguars shot 4-for-17 from distance for the game.

“I was crazy happy for her,” D’Evelyn junior Peyton Marvel said of Scheer’s 3-pointer. “I know she has been struggling with her 3s. I was insanely happy that she hit that. It helped the whole team get more energy.”

D’Evelyn struggled from the charity stripe in the fourth quarter going 5-for-11, but the Jaguars made five free throws in the final minute to seal the victory. Scheer finished with 12 points and Taylor had 9 points in the win.

“They were defintely a tough team and we had to work,” Marvel said of University. “I just knew we could always stay ahead if we just kept working. Coach (Olson) always says that we just need to win by one point.”

Marvel — coming off an outstanding 36 points and 14 rebounds in the state quarterfinals last week — finished with a game-high 22 points, including 17 points in the first half.

University was led by senior Taryn Kravig (15 points) and sophomore Addison Harding (12 points).

It will be the third state championship game for D’Evelyn’s longtime coach. Olson brought home back-to-back 4A state runner-up trophies in 2012 and 2013. Thursday was the Jaguars’ first trip back to the Final Four in a decade.

“This is their moment. This is their run,” Olson said of D’Evelyn heading to the program’s third state championship game. “As coaches, we’ll keep their energy up and let them have this experience.”

Website by SchoolMessenger Presence. © 2024 SchoolMessenger Corporation. All rights reserved.