Season Recap: Centennial League (5A/4A)

This season will go down as one of the most memorable seasons due to the cancellation of the state tournament a few days prior to seeing a pair of Centennial League exciting teams play for the championship. Not only was the Centennial League guaranteed to crown a state champion, its regular season also included some of the toughest battles in a conference packed with teams that have a history of winning state. Here is a look at what took place in the in the Centennial Conference. &nbsp; <span style="color: #3366ff"><strong><span style="font-size: 14pt">Who won the league in ’19-20 season?</span></strong></span> Grandview and Cherry Creek ended up splitting the league championship with Cherry Creek having a slightly better overall record of 25-2 compared to Grandview’s 24-3. Both teams are no strangers to competing at the highest level, playing against some of the top teams in the country in a tournament at the start of the season. Playing each other twice during the regular season the two teams split the head-to-head series against one another. Grandview won the first of the two outings, 65-40 at Cherry Creek, and Cherry Creek won the second, 53-42. The next time the two teams would’ve played would have decided the Class 5A state champion. Outside of losing against each other, the only lost that the two team had was against the top team in the country. &nbsp; <span style="color: #3366ff"><strong><span style="font-size: 14pt">Five players who shined this winter</span></strong></span> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="95016" first="Jana" last="Van Gytenbeek"], 2020, G, Cherry Creek</strong> Van Gytenbeek topped rank player in PGH Colorado rankings,  a guard that has done amazing things for Cherry Creek girls basketball with her time there. She has been named 5A player of the year twice, this year Gatorade player of the year. Van Gytenbeek averaged 17.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.1 steals and 7.7 assist per game. [caption id="attachment_112171" align="alignright" width="300"] [player_tooltip player_id="95016" first="Jana" last="Van Gytenbeek"][/caption]Van Gytenbeek is a fierce competitor that demands excellence from herself, and can create for herself and for others. A player who shines against when it matters most, she had some of her best games against the Bruins’ toughest competition including a 38-point outburst in a victory against Grandview on Feb. 19. Van<span style="font-size: 1rem"> Gytenbeek scored 1,731 points in her career, and holds Colorado’s all-time carer record of 679 assists. She is an efficient guard who shot 176 for 355 (50 percent) from the field, 50 for 110 (45 percent) from behind the arc and 62 for 73 (85 percent) at the free-throw line. Van Gytenbeek is a player that will do whatever it takes to make sure that her team is a position to succeed each time on the court and will do so at Stanford University next season.</span> &nbsp; <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="95167" first="Lauren" last="Betts"] 2022, C, Grandview</strong> [caption id="attachment_141977" align="alignright" width="300"] [player_tooltip player_id="95122" first="Addison" last="O’Grady"][/caption]Betts has the opportunity to play with a stacked roster with great guards they loves to feed her in the post.  Standing at 6-foot-7 making it extremely difficult to match up against due to her size in the post.  She can also knock down midrange shots creating multiple high-low situations with teammate [player_tooltip player_id="95122" first="Addison" last="O’Grady"]. Betts led the league in scoring with 17.8 points per game and also averaged 2.2 assist and 3.9 <span style="font-size: 1rem">blocks.</span> Betts put up her season high in points with 29 against Fruita Monument in the Sweet 16 to help her team advance to the Final Four. Betts is also efficient when it comes to scoring and rebounding, shooting 209 for 287 (73 percent) from the field and 45 for 68 (66 percent) from free-throw line. She also grabbed a season high in rebounds of 17 back to back against two tough teams in Cherry Creek and Mullen. Betts will look to continue to help boost her team as Grandview will have to make up for the graduation of several talented players next year. &nbsp; <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="117684" first="Sam" last="Crispe"], 2022, F, Arapahoe</strong> [caption id="attachment_142124" align="alignright" width="300"] [player_tooltip player_id="117684" first="Sam" last="Crispe"][/caption]Crispe is a player that is fiery when she is on the court, as the sophomore is the leading scorer for the Arapahoe Warriors. She averaged 12.2 