CSCS girls remain undefeated, advance to 3A state title game

FORT COLLINS • Colorado Springs Christian School shrugged off a slow start and foul trouble Friday to move within one win of a Class 3A state championship.

With leading scorer Brianne VandeGriend sidelined most of the game because of foul trouble, the top-seeded Lions used a balanced attack to beat No. 4 Pagosa Springs 46-40 and advance to the final for the first time in nearly a decade.

Erika Heckman, VandeGriend’s partner in the post, led the charge with 10 of her game-high 16 points in the third-quarter.

“Their post was playing off me and leaving me open,” Heckman said. “There is certainly not only one star on this team, and any of us can step up in any game.”

While Heckman provided an advantage inside, the Lions’ backcourt also played a key role by calmly handling the Pirates’ pressure.

“We were just patient and worked the ball around and looked for each other,” said Tiffany Kenney, who had nine points. “It all starts with defense, and we decided to work our butts off and really hustle.”

VandeGriend played only 9 minutes but made two free throws and a layup in the fourth quarter as CSCS (26-0) pushed its lead to 44-34.

Both teams played sluggishly in the first quarter, which ended with Pagosa Springs (22-3) clinging to a 7-6 lead. The Lions began the second with an 11-2 run and never trailed again.

CSCS will look to cap its perfect season at 5:15 p.m. today against No. 2 Holy Family (30-1), a 68-34 winner over No. 3 Olathe in Friday’s other semifinal.

“Nobody thought we would be where we are now at the beginning of the season,” coach Lisa Guhl said. “These girls work hard and believe in each other and they just want to glorify the Lord every day with their play.”

Added Heckman: “This is surreal, but we are going to study and focus and come to play tomorrow; we want it very bad.”