'Stangs spank Eagles by 56
Thompson Valley no match for host Mullen.
“Pretty good for a 14th seed, don’t you think?”
So asked Mullen head coach Frank Cawley after his Mustangs basically punished Thompson Valley 77-21 on Friday night at Hutchison Fieldhouse in the second round of Colorado’s Class 4A playoffs.
It’s no secret the Mustangs, who improved to 16-8, weren’t thrilled with their seed. In addition to knocking off two-time defending 4A state champion Evergreen, Mullen’s only in-state losses were to 5A heavyweights – Grandview and Cherry Creek twice, and Regis Jesuit. Plus, the Mustangs showed very well in a scrimmage against Holy Family, the field’s No. 2 seed, in a gathering to salute the Old Parochial League last month.All of the above aside, Cawley said, “we have to play,”
And they did. The Mustangs never trailed; 11-of-12 players scored; they forced a whopping 37 turnovers against the No. 19 Eagles, who ended 19-6 and were runners-up in the Northern League; allowed only four points in each of the first three quarters; and never blinked on a shooting night that was as cold as outside the gym during the snowstorm.
“We’re fine,” Cawley said of his team’s shooting that began 1-of-7, “and our identity isn’t that; our identity is being a tough defensive team.”
Ask the Eagles. Haley Van Horn, Gracie Gallegos and Imani Perez were strong inside defending and rebounding. Guards Megan Pohs and Elaina Martinez applied pressure and cut off passing lanes. And Iliana Perez again came off the bench and amped up the tempo on both ends.
“We practice defense a lot and it’s our main focus because we do that well as a team,” said Van Horn, a sophomore. “We try to have as much energy as we can and hype up each other.”
Saud Cawley: “(The Eagles are) a good team, but I don’t think they’ve seen defense like that. We put pressure on them.”
As for scoring, Abby Webster came off the bench for 13 points. Imani Perez had 12 points and sister Iliana 11. Pohs had nine and Gallegos and Demitra Loukopoulos each added eight.
“It’s a big accomplishment,” Van Horn said of advancing, “but now we have a big road trip. We’re pretty confident just to have our shot and not be nervous.”
Next for the Mustangs is a demanding matchup on Tuesday night at Pueblo West, the No. 3 seed. The Cyclones are 21-3 and coming off a blowout of their own, 73-22 over Jefferson County’s Standley Lake.
The game will be at the Cyclones’ Jerry Kersey Gymnasium, probably at 7 p.m.
MULLEN 77, THOMPSON VALLEY 21
Thompson Valley 4 4 4 9 -- 21
Mullen 20 18 13 26 -- 77
Thompson Valley – Black 3 0-0 6, Briggs 1 0-0 3, Bowen 1 0-0 2, Solt 0 0-0 0, Durtsche 1 1-2 3, Gentrup 0 2-4 2, Schuetz 0 4-4 4, McCrimmon 0 1-2 1. Totals 6 8-12 21.
Mullen – Pohs 4 0-0 9, Martinez 1 0-0 2, Gallegos 4 0-0 8, Van Horn 0 0-0 0, Im. Perez 4 2-2 11, Il. Perez 5 2-2 12, Dominguez 3 0-0 6, Hart 1 2-2 4, Oswald 1 0-0 2, Loukopoulos 3 0-0 8, Webster 4 1-2 13, Medina 1 0-0 2. Totals 31 7-8 77.
3-pt. goals – Briggs; Webster 4, Loukopoulos 2, Im. Perez, Pohs.
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