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game. Crispe can also step outside the arc, knocking down shots to help stretch the floor while shooting 115 for 265 (43 percent) from the field and 10 for 33 (30 percent) from behind the arc. Standing at 6-foot-2, Crispe has great size for a forward and scored a season high in points with 19 against two conference games Cherry Creek and Cherokee Trail. Crispe has tremendous upside in her game as she continues to develop and improve. Crispe will look to be more of leader next year with the Warriors losing a talented senior in [player_tooltip player_id="95100" first="Kali" last="March"]. Crispe is ranked No. 16 in the PGH Colorado Class of 2022 player rankings and will look to continue climbing that list as she grows her game. &nbsp; <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="95021" first="Makayla" last="Hemingway"] 2020, G, Cherokee Trail</strong> Hemingway a savvy player that can score from the inside and stretch out to behind the arc. She averaged 15.5 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 3.4 steals per game. Hemingway leads the way for the Cougars, who had a record of 15-10 overall and 6-8 in league, and she is a player that you always need to know where she is on the floor. She scored 20-plus points in nine games, shot 137 for 334 (31 percent) from the field, 83-157 (53 percent) from inside the arc and 59 for 83 (71 percent) at the free-throw line. When she gets hot, it is extremely tough to guard Hemingway with her ability to score inside and outside and create opportunities for her team to score much like teammate [player_tooltip player_id="115765" first="Dominique" last="Rodriguez"], a relentless slasher to the rim. Hemingway has a high basketball IQ that shows the ability to be a vocal leader. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="95130" first="Megan" last="Pohs"] 2021, G, Mullen</strong> [caption id="attachment_141997" align="alignright" width="300"] [player_tooltip player_id="95130" first="Megan" last="Pohs"][/caption]Pohs is a great teammate and leader for Mullen, a team that loves to share the ball and get everyone into the action. Pohs led the way for the Mustangs with 11.6 points, 2.7 assists and 1.6 steals per game. She averaged 2.7 assists and 1.6 steals per game for a team that spreads the offensive efficiency throughout the entire roster. Pohs can affect the game in many ways especially by being the floor general that she is. Pohs shot 103 for 251 (41 percent) from the field, 60 for 153 (39 percent) from behind the arc and 23 for 26 (88 percent) from the free-throw line. Despite being just 5-foot-4, she does not hesitate when it comes to shooting from behind the arc, and has a shooters mentality. &nbsp; <span style="font-size: 14pt;color: #3366ff"><strong>Who was all-conference in ’19-20?</strong></span> <strong>First team</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="95016" first="Jana" last="Van Gytenbeek"], Cherry Creek [player_tooltip player_id="95167" first="Lauren" last="Betts"], Grandview [caption id="attachment_142001" align="alignright" width="272"] [player_tooltip player_id="95170" first="Imani" last="Perez"][/caption][player_tooltip player_id="95019" first="Cali" last="Clark"], Cherry Creek [player_tooltip player_id="95130" first="Megan" last="Pohs"], Mullen <span style="font-size: 1rem">[player_tooltip player_id="95021" first="Makayla" last="Hemingway"], Cherokee Trail</span> <span style="font-size: 1rem">[player_tooltip player_id="95122" first="Addison" last="O’Grady"], Grandview</span> [player_tooltip player_id="95100" first="Kali" last="March"], Arapahoe [player_tooltip player_id="95170" first="Imani" last="Perez"], Mullen [player_tooltip player_id="95103" first="Jadyn" last="Ross"], Eaglecrest <strong>Second team</strong> <span style="font-size: 1rem">[player_tooltip player_id="115765" first="Dominique" last="Rodriguez"], Cherokee Trail</span> [caption id="attachment_97349" align="alignright" width="300"] [player_tooltip player_id="115765" first="Dominique" last="Rodriguez"][/caption]<span style="font-size: 1rem">[player_tooltip player_id="95023" first="Tomia" last="Johnson"], Grandview</span> [player_tooltip player_id="117684" first="Sam" last="Crispe"], Arapahoe [player_tooltip player_id="115760" first="Carly" last="Thompson"], Cherry Creek [player_tooltip player_id="95172" first="Gracie" last="Gallegos"], Mullen <span style="font-size: 1rem">[player_tooltip player_id="95025" first="Landri" last="Hudson"], Grandview</span> <span style="font-size: 1rem">[player_tooltip player_id="95132" first="Kacee" last="Kyle"], Cherry Creek</span> [player_tooltip player_id="116769" first="Abby" last="Wrede"], Cherry Creek Tatiana Coleman, Eaglecrest