Mesa Ridge girls rebound from tough loss with key league win

In front of a noisy home crowd, Mesa Ridge rebounded from its only league loss by handing Cheyenne Mountain its first setback in the 4A Metro.

Sarah Curby and Kaitlyn Mileto each scored 18 points Thursday as the Grizzlies (16-2, 9-1) won 69-58.

“The key to this game was the environment,” coach Eric Hulen said. “It was a playoff-type atmosphere.”

Click here for a gallery of photos from the game.

On Tuesday, Mesa Ridge lost 45-44 when Falcon made a shot at the buzzer.

“We were out for blood after what happened Tuesday night,” said Curby, who added 14 rebounds. “This was a good win for us; we needed to come back strong.”

And come back strong they did, taking an eight-point lead into halftime and holding off the Indians the rest of the way.

The Grizzlies hit seven 3-pointers — and most were clutch shots by Curby and Mileto.

Mesa Ridge, which will claim the league crown if it wins its remaining games, also controlled the glass. The Grizzlies finished with 44 rebounds, including 15 from LaShai Powells.

“We didn’t take care of business Tuesday, but a win like this gets us ready for the playoffs,” Hulen said.

Cheyenne Mountain (15-3, 9-1) was led by 19 points and 11 rebounds from Janae Vander Ploeg and a game-high 22 points from point guard Connie Char.

“Our girls played great, and we missed some shots we usually make,” coach Janie Mueller said. “Janae and Connie are both great players, but we just needed to box out better as a team.”

The Indians lost their outright conference lead but haven’t lost any confidence.

“We played our hardest, and we are going to learn from it,” Vander Ploeg said. “It’s frustrating, but it’s better to lose now than in the playoffs.”